Forgive them their trespasses

There is nothing in the book that forbids fans of a personality to be disappointed and turn their back on him or her. Beethoven, an ardent admirer of Napoleon —dedicating his Symphony No. 3, ‘Eroica,’ for embodying ‘democratic and anti-monarchic ideals’ — rejected him after the latter crowned himself emperor. While ex-bhakts do set themselves up for sneers from both admirers and critics of their objet de bhakti, it’s a small price to pay for ‘snapping out of it’. Three defendants accused of participating in the siege of Capitol Hill in Washington in January know as much. As is wont with dashed fans, they are blaming their former hero, Donald Trump, for leading them up the Oval path. One of them even admits, ‘I kind of sound like an idiot now saying it, but my faith was in him.’ Among more than 400 facing trial, most are blaming Trump, social and cable media, and even ‘pandemic boredom’.

For ex-bhakts, disillusionment in a hero follows ‘illusionment’, a lengthy phase of being mesmerised by a personality. When that personality stops delivering the goods, or loses, the proverbial veil, if not the penny just then, usually drops. Self-esteem and self-preservation then do the rest. It’s wise to forgive such lapsed bhakts. For the alternative, as the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 attests, is a new line of bhakti borne from humiliation.