Achievement Beats Celebrity

18 October 2004

The death this week of actor and campaigner Christopher Reeve reminds us how just important it is to recognize achievement over mere celebrity.

Reeve found fame playing the movie role of Superman in the 1980s. He brought a refreshing, human and sometimes humorous twist to an iconic character.

As a young man, he had always been the adventurous type. A keen equestrian, his life was changed forever when he was thrown from a horse during competition.

Confined by his injuries to a wheelchair and breathing only with the aid of a machine most of the time, he considered suicide early on. 'Maybe we should just let me go,' he said to his wife not long after his accident.

Later, he became a symbol of hope for paraplegic people the world over.

When most people think of Reeve today, they don't so much reflect on the celebrity he gained through acting; they remember his unflagging desire to pioneer a new path of recovery for himself and for others in his situation.

Perhaps the fact that we'd rather honour selfless achievement over fame is a reflection of our true nature.

In Christian teaching, our Creator placed something in our wiring which no other creature on earth possesses - a drive for heroism and significance.

Only human beings have a desire to transcend their natural limitations, to take risks in order to make a mark and be remembered. Only human beings long to make a difference to the world.

Whether it's through breaking new ground in our profession, giving our time and money for charity, or even raising great kids, we long to leave a legacy. We are wired for significance through achievement.

In this, the Bible suggests, we are like God himself who has revealed himself in epic, heroic terms.

Look at the cross, the centrepiece of the Bible story. From a human standpoint - and we must remember that Jesus was human - the cross was a heroic act.

The gospels reflect that Jesus had every chance to avoid it. He knew it was coming. He often prophesied how he would die - and why.

In the last, event-packed week of his life, Jesus' words and actions seem to have been designed to bring on a confrontation with the authorities. He was, it seems, pursuing the cross.

'No man takes my life from me,' he said. 'I lay it down willingly.'

Being human, Jesus must have thought: 'What if my death is forgotten, my life and all that I've done simply buried in history?'

Today, the ongoing impact of his life and death show us that lasting achievement often comes on the other side of great adversity and risk.

In a culture that is so besotted with the vanity of fame, it's healthy for us to remember that celebrity itself does little to change the world for good.

As Christopher Reeve demonstrated, self-sacrifice and service, combined with a voice of hope, are the way to real and lasting influence.

© Mal Fletcher 2004

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