U2 will go down in history as one of the greatest rock bands in history, and its frontman, Bono, is definitely one of the most charismatic and loved musicians of his time. The rocker has done so much more than what is seen on the stage. He has often taken on controversial topics without hesitation and he is a huge humanitarian. Recently, Bono, 57, revealed that he had a near-death experience at a time when the group was preparing to engage the idea of mortality on their latest album.
Although the rocker did not disclose the complete details about what happened during this near-death experience, he admits that this close encounter with death gave him more than enough to write about for quite some time. The idea of mortality will be visited in the latest installment by the group entitled Songs of Experience which was released at the beginning of December.
The singer-songwriter spoke about what he called “extinction events” and he said that people, at different points in their life, have these experiences. With some people, the event is emotional, and with others it is psychological. With Bono, his experience was of the physical nature. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Bono said that the obsession with celebrity and the need to have access to the most minute of details surrounding a person’s life has led him to be somewhat ambiguous in the manner in which he has chosen to chronicle his own personal near-death experience. He decided to tall a part of the story and then allow people to fill in the blanks.
I believe that it is easy for fans of celebrities to forget that celebrities are human too. We tend to push the idea of some entitled right to know everything we possibly can. Some will say that is the price of fame but is it? I don’t think so. I believe a certain amount of exposure is inevitable and should be expected by anyone seeking a career or passion in the public eye; however, there have to be healthy boundaries that protect these individuals so that they can continue to function at the highest level in their given fields.
While the exact nature of Bono’s physical situation is unknown, he admits that having access to the best medical care possible not only saved his life, but it has allowed him to experience a full recovery from this incident. Interestingly, the musician believes that there are people out there who have had to deal with much worse than what he went through, and for that reason, he has chosen not to make it a central focus of his life. I have followed U2 for a very long time, so I am very familiar with what makes Bono tick, so I understand his approach. However, help me out here. Outside of death, what can be more serious than almost dying? But that simply allows you to peak into the mind of a genius who actually gets it.
One of the reasons that he is so loved is the fact that he knows how to love back. Some many of the people we choose to celebrate create so much distance from us that we cannot relate, and Bono does the opposite – he demonstrates an affinity for the challenges we are facing daily. We need more celebrities like him.
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