Hey! ?Are you dissatisfied? ?Internally conflicted? No? Really, are you sure?… ?Most of us, when asked, will answer a quick ?nope? without even a seconds thought. ?Trouble is, we (me included) are almost always not actually satisfied with life. ?
Let?s face it, our entire society is built around the principle of gaining the attention of an individual and causing dissatisfaction, oh it’s not without purpose, its done deliberately with the idea of getting that individual, in their dissatisfied state, to spend some money so they can ?get? satisfied. ?You might say I?m exaggerating, but frankly, I?m not. ?
Think about it, no better yet try it, -> turn on the TV, turn on the radio, pick up a magazine, go to the movies, or even just drive down the freaking street! ?Unless you live in some fire tower deep in the remote wilderness, you can?t go through a single day without a constant deluge of advertising, marketing, product placement, and distractions. ?EVERY SINGLE ONE has a single common goal.
(MAKE THE AUDIENCE DISSATISFIED AT ANY COST)
Is it any wonder we struggle with so many conflicting battles? ?Take ?weight? for example, an average American is exposed to dozens if not hundreds of ads a day for food and things to eat, all designed to make you feel hungry so you will run right down the McDonald’s on the corner and sink your teeth into that Big Mac. ?On the same day (probably every other ad) hundreds of images of perfect looking skinny people talking about weight-loss, or even more confusing, talking about food. ?Advertisers laugh their way to the bank as you grab your keys, jump in your car, and stop at Taco Bell for your ?Fourth Meal? on the way to Walgreens to get your diet shakes. ?
How sick is that.. ?
Pretty sick..
So what am I supposed to do about that Chris? ?
Remote Island Anyone?????
Ok, its hard, unless you do actually pack up and head off to that fire tower, you’re NOT going to escape it. ?We are all faced with the American dilemma of a bigger house, cooler car, skinnier body, and those new killer jeans. ?Its a battle all of us are going to have to face the rest of our lives. ?The worst part is its gonna be even more difficult for our children. ??
I struggle with this a lot, just like everyone else. ?The key is to understand ?why? this junk is so effective on us as humans. ?You need to understand why that phenomenon happens when you get that new car and your ?high? for a few weeks and feel GREAT, until that is, we realize that there are a TON of other cars that are faster, cooler, and ?better? than ours. ?It comes from something that is built into every single one of us, into our human nature. ?Something is missing, something that, pretty much from the day we are born we want to fill, to satisfy. ?That car, house, job, special possession, they all work for a little bit, some even for a little bit longer, but they don?t actually fill the need, they don?t ACTUALLY satisfy… ?
What does? ?I know what does for me, I?ll write about that next…
-Christopher Behnke
