There probably exists within all of us the desire to be famous to varying degrees. When the population of the world was considerably smaller than it is now you would think it probably would have been easier, but, in fact, the opposite is the case. Fame depends on a large number of people being aware of one’s stature and achievements so it is mostly in the age in which we live, when modern communications allow millions of people to be aware of what is going on around them that fame has become a world-wide phenomenon.
For example, most of my readers would be aware of the great composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, a man whose music is till played and appreciated some 400 years after his death. But the fact is that it has only been in the last TWO centuries that people have even heard of him, let alone been exposed to his music. Bach lived and worked within a very small geographic area in Europe, rarely moved from that area and, though he was well known in his local area, he never got to be famous outside those very restrictive confines. And, despite writing over a THOUSAND pieces of music, every one of them a musical gem, his memory passed quickly from the public consciousness in that local area and would have remained completely forgotten but for the composer Richard Schumann, some 200 years later. Schumann discovered some of Bach’s manuscripts and was amazed by the complexity and beauty of what he saw. Seeking out other manuscripts, he became aware of the voluminous output of Bach’s lifetime and brought it to the attention of the musical world of his day. Thus we owe a great debt to Schumann because, without his intervention, we would never have had the joy of listening to some of the greatest music that has ever been written.
In this millenium, it is much easier to be famous. Indeed, due to the immediacy of the internet, it is possible to become famous almost overnight. It is even possible to become famous for being famous and many so-called “celebrities” today can make this boast.
But time is a great leveller, and it will be only future generations who will determine the value of the fame or otherwise of those who we regard as being famous today. To put that into a motorcycling perspective, it is only in the last 100 years, a mere drop in the bucket in the overall scheme of things, that all of the famous motorcyclists to whom we look up, have lived and raced.
My leading photo shows one of the most famous motorcyclists of all time, Giacomo Agostini. yet there would probably be only a handful of us who could actually say that we saw him race (I must say that I am a fortunate one who CAN say that). Who is to say how many will remember him in another 100 years?
Fame IS a fleeting thing. There is an old saying, “Today’s news – tomorrow’s wrapping paper.” and it’s pretty true.
And, who of us can determine with any degree of certainty what makes a person famous and whether those who are famous really deserve to be so. And, could it be that there are others, perhaps even more deserving of our admiration, to whom our attention is never drawn?
I’m getting a bit philosophical today but it’s worth thinking about fame, what does it really mean, is it worth pursuing and what price to those who do pursue it pay for the fame that comes their way?
Finally, on a lighter note, this little video that shows that the desire for fame runs deep and can lead to some amusing errors of judgement.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1d3U_liH2s&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]