It is best not to drink too deeply from a cup full of fame. It can be very intoxicating, and intoxicated people often do foolish things.
Back when I was a TV sportscaster in small town Idaho, the local kids would occasionally come up to me and ask for an autograph when I was out covering some event. I politely declined to sign anything for them, telling them that I wasn’t famous and my autograph would never be worth anything. When I told this story not long ago to a couple friends, they said I was being a jerk. I don’t think so; I was just being realistic about fame and trying not to get intoxicated by the kids’ attention.
Last October at a U2 academic conference, I was asked to sign about 10 copies of my book. My wife told me in advance that I wasn’t allowed to say “no” to those requests. She was right – it would’ve been really bad form to do that. And I have to confess that I got a bit drunk on the attention. Thankfully, that was a short trip and coming back home put me right back where I belonged!
If you don’t know what this post/series is about, see the John Wooden tag and specifically the first quote I posted.
No Comments