The Illusion of Importance

"From where I stood I could see the course and the finishing posts. Press men were typing away and phoning editors and commenting through mikes to their radio stations. The races were in full swing and I felt heavy with a sense of inadequacy. I couldn't type, I had no one to phone anything to, I knew nothing about racing and I couldn't even locate the one man who could fill me in and make me feel that I was here for a purpose." from Ralph Steadman's The Jokes Over, a memoir on how he became the illustrator for the notorious Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and their ensuing shenanigans.

This quote, concerning Steadman's initial reaction to the Kentucky Derby, reminds me of thoughts and feelings I have had while at various theme parks, fairs, Adventure Landing, Discovery Zone, Chucky Cheese, countless sporting events, concerts etc. Whenever I experience these places and/or events the phrase "The Illusion of Importance" comes to mind. There is a certain excitement in the air letting everyone their know that something is happening and that they should be glad to have not missed it. Reminiscing now, most of my experiences of such places and events have faded into distant memories just like the simple nights I spend at home or at work. I do not mean to encourage or discourage anyone from going to and enjoying such places and events. There is beauty in all of them. Just don't try to achieve or receive some grand satisfaction from impotent means. The majority of these times will not be historically significant (whatever that means) but there is a way, I am finding, to participate in something that is historically (and in many other ways) significant every week, namely, Communion or the Lord's Supper which is eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the one through whom the world was created and redeemed.