Fame or Fortune ... Which Would You Prefer?

Fame or fortune? Both? Or neither?
A contribution to the Blog-a-Licious Blog Tour
It's a common idea that we all seek either or both of thesequalities in our lives. But is it something we'd really want? We take forgranted the benefits of such qualities but tend to ignore the downside. Isthere one? Well, when it comes to fame, I don't know about you, but I'd hate tobe recognised everywhere I went. How could I listen in to those delightful andintriguing snippets of conversation that inform my writing, if I was recognisedas a writer? In fact, I kept my craft secret even from colleagues at work untilI had Breaking Faith published and needed to market the novel. The idea of moblove doesn't appeal to me at all, either. I'm happy with the real love of thosearound me; those I know and love. So, fame is definitely not for me.
But (and, as they say, it's a big butt), I DO want my workto be famous. I want it to reach the largest possible readership because Ibelieve that what I write is worth reading. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it, wouldI? It's one of the reasons I use a pen name. I can walk into any shop, hotel,restaurant or wherever, use my own name and know I won't be known. But, whenthe world recognises my genius (yes, it's possible I'll be dead by then, Iknow.) my writing name will be universally known, respected and admired. (Forthe Americans amongst my readers, I should perhaps explain that I'm employingirony here. We Brits have the irritating conviction that most Americans have nounderstanding of irony and don't recognise it, you see).So, fame for my work, but not for me, thanks.
And fortune?
Money has never really had a hold over me; not in quantity.But, then, I've never had a lot of money, so I have no experience of itssupposed benefits. I look at the rich around me and in the media and see howshallow and selfish many of them are. I see how they have lost their knowledgeof the real world; those who had such knowledge in the first case, that is. Isee how their love of materialism and wealth has ruled and governed their livesand their choices and I feel little admiration and a great deal of distaste.Oh, I know some of them are generous with donations to charities and the like.But it makes me wonder, when a rich celebrity makes a plea to raise a certainsum for a specific project to alleviate suffering, why they don't simply donateit themselves. It so frequently has the appearance of someone trying to lookgood rather than actually be good. I hold a belief that, as we should have aminimum income for all worldwide, we should also have a maximum income for all.It is inequalities in society that cause most discontent and the wider they arethe greater that dissatisfaction.
So, yes, I'd like enough money to be able to live therelatively simple lifestyle I espouse and to give my daughter a good start inlife. But I don't crave the sort of fortune that distorts an individual's viewof the world to such an extent that they no longer understand the lot of mostpeople.Sorry, this has become rather serious, hasn't it? My passionssometimes run away with me. I'm sure you'll find a lighter touch in the othercontributions to this blog tour. So move on to the next and enjoy the tour.Thanks for your time and bruised ears. I'll take my soap boxaway now and find another crowd to harangue.
Next blog along is  http://dilmandila.blogspot.com