Fleeting Fame for a Hero

Quote of the day:
“He moves like he’s being yelled at by invisible people whom he hates but whom he basically agrees with.”
--Mary Gaitskill

Follow-up to "Pleasure or Accuracy?" and "Confessions of an Audiophile":
“Many premium ‘audio quality’ tubes that we have investigated tend to not be of premium quality at all, but are simply standard tubes re-branded and marked up to premium prices only to be sold to neurotic audiophiles to whom outrageously high prices are a sugar pill indicating wonderful sound.”
--Frank Van Alstine

Quote of the day no. 2:
“They go one of two ways: They either recognize that their act was a moment in time they can enjoy temporarily, and the rest of life is a consequence of everyday routine--or they get stuck in their deed or action, feel entitled and lose perspective.”
--Alan Hilfer, chief psychologist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.

Mr. Hilfer is talking about the phenomenon of overnight heroes. The latest example is Wesley Autrey, who last week jumped onto New York subway tracks to help a teenager who had fallen there. They wound up laying in the trench between the rails as a train went above them.

This kind of behavior deserves both thanks and recognition. It’s inspiring and encouraging to hear about incidents of reflexive heroism--someone putting his/her own life at risk to help someone else.

In our culture of celebrity worship, it can be quite intoxicating to be suddenly in the spotlight and recognized on the street. That intoxicating effect is why the perspective Mr. Hilfer mentions is so important, because the fame and notoriety will fade--likely just after the trip to Disney World, when the new hero will have to resume his/her “ordinary” life.