If you watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, you were probably in awe of the entire event. At its culmination, the cauldron was lit and amazing fireworks went off all around the “Bird’s Nest” – the main stadium. I remember thinking that the fireworks were very impressive, but what else would you expect? This was China, the innovator of early pyrotechnics, and everything that had happened so far that night led us to believe that China was out to surpass anyone’s expectations.
On Tuesday of last week, CNN came out with story that informed us that some of the footage of the fireworks was previously recorded and some of the televised images were computer enhanced (I checked and no, George Lucas was not involved). Isn’t that just typical of our times? Whether it’s the opening ceremonies, professional athletes, glamorous models, or corporate income statements, it seems everything we think is incredible ends up being artificially enhanced. It’s like following the yellow brick road in search of the wizard only to find an old man behind a curtain.
As frustrating as this may be, we have made it acceptable. We don’t care if our heroes are artificial as long as they are spectacular. I’m not just talking about the Olympic artistic directors pulling a Milli Vanilli on us. We even accept artificial superlatives in our own lives. Whether it’s a degree, a promotion, or some kind of recognition or reward, we have a tendency to make the apparent result more important than the mission we originally set out to accomplish.
Think about it. Have you ever undertaken a project not because you truly believed in the need for the work to be done, but because it would give you an opportunity to use your boss’s favorite buzzwords? Have you ever done charitable work and focused more on being recognized for your humanitarian efforts than the people you were helping? At your job, have you ever worked to create your own personal fireworks show in the absence of real passion for your work?
Whether we admit it or not, we are all sort of guilty of digitally enhancing how others perceive our lives. In my opinion, this can only mean that we are not content with who we are. This discontentment is a result of our failure to do what is really important to us and to follow our passions. If we would just surrender to our mission, the fireworks would be a natural outflow of our work and not the object of it.
