But, when we have become so desirous for the warmth of the spotlight, so wanting in our reach for its attention, then, maybe, the loss of our privacy, which we are all too willing to give up, does not present us any great loss.
And maybe a loss of interest in the world as it had changed.
The MoveOn.org petition, which by Wednesday morning had drawn more than 8,000 signatures, says that "if the murder of Trayvon Martin isn't enough to get lawmakers' attention, maybe a loss in revenue to the state will be".
Maybe the loss of Christina Green, a 9-year-old girl brought to a Safeway to witness democracy in action, can provide the impetus for legislators cowed by the National Rifle Association to finally remove semiautomatic weapons from our store shelves and cupboards.
Maybe this loss of desire happens to her more quickly because of the army, but I also think that's one of those sad things that happens to most people when they transition from their teenage years to their twenties.
Maybe that loss of anonymity isn't all bad.
In a Formula 1 car that mistake would have meant a flat spot on a tyre and maybe a loss of a few tenths of a second.
Maybe this loss will teach the Democrats a lesson for the next presidential election in two years.
Maybe the loss of someone whom we only know because he made us laugh; granted our wishes; reminded us to believe; made us look at things in a different way will help us to do just that.
