elizabethlaney

What does it say about human nature that so many people want to be famous?  What is it inside a person that drives them to achieve fame?  When people say they want to be rich and famous, I get why money is liberating, but why fame?  Why does fame feel lonely?

Hey, I know that you can’t make Paris Hilton into Ernest Hemingway.  And I’m not trying to look deep into something that is not there.  But celebrities are interesting because humans are interesting.  And I can’t help but wonder about them…

Thinking about Heath Ledger, I wonder if he felt alone in the world.  I wonder if Heath Ledger, the wealthy, talented, famous actor and father, wished that he had never exposed himself to all of the world.  Is that what made him feel lonely?  Was he lonely?  Did his roles and career as an actor contribute to some sort of depression?  Or was he depressed because he was a creative person?  If Heath Ledger had been an insurance salesman in Perth, Australia, how would he have felt?  Can someone ever go back to that life after they are exposed to the kind of things he was exposed to?  If Heath Ledger hadn’t been Heath Ledger, would he still be alive?

I hate to be morbid here or disgrace the memory of someone’s father, son, and brother, but personally, I find the situation tragic.  It’s heartbreaking that people chase the lives that kill them.  Whether it be a life of fame and fortune or something much smaller.  People find themselves addicted to destructive lives.  What can break that cycle?  What can liberate? 

I hope that this untimely death is used for reflection.  If for nothing else, perhaps in death, Heath Ledger will inspire people rethink the life they are living.