Andy Warhol is credited with saying everyone has fifteen minutes of fame. That isn't exactly what he said though, what he did say was " In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes. " He said that back in 1968 before there was the internet and world communications were quite a bit different. That may have been a prophetic statement. We may not get fifteen minutes, but we can certainly get an honorable mention anyway. The power to grab the worlds attention does rest in our fingertips. The mechanism now exists to achieve that fifteen minutes and all that remains is for us to grab that attention. Existing celebrities do it all the time with " tweets " or" instagrams ". It is an amazing thing if you really consider it.
I have never been a fan of Warhol and know little of his life or work. I do know he is famous for painting a Campbell soup can, although I have no idea why. I just chalk that up to he was famous and someone decided the painting was great. Well okay, if you say so. There are things I just don't understand and don't even try to.
There are those that go in search of fame. For some it is a lifelong pursuit. For others it is just something you stumble into in. Some revel in it, while others complain about it once it is realized. I often wonder about the motivations of those seeking fame. Is it the fame, or the fortune that often accompanies it ? I hear a lot of the celebrities profess they do it for the " art " but I wonder. I believe you do have to have a passion for whatever it is that you are doing in order to be successful at it. There are no accidental geniuses. The inherent ability to learn and retain that information may be an accident of nature, but using that same gift is no accident.
Does the amount of attention we require drive our everyday actions ? It would certainly seem so. Some do it with words, some with dress, and some with actions. Does the wallflower not require the same degree of attention and care as anyone else ? When is the cry for attention an overriding factor to civil behavior and common sense ? A healthy sense of self worth is what is required. Is it the amount of external validation required by the individual that measures self worth ? Perhaps because our " world " is so much smaller this need for fame is rising. A larger audience does increase the pressure to succeed. Fifty years ago our " world " was a much smaller place as far as outside influences were concerned. It was much easier to just fit the mold. It was also easier to excel and be a star. Think of it like this, in your high school you may have been in the top ten as far as scholastic ability, then you find yourself at a major University. You are now just one of the crowd. What effect will this have upon you ?
These are some of the thoughts I have regarding peoples behavior. It would seem like there is an increase in negative behavior. Is that because these folks want attention ? Or perhaps it is just that we are now more aware of it. It certainly seems to me I am hearing more groups of people demanding equal time and attention. Groups that, not so many years back, would not want attention drawn to them. Is this more searching for validation ?
It is a subject that touches nerves but a subject that needs to be discussed. Religion. Is it not the purpose of religion to provide us with the validation that we require ? Religion provides us with that assurance that we are doing what is expected of us. Religion provides us the reward. Contentment comes from within. When we rely upon the external to satisfy that need, we run the risk of disappointment. The world is a fickle place.
The more we turn from religion and spiritual pursuits the more we flounder. The less contentment we feel and the more desperate our need for attention. If we were all to pay more attention to the needs of others and less to our own, the world would be a far better place.
I have never been a fan of Warhol and know little of his life or work. I do know he is famous for painting a Campbell soup can, although I have no idea why. I just chalk that up to he was famous and someone decided the painting was great. Well okay, if you say so. There are things I just don't understand and don't even try to.
There are those that go in search of fame. For some it is a lifelong pursuit. For others it is just something you stumble into in. Some revel in it, while others complain about it once it is realized. I often wonder about the motivations of those seeking fame. Is it the fame, or the fortune that often accompanies it ? I hear a lot of the celebrities profess they do it for the " art " but I wonder. I believe you do have to have a passion for whatever it is that you are doing in order to be successful at it. There are no accidental geniuses. The inherent ability to learn and retain that information may be an accident of nature, but using that same gift is no accident.
Does the amount of attention we require drive our everyday actions ? It would certainly seem so. Some do it with words, some with dress, and some with actions. Does the wallflower not require the same degree of attention and care as anyone else ? When is the cry for attention an overriding factor to civil behavior and common sense ? A healthy sense of self worth is what is required. Is it the amount of external validation required by the individual that measures self worth ? Perhaps because our " world " is so much smaller this need for fame is rising. A larger audience does increase the pressure to succeed. Fifty years ago our " world " was a much smaller place as far as outside influences were concerned. It was much easier to just fit the mold. It was also easier to excel and be a star. Think of it like this, in your high school you may have been in the top ten as far as scholastic ability, then you find yourself at a major University. You are now just one of the crowd. What effect will this have upon you ?
These are some of the thoughts I have regarding peoples behavior. It would seem like there is an increase in negative behavior. Is that because these folks want attention ? Or perhaps it is just that we are now more aware of it. It certainly seems to me I am hearing more groups of people demanding equal time and attention. Groups that, not so many years back, would not want attention drawn to them. Is this more searching for validation ?
It is a subject that touches nerves but a subject that needs to be discussed. Religion. Is it not the purpose of religion to provide us with the validation that we require ? Religion provides us with that assurance that we are doing what is expected of us. Religion provides us the reward. Contentment comes from within. When we rely upon the external to satisfy that need, we run the risk of disappointment. The world is a fickle place.
The more we turn from religion and spiritual pursuits the more we flounder. The less contentment we feel and the more desperate our need for attention. If we were all to pay more attention to the needs of others and less to our own, the world would be a far better place.
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