Fame, the mania disease of our time
Do you want fame? We all want to be liked. Greater status will get us attention. Power will get us what we want. Wealth will take away inconvenience. Or so we all seem to think.
And these desires have gone on for all of human history, but now, with the internet, and the rise of social media, somehow it seems within our grasp. Our culture worships the idea of celebrity. Often it does not matter how someone became famous. We envy fame. The attention.
Are we all feeling so neglected by those around us that we need total strangers to admire us? Or are we all so filled with social anxiety that we wish to rise above it? I keep thinking that the basic connections among people built into our society have altered and eroded so much that we don’t know how to interact with the actual human beings we meet. We want praise from strangers.
What we think fame will give us
- By other people knowing who we are and loving us, we will feel more complete
- a greater sense of importance
- a life free of petty problems
- If others think I am important, I will have a greater sense of self-worth
- free stuff
- make up for past slights, injuries or snubs. “I’ll make them see how good/important I really am.”
What people sacrifice for fame
- the mind and body, through overwork and exhaustion
- human scale of life: this can lead to addiction, mental illness
- opportunity for enjoyment
- appreciating beauty and nature around them
- friendships
- marriages, intimate relationships
- starting a family, having children, maintaining a family
- discard cultural, religious or family traditions in an attempt to be better liked by the general public
Legacy: want fame after death
For most of human history, trying to achieve fame after death has been seen as a higher goal than mere celebrity while alive. People want to influence or be known/loved by future generations. Of course you have even less control over the world after you are dead than when alive. To try to even the odds, you could overwork yourself and give up many of the pleasures of living. People do this to make scientific or medical discoveries. Artists of all kinds seem pulled by this idea. At least in this way it is thinking of others. Balance this outward calling with a need to build your own feeling of self-importance.
Wanting a Better World Instead
How do we get back to more balanced relations with other people? Can we temper this “I want fame” that is pushing so many people?
For myself, I remind myself that all things are connected. That it doesn’t matter where you are or what your external perceived status is, but that we can make choices every day to make the world happier and nicer for whoever is around us.
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