Applause is not the destination
Of the varied mistakes i’ve made in my life, i regret the times that applause became my aim; all of those foolish moments in which i became a fan of my fans. In essence, i regret the time and resources wasted due to my vanity.
credit: cessemi
“A vain man can never be utterly ruthless: he wants to win applause and therefore he accommodates himself to others” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(‘Ruthless’ has several powerMAD conotations, so, for the sake of argument, i’ll exchange it for its synonym: relentless.)
A vain man can never be utterly relentless. Well-timed applause or gushing approval will knock him off-course quicker than my golf-swing. As Stephen Colbert knows, some people will applaud anything! Accordingly, what matters is not the quantity, but the quality of response. In fact, for the most audacious, spectacular acts, the applause is silent; the reaction being muted by disbelief. Applause is not better than such silence.
Over time i’ve grown accustomed to treating applause as though i am a King or a President. I will give thanks, but i will not let my estimated-time-of-arrival be altered. I’m not in the entertainment biz. Applause is not my destination. My destination is...
Most people clap for a King, not because they know him, but because they don’t know what else to do; because they see other people clap; because they are in awe; because they want him to give them favour. Would a King ever get to his destination – and still remain King – if he swooned at every compliment given?
The answer is no. Rather, the powerSANE live the words of Edmund Burke, relentlessly:
“Applause is the spur of noble minds, the end and aim of weak ones.” – Edmund Burke
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