Bling Goggles and The Pedestal of Rank

In Freemasonry, we have a term for when someone is overly fawning and impressed with someone of higher "rank": Bling Goggles.  Rather than act like a regular person, some people adopt a fawning, sycophantic attitude towards they perceive as their "betters".  More often than not, their "betters" are more aptly described as those with more years of experience, and sometimes more wisdom.

In Aikido, the situation is far worse.  The pair of Bling Goggles is transformed into a veritable Pedestal of Rank.  While it is certainly not universal, the high ranking Aikidoka are sparsely populated with everything from the merely depressed to full on drunkards, or even alleged statutory rapists.

The beginning Aikido student really isn't to blame.  They are thrust into the heady world where advanced teachers can do seemingly magical things.  They are instantly expected to show respect and deference to teachers and more advanced students.  That isn't the cause of the Pedestal.  The true cause is the advanced student or yudansha (black belt) who believes, or at least doesn't instantly dispel misdirected comments or actions of the uninformed.  For instance, in an overheard conversation:

"Sensei, you're as important as Jesus!"
"Hmmmm.....  Yes." (in a knowing tone).

While an extreme example, it shows that if one starts to reject humility as being a vital component to rank, it's pretty easy to get hoisted up onto that pedestal.  You may enjoy the view for a while, but it's never a stable position.  Just like when Bling Goggles crack or fall off, falling off the Pedestal of Rank can be especially bruising if one has bought into their own mythology.  Ultimately, we're all just people, regardless of whether we have direct lineage to O' Sensei (or O' Sensei himself), or we're a 33rd Degree Mason.  It's appropriate to respect people for their accomplishments, but not to fawn over them because of a title.  It's even more appropriate, even vital, for those who have accomplished a rank (be it Aikidoka or Mason), to act with humility, and to not reward the uninformed and misdirected efforts of those with less experience to place them on the Pedestal.