We have seen it many times before. We have all been witness to an individual’s slow and steady climb to the pinnacle of success, complete with all the accolades and popularity of a ‘hero’ status. We have watched them wave and smile at the camera. We have watched them star in their own commercials. We have all been a part of office water-cooler conversations about their mission, dedication, amazing accomplishments, and broken world records. Some of us have even secretly admired from afar. Again, we all fall into the adoration of a public figure, to the point that we lose sight of the simple most obvious fact of all- they are human.

We have watched politicians get caught in sex scandals, athletes testing positive for steroids, and priests preying on young victims. It’s a pattern that I believe sets us all up for disappointment. We push people up onto the pedestal and deem them extraordinary. We expect them to be role models, to look good all the time, to even save the world. We want them to be ANYTHING but ordinary, probably because then they would be just like us.

With the recent photograph that has surfaced showing the swimming champion, Michael Phelps, sucking on a foot long bong, the world has once again, dropped its head in disappointment. After the photo surfaced, he reportedly used the words ‘regrettable’ and ‘bad judgement’ in his apology.

The consequences for him are steep. Kelloggs has revoked their endorsements. He is banned from US swimming for three months. His character is being examined. Small children who once admired his 6 ft. wingspan and superhuman Olympic powers are now confused. These are all natural consequences of course. But where does the blame fall? Obviously, Mr. Phelps made an enormous and perhaps career ending mistake. But, aren’t we to blame for placing such high expectations on such a young man? This isn’t a prep school boy with a fairy tale childhood. This is a real life guy who has suffered from ADHD and school difficulty his whole life. His mother is a school principal, not a Queen or a Fairy Godmother. She lives and breathes real life air. He bleeds blood red, I’m quite sure. They are human. They are a mother and son who have endured. A young boy found himself in the pool and discovered talents beyond the classroom. With discipline and an unfaltering level of commitment, he rose to become an Olympic and world champion swimmer.

We watched him stand on that podium, smiling ear to ear, and waving to the world while gold medals dangled around his neck like heavy chains.

At what point do we all just start believing in being human? We have a tendency to put high expectations on our professional athletes and public figures…and priests but that’s a whole other Blog. We put even higher expectations on those we love, especially our partners. At the end of the day, all we can do is believe in ourselves and the choices we make in life. We learn that others rely on us to be honest, respectful, caring. Sometimes we get it right and make others proud, but other times we mess it up in more ways than we can imagine. There are times we engage in ‘regrettable’ behavior and deflect our actions to ‘poor judgement.’ The reality is that Superman’s red cape belongs in comic strips. There must be an element of forgiveness and the recognition that imperfection does exist. There is no reason we should expect any more from our professional athletes and public figures than what we expect from ourselves. I know, we don’t make millions of dollars to catch a football. But if we did, does that mean we are absolved from any wrongdoing? A person doesn’t become superhuman when they break a record. They may be extraordinary at what they do, but they are not without imperfections. We need to accept the fact they are human, and just like us.