Sunday, January 3, 2010

Instant Gratification - The Negative Implications

With the birth of the New Year upon us, I've taken some time to contemplate just what it is that drives our insatiable need to be in possession of the latest and greatest "stuff" available in an overindulgent market (step right up, we've got anything you could possibly want...and more where that came from!).

Society, as a whole, is provided with a never-ending plethora of products, services, etc. to choose from...and by god - we better choose something and it better be as good, if not better, than what the next guy's got (we certainly don't want to be left in the dust!). What a position we've gotten ourselves into!

What has become an ingrained way of thinking (god forbid we'd be accused of, 'you're still using that? that's just so last month/year/etc.), has become practically, a way of life. And of course, when the 'high' we get when finally managing to acquire whatever it is that we supposedly can't live without, dissipates, we crash, like the proverbial Iccarus. However, unlike the legendary Phoenix who rises out of the ashes in a blaze of transformation, our own reemergence is but temporary, only basking in the delight of our newest acquisition until this new 'fix' fizzles out and usually, in record time.

Like a junkie, we're perpetually on the look-out for whatever will satisfy our ever-growing thirst in achieving and maintaining this false sense of fulfillment. This trend is somewhat frightening, to say the least and for our sake as a society, it might possibly be in our best interest to have a good hard look at where we're heading in regards to this issue.

It's become increasingly evident that in order for us to evolve as a global community, we should perhaps expand our search for potentially viable alternative (re)sources in creating a sense of wonder, contentment, and fulfillment within ourselves. Awakening to the truth that this sense of wholeness truly does come from within and which is precisely the reason that 'things' tend to lose their appeal so quickly, should perhaps compel us to rethink our motives as to why the possession of the material, seems so necessary.

As naive as it may sound, we must somehow transcend what we've deemed to be the cultural norm and instead, strive to find feasable solutions in effectively changing our way of doing things. Maybe it's time to abandon what we've been led to believe (thanks to societal conditioning) since what we're doing, leaves much to be desired.

http://www.theguidedsoul.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your Blog! MARICEL I have down sized my life a lot the last few years.Leaveing me with Sacred TIME To be creative and go fishing.
Dave wwwdavelarge.com

kathy mcwhirter said...

Great blog, Maricel! So well stated...instant gratification is a poor teacher of life. Love the way you use words on the page - a pleasure to read such a thought provocating piece.
Have a fantastic 2010!

Anonymous said...

So, so, so true!! Thank you for a great article.