The man stepped off of the stage to the sounds of raucous applause. Throngs of people cheered and celebrated his accomplishment. As he strode through the dim halls behind the stage, he found his dear friend waiting for him. She congratulated him on what he had done. She lauded his achievement and acknowledged the level of acclaim that his project had received.
It was popular after all.
Pleasing.
Unique and innovative from beginning to end.
Everyone loved it, how could they not?
It was the singular achievement that would carry him for the rest of his life.
It would bring him fame and fortune.
It would shape the world going forward.
He would be set for life, and his family would be too.
Everyone was going to praise him and be inspired by him.
She dared to ask him one simple question: “Did you love it?”
The man was befuddled. What did that matter? He had everything else. The months and years of slogging through with arduous effort had finally paid off. He had crafted the perfect project. Infinitely marketable for every audience. He was loved, why did it matter if he loved it? She chimed in with another question.
“If not a single person enjoyed what you made, would you still love it?”
Of course not. That wasn’t the point. The point was to make something that would sell. Something enjoyable. Something with appeal that would reach as many people as possible. It didn’t need to be from the heart, soul, or anything else, it just needed to be good. It needed to be groundbreaking. It needed to change things. It needed to elevate him. If it wasn’t going to have the impact that it did, then there was no point in doing it at all. His friend began to walk away, offering a few parting words.
“Then I think that you forgot something really important…”