What passes for enlightenment in much of the modern self-help world has become charisma wrapped in spiritual language and protected by profit. With the recent release of Epstein-related records naming figures such as Deepak Chopra and Peter Attia, the public is once again left sorting mythology from reality.

An industry that promised guides quietly produced spiritual celebrities, where brands are protected at all costs and silence in the face of misdeeds is rewarded more readily than accountability.

Which raises a more uncomfortable question than which guru fell from grace:

Why did we build the pedestal in the first place?

The answer may be far less glamorous—and far more powerful—than following another voice on a stage: reclaiming our own discernment, our own authority, and a little unapologetic personal badassery.