The Darker Side of Fame

I can tell you from experience that when you have more than one person talking to you at the same time it’s not an easy thing to work with.  Our brains aren’t made to disseminate information coming from so many angles.  It’s easy to become stressed and anxious; want to escape from what seems like a barrage of enquiry.  When fame takes hold of an artist (e.g. music) suddenly EVERYONE believes that the artist belongs to them lock, stock, and barrel.  It seems the normal expectations of manners and space are no longer applied.  So it’s no wonder that there are sensitive souls who succumb to the darker side of this.

Do we have a responsibility to assist those of us who are less able to handle things like fame?  Amy Winehouse is not the first young person to self-destruct yet we seem to be standing on the sidelines watching it rather than becoming active.  In days gone by cultures had a protocol which was adhered to strictly.  It was for everyone’s good as it promoted consideration for others and responsibility with power.  One of the saddest things about western culture is that it feels like it’s only here for the “good times”.  When things aren’t working to our advantage we look around to lay blame elsewhere and deny any knowledge of the tragedy unfolding.

Sad really.  Of course the old saying “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink” is true here.  If the person at the centre of this does not feel worthy, no amount of cajoling will work.  Unless the self-destructive person becomes aware of their own behaviour they will never believe another’s opinion.  They will mostly feel the person is being a killjoy to what they perceive is their happiness.

Everyday there are those who decide their life isn’t worth a jot and quietly go about removing themselves from the census form.  Why do I say “quietly”?  Very rarely is a suicide ever printed on paper, delivered on radio or part of a TV news bulletin.  It’s unbelievable that those who kill themselves and others on the road are made public whilst those who might have been helped are the truly forgotten people in death too.  

Only the famous seem to perish publicly.