Victory Processions -- an email excerpt.

During the times of the ancient Romans it was the custom that in the chariot with the triumphant hero there would be one who would stand behind them holding a wreath of laurels over the champion's head while whispering in one ear "You are mortal."

These days the roar of the multitude resounds with cries of our mortality and loathing especially upon the gifted and under appreciated. If one is fortunate there will come another who, from time to time, stands behind holding the wreath and whispering "You are magnificent."

These words are neither calculated nor hollow. Nor are they often pleasant and comfortable to hear, and in modern times, as in the times of the Romans, they are both true and necessary.