We were talking the other day and and someone referred to an old football player as a \u201ctrue legend.\u201d I said, as usual, without thinking, that a person couldn\u2019t be a legend \u2014 they could be famous or well, known but not a legend. Legends are stories, not people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, as has been the case, especially lately, I was a little bit right, but mostly wrong\u2026.
I looked up legend in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and here\u2019s what I found:
1a: a story coming down from the past (usually regarded as historical but not verifiable)
b: a body of such stories
c: a popular myth of recent origin
d: a person or thing that inspires legends
e: the subject of a legend
2a: an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin)
b: an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So\u2026.I guess a person can be a legend. But what or when does someone become a legend and not just famous? It seems like the difference between just becoming famous and becoming a legend is the depth and scope, and maybe the longevity of a person\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fame is recognition during a person\u2019s lifetime or some specific period of time. A legend is someone whose influence or story transcends time and becomes some kind of cultural, historical or symbolic significance. It could be the real difference is that fame is about being well known for something, and a legend is about being remembered<\/em> \u2014 maybe for how you changed the world or influenced others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But in my defense, I still think legends usually refer to stories passed down through generations. When a person is called a \u201clegend,\u201d we\u2019re using the term metaphorically. We were talking the other day and and someone referred to an old football player as a \u201ctrue legend.\u201d I said, as usual, without thinking, that a person couldn\u2019t be a legend \u2014 they could be famous or well, known … Continue reading
But no matter \u2014 most of us would be happy to be famous or<\/em> a legend.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"