Back in the late 80s, I met with a high school student who was down and discouraged.

I mean, he's got to be really down and discouraged. You want to see me.

First, I couldn't ascertain the reason why he was so down.

And I kept asking questions and quizzing him and tried to do my best

with a quiet young man. And I finally got to the bottom of it after a great deal of trying.

And the bottom line was this. His parents were pressing him to play a certain sport in which he did not excel at.

The parents want their son to be popular. And in their mind, this is the way for him to get the popularity they want for him.

They thought if he excels in this particular sport,

who accomplished their goal for him.

I must confess to you, that was really an eye-opener for me back then.

As a father of young children,

you see, the need for popularity really emanates,

not from the children children but from adults.

In fact, parents communicate that message in some subtle and not so many subtle ways.

And ultimately, they transfer those desires for popularity to the younger generation.

As a matter of fact, some time ago, I read this story about a mother who was

having a hard time getting her son to leave for school in the mornings. And one day,

he said to his mother, why should I go to school? No one likes me over there. The teachers don't like me. The kids don't like me. The bus drivers

don't like me. And even the custodians have it in for me. And the mother persisted. You must go to

school. Why should I? He said. She said, well, you are healthy. You've got a lot to learn. You are a leader. You've got

something to offer. And furthermore, you're 49 years of age and you're the principal.

I think you have to agree that our culture is fixated, is infatuated by popularity.

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