all that glitters is not gold

I often wonder about people and their aspirations. Do they dream big or dream small? Are they concerned with making a big splash, having whale sized ambition... or are they interested in more ordinary successes, performing small acts that might someday amount to being remembered even by a few as a great person.

I suppose that we all have the occasional dreams of fame, fortune and influence, but celebrity is fleeting and what we perceive as real influence is not always so. Sometimes our opinions are popular because they speak to the current trend of collective thought. The underpinnings of our ideas already exist and we just happen to communicate them more loudly then others.

Is it important that your impact on the world be widely known and you be recognized for all that you do? Or do you prefer a quieter, more intimate success? For me, a smaller and more ordinary existence seems to be the more realistic choice. I want to be influential, but I don't think I mind as much if that circle of influence has a smaller circumference than some.