Liberating Paris

I have no formal training in psychology or psychiatry, and I have never met Paris Hilton or any member of her family. But I have decided I won't let that stop me from psychoanalyzing her. Why should I? It hasn't stopped anybody else!

My impression is that Paris is a prisoner of wealth and all its trappings much more than she is a prisoner of the California justice system. She was born into wealth and raised in it. She cannot imagine life without it. Perhaps she can't imagine herself without it.

Her family's wealth and all that comes with it acts as a security blanket for her. In that sense, she is imprisoned by it. This is unfortunate, because, if true, it means that her development as a human being is stunted by the limitations imposed on her by her wealth.

Perhaps starring in the TV show "The Simple Life" was a subconscious expression of her yearning to be liberated from the jail of her wealth. She was curious to see and experience just a taste -- not too much, mind you -- of the lives of people who somehow found a way to go through life without the kind of wealth that she found so essential for her well being.

To preserve her wealth, she has commercialized her lifestyle. That is, after all, what being a celebrity is all about. Anna Nicole Smith once said in court testimony, "It's expensive being me." Those few words expressed a profound predicament shared by Paris and all others who choose the celebrity lifestyle or who define themselves in terms of their wealth.

Now, for about 40 days, Paris is finding out what life is like, and what she is like, without the material trappings of wealth. She is experiencing the real simple life, as opposed to the Reality TV simple life.

I am interested to see whether she will discover that she need not define herself in terms of wealth or life style. I am interested to see whether she can liberate herself from her wealth through this experience.

I hope she does, and I think the public should share this hope. Paris has established herself as a charismatic leader and strong influence in the lives of many young people in the United States and around the world. If she exhibits fundamental changes in her outlook after coming out of jail, this is sure to have an important impact on many lives around the country and around the world.

Think of the impact, for example, if Paris charted a radically new direction for her life, and started to live a life of service.

Once liberated from her wealth, she can turn around and use that wealth to better the lives of others, instead of using it simply to preserve her own psychological security.