Fame is fleeting, obscurity is forever
 Years ago I remember reading, or being told that the number one fear of those who succeed is that they will be found out to be frauds. Our self-images are far worse then reality. We are too hard on ourselves. On November 12th, Jonathan Brandis hung himself. I am not sure what demons drove him to so much sadness that he ended his talented, and oh so short life.
I remember him best from SeaQuest, where he was the Wesley Crusher of the crew. Young gifted and annoying. Just a tad to good looking, and too smart for reality. He was a fun character, that got the crew into trouble, and out of trouble on a regular basis. In the end he could not get himself out of trouble.
Our lives are full of ups and downs, we struggle to make the connections from start to finish. We live in a confused world where glory is sought, yet we are so willing to tear down those who have made it. Sometimes the famous need no help from us, but the question is -- are the the stories we hear true? Adam Curry wrote a great peice that ask those questions and looks at how "Its interesting to examine a culture that mounts camera's on 'smart bombs' to view 'the kill' on the 6 o'clock news, but freaks out if a nipple of a [female] breast is flashed on tv." Adam does well to show how the position of fame leaves you exposed to blind attacks, that never really do get retracted.
Ask yourself what is real, are the stories we get manufactured? Are they creations of our own dark desires, to see the famous fall. Is it confirmation that our own failure is ok, since they fail too? My previous piece makes it clear that I refuse to proclaim Michael Jackson guilty or innocent; that would be arrogant, but at the least he is stupid to have put himself in this position again. It is the guilt of that, which will have been the end of his career.
As for Brandis, it is sad to see any child star come to ruin, but they are human like us all. It is encouraging though to see that Wesley Crusher/Wil Wheaton seems to become a normal adult, willing to accept the realities of going between fame, obscurity, and notoriety. His blog makes it clear that he is simply mortal like the rest of us, just possessed of talent, and a drive to use it...mj
12:14:27 PM 
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