“The art of a magician is to create wonder. If we live with a sense of wonder, our lives become filled with joy.” – Doug Henning
Why do we entertain? Why do we want to be entertained? I believe it is about fantasy, and wonder. Fantasy supplies what life doesn’t. The 40 year old “mid-life” crisis male, buying the new red sports car. He’s good natured, holds a steady job, helps his elderly neighbors with their groceries. The sports car puts him in his fantasy world, where he is the** raising race car driver with roaring power under him. He’s playing at what he wouldn’t really like to be, but the imagining of it fills and satisfies him.
A good strong imagination, the sense of seeking the wonder, saves people every day from boredom and depression. It gives them a feeling of being individual. They invent themselves.
To most non-performers, being an entertainer is not a suitable occupation for a serious person. When pressed at an early age with the question “what do you want to do with your life”, if the answer is “I want to be a juggler”, they will be scorned and scolded. “Don’t waste your time on earth doing something frivolous. Be a doctor. Be a fireman. Be a Teacher. Make a difference.”
Why then, do they do it? Why is being an entertainer so important in a world fraught with disasters, people suffering? Because they do at least as much good as tranquilizers. The audience can go where their mind takes them. They can live in imaginary places without feeling the real terror or the real pain.
We create images for the audiences. We open doors. We can inflame, we can heal, we can comfort, we can get people to understand. We help people cope. We create a new sense of wonder.
No matter what the environment for the event, help your guests find the wonder again. It’s out there.
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