I WANT YOUR ATTENTION!! I WANT YOU TO SEE ME, SEE WHAT I AM DOING AND TALK ABOUT ME!!
What am I doing? Nothing. Why should you watch? No reason. What should you talk about? Nothing.
And that is one of the things that lead to the tragedy on Saturday.
A possibly mentally unstable individual decided that they were not getting enough attention from the world around them and determined that shooting up someone of importance was the remedy for their insignificance.
With 500+ TV channels, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, etc, it is easy to believe that each and every one of us either has or deserves an audience. Why do you suppose I write this blog? I could keep my own, confidential journal if I didn't feel the need for validation from others.
But when you combine the urge for an audience with an unstable personality, sometimes the results are tragic.
And the results are tragic for EVERYONE involved.
Is there an answer? I certainly do not espouse periodic mental health screenings for all. I also do not support making everyone famous for 15 minutes. Yes, Andy Warhol was correct, the media now exists for such fleeting fame.
Perhaps we need to somehow shift the qualities we most publicize and admire. Perhaps we should attempt to make famous the people who run soup kitchens, the people who help the homeless, the teachers who run after-school programs for kids at risk.
How wonderful it would be if coverage of a famous boxer focused as much on his work with inner-city kids as on his triumphs in the ring. Wouldn't it be great if the story on a multi-million dollar contract included the information that 50% of the amount received would be going to charity.
I would love to see a story on a team, one month after winning a National championship showing the members cleaning up vacant lots in their city.
I think I want to try. Instead of saying that someone plays at my golf course, I want to say that they volunteer, that they care, that they give of themselves to others.
And yes, I would like them to say the same about me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yes. More good news would be welcome. I watched the "Heroes" award program on CNN a while back and was really touched by all those people doing so much good. There are so many people doing acts of kindness every day in the world, yet we only hear about the bad things.
ReplyDelete