Be Like Dolly

 

Dolly Parton's recent passing has amplified the near-universal adoration she has in our country. There was something special about Dolly that made her among the very few public figures that very different groups of people could claim as someone they admired. Not sure who else you put with her; maybe Mr. Rogers, Morgan Freeman, and Keanu Reaves? (Betty White? Tom Hanks? Bob Ross?)

Is there anything we can do to be like Dolly in this regard? Does it take the fact that she was in the upper echelon of riches, fame, talent, and beauty? Is she necessarily a unicorn, where all we can do is praise her and not realistically emulate her?

Seems to me that, yes, she is a "one of one," and deserves to be praised as such. And yet, it also seems to me that, perhaps in smaller and less prominent ways, we too can represent the best of Dolly's characteristics:

1. She was not without her convictions about divisive social issues, including being a strong advocate of the LGBTQ+ community from which many of her fans hailed. It seems impossible to "take a position" on anything without engendering grumbling or worse from one side. But Dolly seemed so genuine, so accepting, and so much about pure love that even the most hardened partisan could not help but be disarmed. At a time when there is so much performance and so little kindness in our political and social spheres, this is something I hope we can all imitate.

2. Her philanthropy was always targeted, effective, and ego-free. Those she supported were profoundly affected by her contributions. And those who observed her giving saw that it came from a generous and humble spirit, rather than one driven by ego and optics. We may not have Dolly's resources, but we can emulate her quiet but firm conviction that we can help others and should, and that their gain and not our glory should be our objective.

3. Dolly was, in a sense, a caricature rather than a real person, of which there are many such examples in contemporary society. And yet she was both authentic about who she was and good-humored enough to both play the part and let us know she was in on the act, that we couldn't help but accept and adore her. We may never be as unique as Dolly - a country girl from humble beginnings who became a rhinestone-studded beauty icon - but we can embrace our own uniqueness and be both confident and self-deprecating about it.

I think we will all fall well short of Dolly, in glamour and impact and goodness. But, I think it would be a good thing for a society, and a wonderful way to honor this American icon, if we tried to be a little bit like what made her the very best.