#90. Grandeur

Who hasn’t dreamt of being famous and successful in life? I know I have, and I think everyone will agree. The definition of these words has transformed tremendously, and consequently, what goes into becoming famous and successful has changed as well, or has it?

Today, we decipher this ever pursued facet of life, which is grandeur.

Not in achievement, but in endurance, of the human soul, does it show its divine grandeur and its alliance with the infinite.

– Edwin Hubbel Chapin

This is one thing I think I can claim without exceptions. All of us have had a dream at some stage which would lead us to our own versions of promised land. The dream could be of fame, success in a particular endeavour or just earning more than enough money to be able to claim every luxury imaginable without so much as a single thought. All of us have envisioned a day where we would hold everything that we have ever wanted.

Impact of Social Media

And today, at least apparently, it is much easier than ever to get to that promised land, and through means we had never ever thought of back in the day. Who would have thought that dancing for a 30 second video and sharing it on the internet would one day lead to people garnering followings way more than athletes, scientists and other literary geniuses of the world?

It is not limited to dancing though, people are now gaining massive popularity through just appearing on television, and not even as the focus of the program. I recently heard of a young lady gathering over 100,000 followers simply by appearing as a spectator of a sporting event. The reason people tuned in was the sporting event, and yet, this young lady became the centre of attention not only during, but after the game got over.

Yet, that is the reality today. Grandeur has become commonplace. And since we just discussed grandeur is at least a component, if not the entire thing, of everyone’s vision of success. In a way, it is a wonderful thing that has happened, thanks to the modern marvel that is technology. Technology and the deep penetration of the internet to the most remote areas in the world has allowed people to dream again, and possibly get out of situations that most of us cannot even imagine, let alone survive through.

The other side of Grandeur

However, there is another side of this constant pursuit of a higher social ranking that is coming up today. The more such things happen, the easier it appears achieving grandeur is, which is contrary to everything that we have experienced in the real world so far. Earlier, people gained popularity by accomplishing something worthwhile. And now, it is the other way around. People gain popularity first, and then they think about how to maintain it.

Consequently, we are seeing this immense rise of “Influencer Brands”. Every YouTuber, Instagram Influencer or TikToker (at least that’s what my generation calls them) is eventually known to launch a product line for clothing, food & beverages and even technology.

Interestingly, contrary to every marketing phenomenon ever known, the differentiating factor is not the product, but the intangible brand that has already been created due to the massive following of the person. Earlier, brands used to get created over a long, long period of time by offering top quality products or services. We truly live in a new age.

The reason I brought up this phenomenon is that this is leading a large portion of our population, especially youngsters (I feel so freaking old saying the word, but it’s true) to believing in easy “success”. If they are lucky and develop the vision of sustained relevance for themselves, they are starting to think about providing value to the society.

What is funny, is that while there is a large component of luck involved in such situations, what most of us are not figuring is that there is at least one virtue/advantage which has led the people who have been successful in the internet age. It may be their consistency, it may be their focus on value from the get go or it may even be their ability to maintain an impressive personality over a period of time.

But through sheer ignorance, the modern generation is becoming brainwashed with the idea of quick and easy success. The ultimate ideal of grandeur is leading people down some terrible paths. I equate this to nothing less than radicalisation or cultism. A young mind that has not developed the sense to differentiate right from wrong & has an undeterred focus is likely to commit to horrendous actions, just in his pursuit to his supposed “dreams”

The point I am trying to make is that if we are committing to achieving grandeur in life, we ought to start from a place of becoming valuable.

Sustaining grandeur without the commitment to responsible and valuable work is not only a fool’s errand, it is also delusional.

If you stuck around this far, thank you for your time. If you enjoyed this, share this with one friend of yours whom you think will benefit from reading this. Thanks for reading, and I will see you in the next one. 🙂