Today was a very important birthday. It prompted a conversation about aristocracy. Maybe it's because I'm a law kid, but quite honestly, I'm of the opinion that our best and brightest are too often sacrificed by the whim of the mob. We see it in school's all too often: Teachers spend time trying to make the trouble maker's calm down while they don't give guidance and attention to the kids with talent and pay attention on their own.
I should make it known, as far as I know right now, I consider myself a moderate. People should be allowed to do as they please, in every way, but only so that they can be judged and seen for what their work and lives really amount to. I have met people who can not be saved, and I'm not saying people won't change, or surprise me, but I can't do anything to save some people. History is strewn with examples of when its right to push resources into a person/situation/area, and when to stay your hand and guide it elsewhere.
I think there are a surprising number of people that are disillusioned with the half-hearted American dream discussed throughout the country. Personally, I feel it went something like, "Yes, pursue your own happiness, but make sure you help anyone who isn't happy first, or else you're kind of a bad person for being selfish." Whereas, I'd imagine in more conservative areas it could change to, "Pursue the right kind of happiness, because certain things won't actually make you happy, because we know better than you about the matter."
Here's what I propose: Let's have a new Age of Heroes, yes we look up to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, but they are not famous nor flamboyant. But most assuredly, people are far more interested in the lives of pop culture celebrities than people who actually make the world turn. The argument could be made, that the people that "really matter" make sure to make themselves invisible; but doesn't that just mean we should try that much harder to see what they're doing and how they do it?
Fun Fact: Brittney Spears is worth 110 - 120 million dollars. (Portfolio.com)
Whereas, Larry Page, is worth upwards of 16.6 Billion dollars. (He cofounded Google)
And thats just my point. How many people have not even heard of the name Larry Page? What if he is a total nutcase and just building a deathray? Who digs through HIS trash to see what he's thinking? Maybe he's coming up with some new super invention. Besides that negative, Isn't it far more interesting to look up to a self made billionaire straight out of university by reinventing the search engine? (Remember Excite.com? yeah, neither to I.)
Larry Page is an Aristocrat. He's steered arguably the most influencial company in the world, and done so largely without cheating, instead by constantly offering a FREE, better product than anyone else. Britney Spears is a singer that, for her talents and shortcomings, is quite honestly more of a fluke than any assessment of talent or merit. (Celebrity Fame is fickle and stochastic to put it generously.)
But I'm just Omega, I feel I haven't hit my sweet spot in life to achieve my potential. I'm definitely trying to keep myself ready, and hoping I have some idea where or what It's going to be. It's nerve racking because the people I consider to be heroes, like Larry Page, don't often discuss what happend or how it felt, if it even felt like anything or if its just dawned on them one day that they made something great.
More to come later.
"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. " - Ernest Hemingway
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