All eyes on the prompter

In a world where acting out is mistaken for standing out, children are taught to dance and sing, play ball and compete as aggressively as they can.  The greasy wheel gets the oil, the loudest mouth gets the television contract.

Flashiness is mistaken for taste, expensive for quality.  Power is important for what it gets, not what can be done with it.

The nouveau riche stand firm and are proud of it!

But where is the noblesse oblige?

Where is the gentleman who makes everyone feel good even as he is teaching and correcting?  Where is the gentlewoman who puts everyone at ease? 

Where is the honor that holds fast even when no one knows it exists?

The world has become such a large stage that people have forgotten the real work goes on behind the curtain. 

The applause isn't real if it is only the correct response.