大象传媒

聽From Sheridan Voysey, Writer and broadcaster:

I recently asked my seven year-old nephew what he wanted to be when he grew up. With delightful honesty he said, 鈥淚 want to be famous!鈥� The reason turned out to be his favourite social media celebrity. With their millions of likes and video views, he one day hoped to be as popular as them.

My nephew isn鈥檛 alone. According to a YouGov survey, one-in-three Millennials want to be famous, while a US poll suggests one-in-two adults wouldn鈥檛 mind a little fame too. And while once reserved for Hollywood鈥檚 A-list, social media has brought celebrity status within reach of us all.

Online fame has helped launch flourishing careers, and enabled home-based entrepreneurs to earn a living. But that aside, I worry about this growing desire to be seen.

In 2005, as a brand new author, my publishers arranged for me to be interviewed at a book fair. Nervous and excited, I arrived at the venue early and found a good number of people milling about. An announcement came over the speakers: 鈥淟adies and gentlemen, join us at the stage for an interview with author Sheridan Voysey.鈥� My big moment had come! I hoped for a welcoming crowd and a big queue at the book signing. I walked on stage with the interviewer and looked out at the audience. There sat just four people. And two of them were from my publishers!

After the interview I made a hasty exit, and found myself walking against a stream of people heading to hear the celebrity next door. I got in my car and sat for a while鈥� feeling very insignificant.

That day I saw that popularity is a poor way to measure self-worth. Hard to get and easily lost, if I based my significance on that, despair would soon follow.

A quote from Saint Paul has helped me here. He says, Follow God鈥檚 example, as dearly loved children, and walk in the way of love. That calls me to pursue goodness over fame, find my significance in God rather than a crowd, and serve whatever audience I have, whether 400 or four.

Not that I always live by this. Some days I hanker for more likes and views. And then I remind myself that significance is found walking in the way of love, rather than through applause.