Can we believe what we see?

What is it about a beloved celebrity’s death that unlocks an emotional door to grief for us all?

Perhaps we feel we know them and their families well, though of course we do not. We are touched by photos that seem to track their joys and triumphs as well as their sadness and profound humanness. 

Celebrities' gestures in their day-to-day media-told activities often seem like posturing.  Yet a simple photo of a spouse’s hand on the back of her grieving partner as he views the flowers left to honor his grandmother can appear unfiltered, even raw.  Do we dare believe this image is authentic — that it is not also constructed for the benefit of the public eye through the camera’s lens?

We hunger for authenticity, seeking it wherever we can in our cursory postmodern culture that celebrates reality shows over real, glitz over substance … a culture where social media players rally for a “Housewife” or “Teen Mom” to be fired because their storylines don’t bring enough drama to the show.  As if the shows and storylines were real.

What gestures between people should we believe, given the absurdities of our times, and the ubiquity of  artificial intelligence and unchecked social media?

Seeing the photo of Meghan touching Prince Harry’s back brought a tear to my eye. Can we believe authenticity is still alive, even for them — that the camera has accurately captured their grief?

It’s an open question.

What do you think? Can we believe what we see of celebrities' lives?