Last week, I wrote a piece about Zayn Malik taking a page out of Ginger Spice's handbook and leaving his insanely popular group, One Direction, smack dab in the middle of a world tour. Lots of people speculated it might have to do with some cheating accusations flying around, but that seemed like just a symptom of a bigger problem: Malik doesn't want to be famous anymore. That was made even clearer today with the announcement that he has left the band for good.
The biggest takeaway: "I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight."
Our culture is so focused on fame and, as products of that culture, we are conditioned to chase after it, even if it's not really in our true nature. This is what happens when reality catches up with the fantasy.
I'll end this post like I ended the one last week because my thoughts haven't changed: