What is the Purpose of Fame?

In this age of likes and shares, everybody wants fame. Everybody wants to become famous.

The Motivation of Fame

The obvious motivation for fame is the need for attention. Fame is the multiplication of attention. Fame is attention on a large scale.

What is Fame?

Can anyone be really famous? Across space and across time? You could be hugely famous in one part of the world and completely unrecognised in another part of the world. You could be hugely famous in your life and forgotten one year after you’re dead.

Okay, so a few are famous across space today. Space being shrunk by social media and the internet. But would someone living on a remote island know them? And some people are remembered after they’re dead, but would they be remembered after a thousand years?

Fame is and always will be restricted by space and time.

Wanting Fame

Say, a person wants to make ‘a mark on history’ aka become famous and be known far and wide for their accomplishments. But, in essence, what are they seeking? A few, monkish souls, may pursue a worthy goal but fame is not their purpose. It may be a byproduct but it’s not their objective. This said person so intent on ‘marking history’ wants fame for themselves. They want attention to themselves. They want validation for themselves.

But

Fame cannot cure anything

The attention that these fame-wanting folks need is just that, a needy need. Brought on either by lack of attention in their early years or by being relegated to the margins when they were growing up.

Fame is fickle

Fame is based on the attention that one gets from people, but fame is fickle because people are fickle. Not in a condescending way, but people keep changing their preferences, they keep wanting newer, different things. That’s just how they are.

Fame is dangerous

One may become famous. That’s okay. It’s to be enjoyed, celebrated even but the problem starts when fame becomes one’s main ambition.

When a person pursues solely fame, what they are trying to do is to get people to pay attention to them. They will do attention-seeking things. They will forget who they really are and concentrate on the persona that can become famous.

Fame will make you arrogant

It will take a very strong person to not become arrogant with the advent of fame. Because you will be surrounded by yes-people, because you will have all your whims and fancies and tantrums tolerated, you will become spoilt. You will become a person who demands tolerance because you are famous.

What kind of person will fame make you?

If fame favours you, will you become a self-important person bloated by their own arrogance?

A special mention to children who become famous. Because they’ve experienced fame at such a tender stage, they may either do anything to keep fame or they might end up despising fame.

What Fame can do

Of course, like everything, fame too can be put to good use. Fame is influence and influence can be used to address the many ills ailing society.

Fame is not a cure all antidote for your souls need for attention.