IS DEREK JETER EXPENDABLE? ARE ANY OF US?

February 12, 2013

I recently read an article in The New York Times about how fans start waiting at 3 a.m. outside the Yankees training facility in Tampa, Florida for a chance to get an autograph from Derek Jeter. After showing up many hours later, Jeter signs a few signatures, then enters the facility. Every time, he leaves the majority of his fans without an autograph. That article got me thinking about the importance of any one individual.

Those of you who know me are aware of my allegiance to Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone and other big name entertainers. I’ve always been fascinated by individuals who do exciting things with their lives. But the above referenced article causes me to question the significance of these people. Would we still have rock n’ roll if Elvis never showed up? Would westerns have still had their heyday without John Wayne? Would teenage boys in the 1980’s still have had macho role models without Sylvester Stallone?

What about the great names of history? Would Europe have made it through the Dark Ages without Charlemagne? Would the American colonies have broken away from England without George Washington? Would the slaves have been freed without Abraham Lincoln…better yet, would we have even fought the Civil War if he hadn’t been elected? The “what if’s” of history are innumerable and speculative at best.

The point of this blog entry isn’t to answer these questions, it’s to consider whether or not anyone is expendable. My contention is that every one of the questions I posed can be answered in the affirmative because no one person is indispensable…no matter how important they might think they are. The Yankees will still win and lose without Jeter. America will still thrive whether Obama is there or not. Disney will still make Star Wars films without George Lucas.

So do people have a destiny? Were we born for a purpose or will our futures be determined by random events? That’s a tough line of questioning to take…like which came first, the chicken or the egg? Of course, the great thing about answering these questions is that no one can ever say you’re wrong. There are no facts to support your conclusions. They are all entirely speculative. Because of that, everyone is able to interpret destiny differently. I remember reading an interview with Eddie Murphy in the 1980’s in which he said that he always knew he would become famous. Other entertainers have said similar things. So have notables in history. But I wonder how many anonymous waitresses, gas station attendants and bellmen have made similar claims.

I guess the lesson that can be taken away from this blog entry…certainly the one I’ll take from it…is that when we think we’re “God’s gift to…(fill in the blank)” and we act accordingly, we might want to ask ourselves if someone else could take our place. In almost every instance, the answer would be YES.

Maybe celebrities should take that into consideration when they decide not to sign a slip of paper for an adoring fan who has been waiting for them since three in the morning.