day no. 16,458: charisma is an artificial substitute for character

"Where men are forbidden to honor a king they honor millionaires, athletes, or film-stars instead -- even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served -- deny it food and it will gobble poison." — C.S. Lewis, Equality from Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays

Where hierarchy and character are criticized, achievement and charisma will be praised. Where submission is slandered, slickness will be saluted. Where morality is mocked, menace will be admired. Charisma is an artificial substitute for character. It does not really work and you can always taste the difference. You cannot successfully suppress the spiritual nature. If you deny the spiritual authority of Christendom, you delegate it to the authority of pop culture. If it is denied a feast of slow roasted meat, it will devour the fastest food it can find.

Proverbs 27:7

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb;

but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

A satisfied soul can say, "No" to real temptation, but a ravenous one will say, "Yes" even to poison. A healthy spirit can resist sweetness, but an unhealthy one cannot escape bitterness.