Fame
Let’s assume you achieved something that caught the attention of the media. Local and national newspapers published stories about you, praising your efforts. TV news programs interviewed you and covered your story. You walked down the street in your neighborhood and people recognized you and congratulated you.
You’re famous! How would that make you feel?
I think most of us would admit we’d feel very positive and proud as a result of this attention and recognition. We’d feel important. But let’s dig deeper. What part of us is enjoying this fame?
It is the ego that is celebrating - not the spirit. It is the ego that seeks and revels in fame. The ego is constantly looking to establish its superiority over others - and fame is the ego’s finest hour.
Fame separates people. It is based on the principle that there are certain “favored” individuals who deserve special attention while the rest of the population is ordinary and not as deserving. Fame is based on outside validation, and your spirit has no need for outside approval.
It’s important to distinguish between seeking fame and receiving recognition from others. All humans like to be recognized and appreciated. We enjoy expressing gratitude and receiving praise.
While the spirit may enjoy receiving recognition, it doesn’t need outside approval. The spirit is whole and complete right now, no matter what is accomplished or who recognizes it. The ego, on the other hand, seeks fame and wants others to know that you are important.
If we look at most societies today, we see that celebrity is worshipped. TV shows, magazines and online stories are dominated by celebrity news. We not only seek fame for ourselves - we want to follow the drama of others who have achieved celebrity status. We want autographs of well known people. We want to tell our friends and neighbors that we were in the same room as an actor, athlete or politician. “I actually shook his hand,” we say with great pride.
The spirit takes no satisfaction from any of this nonsense. It clearly sees the pursuit of fame - or the obsession with the fame of others — as a dead end when it comes to peace and happiness.
There is often a paradox here. When you are in tune with your spirit, fame may find you - even though you are not seeking it. You become a powerful force field that others are attracted to. After all, wouldn’t you be attracted to someone who is full of love and acceptance and who respects all people as equal? When you are in the presence of someone who is not dominated by ego, you feel the spirit of that person - and it connects with your spirit. The divine energy is radiant.
This sounds very nice except for one important issue: MONEY. Our spirit may be happy yet we still have to pay the bills. In many cases, the person who does not seek fame may not make a lot of money. I’ll admit that in the business world, fame often brings material rewards. The person who has acquired some degree of fame will often make more money than the person who shuns the spotlight. The famous person receives special treatment that the others won’t get.
But fame will not bring lasting spiritual satisfaction. When you separate yourself from others, you are separating yourself from God. When you depend on outside recognition, you’re investing in something that will never satisfy you in the long run.
Furthermore, fame is fleeting. At some point, you’re likely to lose your celebrity status and your ego will then feel disappointed. If you gained fame as an athlete, you will lose your athletic ability as you age. If you gained fame based on your looks, that youthful appearance will eventually fade. If you made a lot of money, people may turn their attention to someone who is making even more money. You become “old news.”
Your ego then scrambles to recreate its celebrity or establish some type of advantage over others. This is a game where you can never rest and where you will always experience a roller coaster of ups and downs.
Fame is not a subject that I can adequately address in one short essay. There are so many variations to be explored. Fame means something different to each of you. The most I can do is introduce the issue and allow you to do further exploring on your own.
I have no doubt that many of you (or should I say your egos) are already building a case for the positive aspects of fame. You’re thinking of instances where fame does some good in the world.
Thus, a celebrity might help raise money for a charity. Isn’t that a good thing? Yes, in a way. But why does it take a celebrity for us to give money to that charity? Why are we giving such importance to what the celebrity says? Follow the trail of fame all the way to its roots, with all its implications, and fame may begin to lose some of its luster.
If the concept of fame and celebrity is so valuable, why don’t you run your own family that way? If one of your children does something noteworthy (like getting an impressive grade on a test), why not give that child preferred seating at family meals…or create a special seat in the family car for the “famous” child?
You wouldn’t make these distinctions because you know if you did, you’d be sending a message to your other children that they are not as valuable. You know they would quickly feel like second-class citizens. We won’t play the fame game in our own family, yet we play it with the members of our extended human family.
Thomas Wolfe once said, “You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.” You may think this statement is radical and possibly impractical, but I think there is much truth to his words.
From a spiritual perspective, I don’t think it matters who knows about you or thinks you’re someone special. It only matters that you know yourself.
– Jeff Keller
(c) 2008