The World's Most Famous Man PDF Print E-mail
Stories
Written by Martin Auer   
A young man once decided he wanted to become famous.
"I want to be the world's most famous man!" he told his friends.
"Do you want to be a popstar?" asked his friends, "or scientist? Or a politician? Or a space pilot? Or do you plan to invent the world's most stunning computer game?"
"Nothing of the kind!" said the young man. "I just want to become famous.”
"But you must do something to become famous," said his firnds.
"To become famous," the young man said, "all you have to do is become famous! You can shake hands with me. Then later you can say you shook hands with the world's most famous man.
They gave him worried looks, but not to upset him they all shook hands with him. And of course, all the young man's friends told all their friends about the young man's funny idea and soon all the young man's friend's and also all the young man's friend's friend's.
The young man meanwhile painted a big poster that read: "My name is Alexander Proud and I plan to be the world's most famous man!" Don't miss your chance to shake hands with me now!"
Whenever he was free he the poster over his neck and stood in he market place. Passers by looked at the funny poster, shook their heads went on. But some of them thought: Who knows, maybe he will make it, and they went and shook hands with him.
And to all those the young man said: "Thank you for putting your faith in me! I promise I will  do my best not to disappoint you, and one day you will be able to say that you shook hands with the world's most famous man."
And those who shook hands with him told their friends about it and said: "You'll see, he will make it!"
And the young man went to see the editor of the town's local paper and told him about his plans. And because this week not much had happened in the small town, the editor wrote a short article about Alexander Proud who planned to become the world's  most famous man. And the young man became the talk of the town. Some said: "Wouldn't it be great if one of us, a citizen of this small town, could become the world's the most famous man?"

Martin Auer