A certain man made an appointment to see a psychologist. He arrived at the psychologist's office and said to him, "Doctor, I always feel depressed. No matter what I do, I still feel depressed. I just don't know what to do."
The psychologist looked at him and said, "Come with me to the window."
The man followed and then the psychologist pointed outside and said, "Do you see that tent over there in the distance? Well, there is a circus in town and it is really good. There are lots of acts to watch, especially the clown acts. And there is one clown in particular who is extremely funny. He will make you rock with laughter over and over again. Go and see that clown and I guarantee that you will not have a reason to be depressed again!"
The man turned to the psychologist with sad eyes and said, "Doctor, I am that clown!"
The psychology that drives rock stars.
Back in the 80's "Fame" was a hugely popular televisionseries. "Fame" followed the fictional lives of students and teachers at a school for the performing arts in New York City. If you don’t remember the show, maybe you’ll remember the theme song. It really captures the lure of fame and the emptiness of fame. Now let’s take a close and honest look at these lyrics. They help us understand the psychology that is driving rock stars. The lyrics especially help us understand the depression reflected in King Solomon’s words throughout Ecclesiastes.
First, fame is driven by a hunger for attention."Baby, look at me." Rock stars want to be noticed and they want to matter, to be important. So they pump up the volume, style up their appearance, turn on the spotlights, and perfect their performance. In Ecclesiastes 2:9 (NIV) Solomon says of himself, "I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me." What was he after? A rock star’s fear is to beoverlooked.
Second, fame is driven by a preoccupation with what other people think."Baby, look at me and tell me what you see." The rock stars are continually scanning the crowd asking, "Do they love me? Do they like what I’m doing? Do they accept me? Am I good enough?" Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 (NIV) says, "Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you—for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others."A rock star’s fear is failing to measure up to people’s expectations. It's being disliked. Ultimately, Solomon’s downfall was being more consumed with pleasing his hundreds of wives than with pleasing God.
Third, fame is driven by a sense of inadequacy. "You ain't seen the best of me yet.Give me time, I'll make you forget the rest. I got more in me, and you can set it free.I can catch the moon in my hand.Don't you know who I am?" Throughout Ecclesiastes Solomon enumerates his accomplishments.Yet strangely, all his work, all his knowledge, all his skill,all his wealth, and all his projects were not enough. A rock star’s fear is not having enough time to prove himself or herself to others.
Fourth, fame is driven by a sense of impermanence. This is especially reflected in the chorus of the song "Fame".
Remember my name. Fame!
I'm gonna live forever,
I'm gonna learn how to fly.High!
I feel it coming together.
People will see me and cry.Fame!
I'm gonna make it to heaven,
light up the sky like a flame.Fame!
I'm gonna live forever.
Baby, remember my name.
Remember, remember, remember, remember,
remember, remember, remember, remember.
A rock star’s fear is being forgotten, not having left an indelible mark on the face of the earth. Ecclesiastes 1:11 (NIV) says, "There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow."
The rock star needs attention.
Now the reason I said we need to take a close and honest look at the lyrics for "Fame" is because they highlight some of our own vulnerabilities.For example, consider our hunger for attention. Think about how much of your time and energy is spent trying to get the attention of certain people.
We can think of this as the Facebook phenomenon. Facebook is one of the fastest growing websites on the internet. You can think of it as a place where people re-experience junior high andhigh school. The way it works is that you send invitations to various users to,"become your friend". They either accept or decline. Once you have a bunch of friends, the name of the game is to get their attention. So you post tiny video clips, crazy photos, and take quizzes to see which of the three stooges you are most like. And about every ten minutes you update your status to tell everyone the exciting things you are doing. "I’m picking food out of my teeth. I am talking to OnStar, summoning help as I bleed to death." Facebook is all about getting people to be interested in your boring life!
Imagine the joy you would experience if you were to stop trying to capture the attention of disinterested people. Here’s a tip for you.If they didn’t care about you in junior high, they'reprobably not going to care now! You are not everyone’s cup of tea. Imagine the joy of knowing it’s enough that God sees you, that God loves you, and that God is paying attention! Successful people don’t spend all of their time trying to get noticed by others.
Another vulnerability is being preoccupied.
Another one of our vulnerabilities is being preoccupied with what people think. In Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 Solomon is wise to remind us not to listen to everything people around us are saying. As human beings, we tend to be critical of everyone around us— especially those we love. Husbands are critical of their wives. Wives are critical of their husbands. Employees are critical of their management. Managers never complain about the quality of their employees, right? Children are critical of their parents, andparents find fault in their children. I am not endorsing negativity. It's just that we are perpetually dissatisfied with one another’s shortcomings. Someone is always going to be pointing out something negative about your work, your attitude, your appearance, and about this or that.
Beware of always trying to please people. Beware of always worrying about what other people think and feel, or aboutsome offhand remark they made about you. Karen Carpenter was one of the best female vocalists of our time, yet an offhand remark about her weight caused her to become anorexic.
Imagine the joy that comes in wanting to please God, regardless of what people think. After all, isn’t God the only one we really need to please? So often we're willing to please people at the expense of pleasing God. We want to be liked. We want to be popular, to be cool, and to make this or that person happy. Solomon’s downfall was giving into peer pressure.
A sense of inadequacy drives rock stars.
A third vulnerability is a sense of inadequacy. You will never feel so inadequate as when you attempt to be all things to all people, and when you try to please everyone. A lot of pastors struggle with a sense of inadequacy because they are trying to be all things to all the people in the church.It’s a formula for spiritual death. You can’t save everyone. You can’t be everyone’s friend. You can’t shake every hand. You can’t counsel enough, pray enough, preach enough, teach enough, care enough, or serve enough. The task of pleasing people is never finished.
We spend our lives saying yes to everyone, trying to make everyone happy, and trying to prove our worth. As grown adults we are held hostage by the unrealistic expectations of our parents. Business owners are held hostage by the demands of consumers, and employees are held hostage by the demands of their bosses.
At a certain point God’s grace has to be enough. At a certain point love has to cover over the multitude of sin. The truth is that our most valiant attempts always fall short. Joy is giving our personal best and leaving the rest to God. We can’t be perfect. We can’t fulfill everyone’s expectations.
A last vulnerability is our sense of impermanence.
A last vulnerability is our sense of impermanence. We are only here on earth a short time. In Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 (NIV) Solomon observes how there is, "..a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
With almost 7 billion people living on the earth, and billions having gone before us, we’d have to do something pretty extraordinary to be remembered generations later. It’s a burden to try and be remembered by men. Joy is having our name written in the book of life and being remembered by God for all eternity.
There are two competing philosophies of life.
What we have is two competing philosophies of life. One philosophy says that in order to get noticed,you mustlet what everyone thinks and feels consume you. Try to measure up to everyone’s expectations, and do something so extraordinary that men will remember you forever! This philosophy destroyed Solomon’s soul.
But there is another philosophy that begins and ends with God. A philosophy that says, "I am seen by God.I want to please God above all else.I am content to give my best to God. His grace is sufficient for me. What ultimately matters is not whether I’m remembered by men, but whether I’m remembered by God in eternity."
Joy is living for God’s glory and fame, not for our own. The jury is out on whether Solomon realized this before it was too late. But for you and me there is still opportunity to live for God’s glory.