The Problem with Pedestals

We put people on pedestals when something in them reflects something forgotten in us. Their light, their power, their clarity — it captivates us. We elevate them. Admire them. 

Sometimes even obsess over them.

But here’s the truth:
Every pedestal becomes a cage — not just for the person we place there, but for us too. Because when we place someone above us, we place ourselves beneath them.

We stop trusting our own knowing.
We silence our voice in the presence of theirs.
We question our intuition, our worth, our path.

And in doing so, we rob ourselves of what that person was here to mirror in us:
Our own power.
Our own clarity. Our own light.

Admiration doesn’t require elevation. We can love someone’s brilliance without forgetting our own.

So if you’ve placed someone on a pedestal, notice what you were trying to remember about yourself through them. Then, kindly, gently… step back down. And invite them to join you on level ground.

That’s where real connection lives.
Not in idolization — but in recognition.