What's the point of waking up in the morning (Quotes and Thoughts from Pages 280-330 of Underworld by Don Delillo )

The following passage occurs during an exchange with Tommy Chan, maybe the first baseball memorabilist in the country and Marvin Lindy, a man in search of the baseball hit by Bobby Thompson to win the pennant for the Giants.  Tommy was mocking the collectors who come to his store to pursue the past through the acquisition of sports relics.

(Eleanor) said, "Don't you have to give people an incentive to buy?  Not that it's any of my-"


(Tommy) "An incentive."  What a novel idea. "The incentive is within, I think. These materials have no esthetic interest.  They're discolored and crumbling.  Old paper, that's all it is.  My customers come here largely for the clutter and mess.  It's a history they feel they are a part of."

-page 322 

But Tommy does proclaim that Marvin's personal obsession to find the baseball does have some poetic merit. 

(Tommy) "The revenge of popular culture on those who take it too seriously."


(Eleanor) "...But then he thought, How can I not be serious? What's not to be serious about? What could I take more seriously than this? And what's the point of waking up in the morning if you don't try to match the enormousness of the known forces in the world with something powerful in your own life?"  - page 323

When I was a student at Syracuse University, members of the local community were up in arms about the state of the football program.  The team was not winning enough games to satisfy the masses.  The president of Syracuse at the time was Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw.  He famously told the fans of the team that they needed to "Get a life."  Basically, stating that placing that much emphasis on wins in losses in football was a waste of precious time and that they would be better served finding a more appropriate passion and direction. 

Naturally this comment from Buzz created quite a stir.  Who was he to judge what others decide to take seriously in their own lives?  Many were outraged and I think rightly so.  It is up to each individual to decide what to dedicate their lives to.