(RANT BEGIN) I'm almost starting to hope that I never gain any sort of fame or success in my life, because lately it seems like that will inevitably lead to becoming a horrible person. Even in communities I follow, I'm finding more and more people who trade integrity for success.

To be clear, I don't always think this way. In reality this is just another temporary funk I'm in; I don't think I'm quite that jaded about those who have found success, and there are some genuinely good people out there who are richer and more famous than I'll likely ever be.

However, the sheer number of downfalls I've seen far outweighs the number of good people (no doubt biased by the tendency for negative drama to spark more public engagement compared to positive news), but it makes you wonder whether the average person is really cut out for fame.

I don't mean that as a sleight at famous or successful people. After all, they pretty much all started out just like you and me. Rather, I want to emphasize that it takes an incredible amount of self-control and knowledge to know how to properly wield that sort of influence.

With the internet making it possible for literally anyone to become famous (at least in their respective communities), so many people get thrust into situations they're likely unprepared to deal with, leading to them making poor decisions for any number of reasons.

It's always important to have people in your life to not only support you and care about you, but also who know what your weaknesses are and what it looks like when you make bad decisions or mistakes. Those people can help correct your path, and you should seek them out.

I sincerely hope I never need to follow my own advice. But if I do, that's okay, we're all human, we make mistakes. That's why it's so important to have people who can course-correct us in life, to ensure that the mistakes we make aren't going to have serious consequences.

tl;dr No matter where life takes you, always try to be a good person. And surround yourself with people who will keep you honest and reprimand you for the small mistakes you make on your journey, while also supporting you for all the good things you do, too. (RANT END)

Looking back, this was a whirlwind of emotions, and now I'm a bit calmer. Might delete this thread later if I get embarrassed, but for now I still believe in the message, even if I'm kinda bad at explaining myself.