On Fame

 While I was on the bus this morning, I was reading Master Sheng Yen's Chan and Enlightenment where he talks about the emptiness of fame. He remarks, "while it is good to be remembered fr our true achievement and good work, it is best to do good work without seeking fame at all" (p.147). As with the case of many of Master Sheng Yen's statements, this one is quite deep and fascinating. I am most impressed by how it suggests that not attaching to fame is important. I wonder, however, how often do people really understand the implications of fame? It makes me realize that there is a difference between wanting fame and wanting the feeling of love and recognition that appears to go with fame.
   Fame actually comes with responsibility. If I look at famous leaders in the world, their fame comes mainly from their speeches and decisions, and people by necessity hang on those words. I am noticing recently that those in power are almost always taking to social media to air their views or dispute the views of others, only to realize later that their words will be used against them eventually, so far as there is a message trail. The more a person puts their words into a public arena or social space, the more accountable they tend to need to be for those words. More than anything, this solidifies my understanding of words not as isolated belief systems, but as social actions that take place in the context of responsibility and power.
   Fame is sought at a high price, and that ends up taking the form of enmeshment in the power that one's audience and supporters have over them as people. Once I make a great piece of music that everyone loves and build a following of fans, I will have many high expectations imposed on me of what I can do next. Were I not to receive such recognition, would it be such a pressure for me to exceed what I created before? The same thing goes with anything I produce that receives some modicum of recognition of reward. The more I am rewarded, the more I am compelled to engage in the same behavior, only to realize that the behavior does not always consistently reward at all times. But I continue to pursue that same desired result because I am attached to it.
    When I am not so popular, I might from time to time crave recognition, but in a sense I have the fortune of being able to grow in ways that are unpredictable and are not governed by followers or admirers. I think this is why artists worry so much about selling out or objectifying themselves on a marketplace of art. Artists intuit that fame has a way of crushing their growth, by compelling them to repeat the same formula of success, even when they have in their hearts moved beyond that particular phase of their creative life. Recognizing the suffering inherent in the trap of fame, such people recognize that fame has its own price and position, and it's not as liberating to be famous as some might think. While it has its perks, there is also an element of responsibility in fame.