Fame


Names such as Tutankhamen, Michael Angelo, Galileo, or Caligula or Pilate blend in our minds as people who, for better or worse, have beaten time and space and constitute our cultural heritage. Whether they did what they involuntary or on purpose, they are the landmarks of the world’s legacy. Their fame helps us see historical events in perspective, value individual achievements and warn us against repeating the same mistakes.
Unlike the previous centuries the 20th century was one of meteoric advancements in the fields of communication and technology, this fact may lead us to think that a number of enlightened men would dazzle the world with their inventions, discoveries and theories.
Anyway, famous people do not seem to enjoy a long life on the time lights.
And this reflection leaves us wondering about the future. What will happen in ten or twenty years’ time when people will be so mumbled by myriads of stimulus that nothing will stir their emotions? Will there be famous people whom ordinary people will look up to, or will fame be a passing trend to be forgotten like last year’s clothes or hairstyles? Or, what is more; will we keep a memory of all those men and women who moulded our history, or will they become a blurred memory in the mind of a few? Quoting Bob Dylan, the answer is blowing in the wind.