Talk
shows are about spectating. Comedy,
TV, politics, even dog shows, dating the bachelor, running the
amazing race, being a housewife, weight loss and surviving have all been sold
to us as spectator sports. Selling
spectatorhood is pretty simple. It's safe and fun and easy. You hit the remote.
You pretend you have power--the power to turn it off, to change the channel, to
buy or not to buy. We've seduced the masses with this simple bargain. You
really don’t have to do anything, invest anything, risk anything. Live
vicariously through another while sitting at home safely tucked away pretending
you are living. It fools the mind into thinking there is real life going
on when it is closer to a holographic image of life. A hollow life.
We
have even permitted the role of the spectator to move into the work world, into
our homes and into our churches. Most people, most of the time, are told to
watch not to lead, to follow not to create. We have been convinced the
risk is too great, only the talented, intelligent, strong and the
outstanding will succeed anyway. We would be better off just watching.
How is it that sitting on the sidelines while cheering or critiquing has
become equal to sweating, trying, failing and overcoming? The spectators
foolishly assert that if everyone was a doer, a leader and a shaker, then
there'd be no one left in the audience. As if those who do require an audience.
The spectator sees his role as necessary because it is too painful to see it as
anything less.
The
alternative to being a spectator involves failure, risk and potential pain and
humiliation. It means that you will encounter people who criticize you,
people who are eager to point out the stain on your jacket or the flaw in your
reasoning. Spectators in the stands are happy to boo, happy to walk out
when the team is struggling in the third period, happy to switch loyalties if
the show ceases to delight. The spectator invests little and cares less. The
farther away you are from the center of the action the easier it is to
criticize. The
more of yourself you pour into the mix the more you will help others along the way and
the less you will care about the fickle crowd crying foul. You will be
doing, not watching. You will care about the process, the people and the
outcome. You won’t walk away when it gets hard because this is your life not
the image of one. Those that have bravely stood up, stood out and made
a difference, can't help but ask, "why would I ever want to be a spectator
again?" You may find that trying and loosing is vastly more
rewarding than sitting on the sides. Trying and winning is exhilarating.
