What's Wrong With Fame?

[Serge]

I mean, so many people dream about it... Famous... When I write this word I feel like it carries so much garbage with it , so I'll use the word "popular". It's been my goal for a long period of time to become popular, because I thought that it opens up lots of possibilites for yourself - the possibility to meet/communicate with people you admire, financial independency, and, consequently - lots of free time.

Roughly speaking, my plan was to make a shitload of money, become popular and at that point - the gates are open to anything, do what you want. But as I'd started working on myself and become more aware of my motivations.. idk... it feels that there's something wrong (I wouldn't be satisfied) with it.  But I can't figure out why. Like, why wouldn't those possibilities make my life easier, why wouldn't I want those things? Why do I feel that accomplishing this goal is not worth it ?

I am very interested in your thoughts about this!

[Edvard]

@Serge It's not "wrong" to become famous or popular, I don't think that's what Leo advocates. However, what you should focus on is to reach your own goals based on your own values leading you to do what's necessary to reach it. 

Popularity will not make you fulfilled or self-actualized. You get fulfillment by living according to your values, and by doing that you probably attract people who share those values. Popularity may just be a bi-product of you living up to your full potential, in sort of the same way money is. 

Chasing popularity I would say can be very toxic, because it will make you very depended on what other people believe or value. Do what you yourself think is right, be yourself. If people happen to like that, fine. If not, also fine, although someone out there probably will. 

Think about it, if your goal is to become popular or famous, what would that require? It would require you to live other people's lives, being a people pleaser and living according to their values. With that said, popularity and fame is not bad, but it will never make you fulfilled or happy.

Now, these are my words.

Edited July 31, 2017 by Edvard

[Prabhaker]

@Serge

Fame is foolish, it is pointless, meaningless. Even if the whole world knows you, how does it make you richer? How does it make your life more blissful? How does it help you to be more understanding? to be more aware? to be more alert? to be more alive?

In fact, the more empty you are within, the more you seek fame; it is a sort of substitute. The more poor you are within, the more you seek riches; it is a substitute to somehow stuff yourself with something.

If you are feeling happy inside, you don't bother about fame;only unhappy people bother about fame. Who bothers whether anybody knows you or not if you know yourself? If you know yourself who you are then there is no need. But when you don't know who you are you would like everybody to know -- everybody to know who you are. You will collect opinions, you will collect people's ideas, and out of that collection you will try to arrange some identity, that "Yes, I am this man.

Osho~The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol 3

[Lorcan]

There is nothing "wrong" or immorale about fame or being famous. It is just not worth persuing. If you end up famous despite not seeking fame, so be it. At least thats what the stoics thought, or at least some of them. I myself agree with them.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Lorcan

[HypSandar]

I personally had that desire when i was 12, no offence though i happened to change my mind state a lot sooner then most people.. I happened to come across information that change that. I have no desire for it because i learned there's no point in fame, shiny things, cool furniture, etc.

Its what some would call greed or general desire, its what happens when you come to a higher point of the mind, if you find it,  hold onto it.

 

[Joseph Maynor]

It feeds the ego and is just one more addiction and source of pain.  I also imagine it would get annoying to be recognized in public.  Happiness comes from being, from within, not from being "well known" by strangers.  

However, if your life purpose is to change the world, then fame would be a necessary element in that perhaps.  So, in that case it might be good.

Good and bad regarding fame depend very heavily on context and on motives for being famous.  It could very well be a great thing for the right person in the right context to be famous.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Spiral]

It's irritating when the attention is not wanted and a (usually) pointless goal. 

[Serge]

@Edvard @Prabhaker @Lorcan @HypSandar @Joseph Maynor @Clint Eastwood @Spiral , thank you very much everyone for your thoughts! It's definitely enough information to contemplate on!