She realized how rare it was to see what stands before you,(Quotes and Thoughts from Pages 361-400 of Underworld by Don Delillo )

"She realized how rare it was to see what stands before you, what a novelty of basic sensation in the grinding life of the city to look across a measured space and be undistracted by signs and streetlights and taxis and scaffolding, by your own bespattered mind, sorting the data, and by the energy that hurrying people make, lunch crowds and buses and bike messengers, all that consciousness powering down the flumes of Manhattan so that it becomes impossible to see across a street to the turquoise tiles of some terra-cotta facade, a winged beast carved above the lintel." - page 379

Klara Sax has returned to the novel is now wondering the streets of Manhattan.  She plans to create a documentary film on a talented graffiti artist from the Bronx.  In this particular passage, Don Delillo creates a scene that is understood by anyone who has spent considerable amounts of time in New York.  Waking the streets in a major city, especially New York is sensation over load and is over whelming.  I personally found interesting about this was the clause, "by your own bespattered mind, sorting the data."  The work that our brains do each day to focus on what is important and what is scattered truly is amazing.

I recall David Foster Wallace discussing this concept in his interview with David Lipsky.  He states, "I recieved five hundred thousand discrete bits of information today, of which maybe twenty-five are important.  And how am I going to sort those out, you know?"  This statement is valid.

"It didn't always help.  When Klara heard praise it sounded weak and tentative to her, badly rehearsed, when she was criticized in the press or through the intimate roundabouts of rumor and half news, she had to struggle against the feeling that they might be right, she was doing shallow and meek and dismissible work." -page 382

In the world of sports today, Boston Red Sox Left Fielder Carl Crawford said upon his arrival at Spring Training that he was surprised to hear that team owner John Henry stated on the radio in the off season that he was against the decision to sign Crawford as a free agent. 

Crawford response was, "It was unfortunate he feels that way. It's nothing for me to say to him. I wasn't happy about it. I was a little surprised to hear the comments but you know it's unfortunate he feels that way. Wish those words hadn't came out."

Honestly, why should it bother Carl Crawford what John Henry thinks about the decision.   The guy signed a seven year, $142 million contract which is guaranteed no matter how he performs for the remainder of his baseball career.

If money is a symbol of success in this world, than Carl Crawford is in an elite group.  The fear of not living up to expectations or of being criticized is always evident.  It is a human trait.  Crawford discussed if the high contract expectations had an impact on his performance last season where he had career lows in production.  "You never know until you sit back and think about it. It probably had its affect on me. You want to show you’re worth the money. The pressure builds up on playing in Boston. This year I have to find ways to get over that and play my game."

It is a "struggle against the feeling that they might be right,"  for all of us!