It’s a sad day when anyone has reached the point of complete mental and physical exhaustion, but it seems like it would be much worse to have to go through it in the public eye.  Since Kanye West’s recent meltdown, the world seems to be split in its reaction.  Some actually care, while others have made it clear that they don’t.  This brings up an interesting question: When did we stop caring about the well-being of celebrities? 

Day in and day out, we have the absolute privilege of hearing our favorite songs on the radio, attending concerts to see our favorite singer or rapper perform, we can like Drake’s posts on social media, we can comment on Kylie Jenner’s photos.  We have complete access to public figures and sometimes it seems like that point is greatly missed and taken for granted.

Let’s take Kanye West for example.  He recently made headlines for having a bad breakdown.  Fans around the world saw him lash out while performing live during one of his Saint Pablo shows.  Much criticism has been thrown his way after he took time to express his anger towards Beyoncé and Jay Z and for also openly supporting Donald Trump.  Days later, he canceled all remaining shows on his tour and is now being treated by doctors.  It’s understandable that those who paid to see him live were upset and felt cheated out of a Kanye West concert (tickets were fully refunded by the way), but at what point is it OK to have some compassion?  Kanye may not be perfect in his actions,  but he has given EVERYTHING he’s got to his music (the same music that we demand from him).  This man literally broke down and instead of everyone rallying around him to lend their support, a lot of folks actually did the opposite.

Another example is Selena Gomez.  The singer/actress recently gave a heartfelt acceptance speech at the American Music Awards. She explained her two year absence from the spotlight and thanked her fans for being there during a dark time.  In reality, she was said to have stepped away to deal with complications from Lupus.  What this proves is that celebrities are regular people, with regular life problems.  So,why don’t we treat them with the same respect that we would a family member or friend?  Are we becoming so selfish or numb to what reality really is that we think famous people live a magical life where nothing can harm them or take away from their happiness?

Time and time again, we see celebrities tackle their demons right before our very eyes.  So many cries for help and we seem to always wait until they either break or it’s too late and they lose their life.  Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Whitney Houston, Bobbi Christina, Bobby Brown, Kid Cudi, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan…the list could go on forever.  We watch the most successful people break.

Anyone living their life in the spotlight deserves a lot of credit because it takes courage to keep giving to a world that shows them no loyalty.  Celebrities know what they are signing up for, but at what point will we allow them to just be human again?  Let’s start caring about those that we claim to love and cherish.  Let’s be grateful for the healing power of music and the arts in general.  Let’s show compassion for those that give so much of themselves to us…without even knowing who we are.