Well…I was watching Oprah the other day interview Jay Leno, and she asked him a couple of times if he felt sorry for Conan O’Brien. I’m sure she asked what a lot of people would have asked given the chance. As I was watching Jay who seemed a bit uncomfortable, it hit me….ARE YOU FREAKIN’ KIDDING????
Conan got severance payout of somewhere in the area of $40 million dollars. If he lives another 40 years, and never worked another day in his life, that’s a million a year. I don’t feel sorry for Conan at all. I think even the notion that anyone should feel sorry for him is absurd. Conan is super rich, and he’ll easily get another gig that will make him even richer….how sad.
Now to be clear, I’m not mad at Conan. To me the fact that he makes that money means that the people who pay him believe he’s worth it…and that’s all good. But I think that we the regular folk, get caught up in this altered reality. A mindset that is removed from what really matters. So many people are taking sides…which one of these very rich men got the short end of the stick, is a ridiculous waste of mental energy.
If we must feel sorry for someone…I have some suggestions: How about the one hundred fifty thousand and counting people who have died in Haiti? How about the thousands of children who will be orphans when the dust settles in Haiti? How about the hundreds of thousands of people in this country who didn’t get a severance package when they were told there is no more work? How about that man that has to make the long drive home to tell his wife and kids that they’re going to have to move into Grandma’s house because ours was foreclosed on? How about the thousands of people who die every year because their heartless insurance companies won’t pay for that “experimental procedure” that would have saved their lives.
Now, don’t get me wrong perhaps Conan did get the short end of the stick….perhaps…but I know for a fact that most people would love to have that stick. I wish the best for Conan, but I’m more concerned with regular folk facing REAL problems. If we as a people collectively focus on helping each other and even more importantly helping ourselves, we’ll all benefit in a very big way. Conan can take care of himself.
Stay Fly and Fly High!
KLH
I’m glad to hear that you’re not mad at Conan. He earned big points with me when he thanked NBC for the amazing opportunities and experiences his association with them had provided. He demonstrated his gratitude in what appeared to me to be a very genuine way.
You’re right, though. We do spend too much energy and focus on celebrity and the superficialities of life, which in and of themselves are not all bad things. However, we do need to remember the things that REALLY matter. Unfortunately, the things that matter (unless in catastrophic proportion) don’t always make the headlines.