Actors have bodyguards and entourages not because anybody wants to hurt them - who would want to hurt an actor? - but because they want to get recognized. God forbid someone doesn't recognize them.
I can assure you, public service is a stimulating, proud and lively enterprise. It is not just a way of life, it is a way to live fully.
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.