We watched the movie "Sully" last night, and as we had seen it in the theatre, I was freer to notice other things about this remarkable incident. One was how uncomfortable Sully was with the attention, and how stressful it was to him. I believe most people imagine that if they were a hero, they would be thrilled and happy. They see these fame seekers on TV and on Twitter and Instagram, and they would love to BE them. But the movie did a great job of showing how scary it was to be focused on, both for himself and his wife. He was in shock and examining his actions to check if he felt he did do the right thing, and the attention estranged him from others, rather than making him feel closer. Fame is, as they say, a double edged sword. He was hounded and abstracted and exaggerated until he couldn't recognize himself. All these kids wishing to be a Kardashian are aiming for a bizarre existence where money does not buy happiness, only alienation and ordinary human tragedies are writ large. If you are known for your posterior, does that help your level of self esteem? I doubt it.
Every day ordinary people pull drowning people out of cars, rescue folks, stop a violent act, or just ask if someone needs help. I wonder if their anonymity is a blessing. They remain themselves, and feel good about their act, but the pressures of projection from others is not an issue. The act stays clean and bright and real. Too much attention makes us doubt our actions. And doubting causes hesitation. Sully was remarkable in that he seems to have rebalanced himself and used his fame for good. But maybe most people would not muster up the strength.
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