The "people of the book," that is followers of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, believe the world fell when Adam and Eve were tempted and disobeyed God. Even though Adam and Eve had all they needed in the Garden of Eden, the serpent tempted them into wanting what they didn't have. In my opinion, the serpent was the original ad man. He was able to make them think that they needed something that they really didn't.
In the modern world, it seems that marketing is what robs us of our joy:
- Television robs of our joy
- Magazines rob us of our joy
- Newspapers rob us of our joy
- Stores rob us of our joy
- Billboards rob us of our joy
- Radio robs us of our joy
- The internet robs us of our joy
All of these modern inventions breed dissatisfaction with what we have and steal our joy. The marketeers understand human psychology and know what buttons to push in order to peddle their wares.
How can we avoid this feeling of dissatisfaction that steals our joy?
- Stop watching (or severely limit) television
- Stop reading magazines
- Stay away from malls and stores
- Only shop when you absolutely need something and use a list
- Determine to be happy with what you have
- Take care of and enjoy what you have
- Determine what you truly need and stick to it
- Use time gained to work on meaningful projects and to make a difference in the world
I know; it's easier said than done. That serpent marketing executive knows us better than we know ourselves. However, with practice and determination, we can overcome the pull of more, more, more, and find the joy that has been stolen from us.
3 comments:
Whereas I don't disagree with your lists, I think it's very important to teach kids (and the sad thing is adults as well) to view television and magazines and all these messages with a questioning and discerning eye. My absolutely favorite example of WHAT THE????? advertising is using 20-something models for wrinkle creams. But take that a step further, I see Julianna Margulise is advertising for a wrinkle cream* (I knew she was on ER, but had to look her up to find out her name), who is 44 (had to look that up too) it's a bit more believable, BUT the reality is lighting, airbrushing, a team of stylists + make-up artists + all the elements that come with commercials + celebrity + a milti-million $ industry. My boyfriend had a marketing prof who said he taught his children at a young age to question commercials.
And thank you for the comment about my studio. I need to get the rearranging done so I can get in there and work!
Stay warm
*my only night of TV viewing is NBC Thrs, so if advertisers want to get me...that's the night to do it.
Shona, how true! It's about being aware of how we are manipulated by advertisers so that we only buy what we really need and not give in to deceptive marketing.
I've never been a huge TV watcher - just a few programs here and there over the years. And I don't need to see them when they first come out. As a result, I've been able to cancel my satellite TV subscription and purchase or rent DVDs to watch. That way, I can skip the ads.
One of my weaknesses is magazines. I'll be reading a magazine and suddenly discover a "need" I never knew I had. A plus with living out in the country is I cannot be instantly gratified by running to the mall. So often I put items on a list that is soon forgotten. I have a number of magazine subscriptions right now that I got free. When they expire, I won't renew - except for maybe one fitness and/or health magazine. Although I have discovered I can get most of what I need over the internet.
And my big weakness is links to really cool things featured on design blogs. I have to employ the (at least) one day wait rule and generally they are forgotten about as well. One time I made a deal with myself that if I sold enough in my Etsy store by the next morning to pay for this certain item I would buy it. I woke up + there was a sale + I ordered the item.
My boyfriend bought a few CD's recently and I realized that he had been on the music section on the NPR site because every singe one of the albums had recently been featured.
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