Some thoughts on Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift recently did a 6-day, sold-out concert in Singapore, singing to over 300,000 fans at the National Stadium.
Those who couldn’t get tickets camped outside the stadium (dubbed Cat 100, for since Category 1, 2, 3 etc were inside the stadium, arranged by proximity to the stage) and sang along (yes it’s that loud) and had an altogether excellent time as you can see by this video.
I was telling some close friends of mine that even as Singapore’s rates of religiosity are dipping over the years according to this extensive survey by Pew Research, we see an increasing trend in celebrity worship.
That’s how we packed out the halls for Coldplay & Taylor Swift you see.
Someone famous once said that we have a “God-shaped hole” inside all of us, that we’d do anything to fill.
I happen to disagree.
Perhaps “a void to be filled only by faith” would be more accurate.
I have found my explorations in Buddhism the past 5 years, and now Taoism this 2024, most fulfilling even as I hit a plateau in my Christian faith.
In my anecdotal observations, it is indeed those devoid of faith that are the most obsessed over celebrity worship.
After all, the human soul is wired to look heavenward, for the transcendent.
Having graduated from an evangelical megachurch that mastered the art of modern-day Christian worship experience by harnessing the power of excellent acoustics, state-of-the-art lighting, smoke machines & a brilliant performance every Sunday service, I can see how a concert can be indeed a transcendental experience.
Do note that I am not belittling the concertgoers’ experience.
The human being needs something to worship, and I think Taylor Swift is a pretty decent human being who has done a lot of good with her money and influence, even as people keep finding fault with her.
That’s one thing about being human after all.
We are all flawed.
But that’s okay.
I think perhaps, we should realise, with fundamentalism of any sort, being overly fixated on an idol isn’t helpful.
It isn’t just for hardcore Taylor Swift fans, who spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on her merch and concert tickets.
It’s also those who pour their hard-earned money to support causes they believe in, in whatever belief system they might have.
Money.
Sacrifice.
Time.
All ingredients that feed an egregore.
So there.
The Dawn of A New Era
This section will be for paid subscribers only, cos it’s a bit personal.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Miss Rachel Reads' Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.