So! Is It Worth It?

Two stories this past week have raised the question of the price of fame. First it was the 28-year old woman who wanted to win a Wii in a radio-sponsored contest by not “weeing” and ended up dying of water intoxication. (Yes- there is such a thing.)

The second was the man who wanted to get into the Guinness Book of Records for riding a stationary bike. He also made it into the hospital with dehydration.

Yes, we humans are often glory seekers. Offer us a free deal and we will do anything. Promise my name in a book for my 15 minutes of fame and I will make myself sick. Is this supposed to make life more meaningful or more exciting? Is it supposed to make life easier or interesting?

I have a friend who is a dedicated to entering sweepstakes. She has won quite a few- which means she has had to enter an even greater amount. It is fun for her. She never gets famous beyond her own circle of friends and family, but she enjoys it. I don’t think, though, that she would put her life in danger. Nothing is worth that.

I am reminded in all of this about the standard rule of thumb for any e-mail or Internet offers: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

P.S. At least the stationary biker was also trying to do this for others. For
his 85-hour ride he raised $30,000 for the Concerns of Police Survivors, an
organization that aids families of fallen police officers.

Another P.S. The radio station in Sacramento that ran the Wii No Wee contest has fired 10 employees including three DJs over the incident. One more example of locking the door after the thieves have been in instead of doing the proper research and taking the proper precautions ahead of time!