Stories we tell
The following rambles were inspired by an ad that the algorithm fed me within the wastelands of Instagram. In a nutshell it was attempting to sell me a credit card for children. Yeah. They get a credit card, they do chores, you put money on the card, they buy things. THINGS THINGS THINGS. It even claimed that “studies show” that kids who learn through a financial reward system are happier overall. Which studies? Where? That’s the latest blanket statement hawkers of goods and services love to throw at us…”studies show”.
It’s hard to articulate the invisible force that demands we consume more, work more and make more. I would compare it to that of a quiet hum in the background of day to day happenings. A hum that’s constantly trying to persuade us to NOT slow down, to NOT take a break, to NOT self reflect. It’s the unspoken voice that tells us connecting our bare feet to the earth for 30 minutes is a waste of time or that buying local and eating organic doesn’t make a difference. It’s a whisper that fills us with a false sense of hope which will only be realized when we finally attain that thing. We all know that once we attain that thing our feeling that something is still missing inevitably returns. So how much is enough? When as a culture and as individuals will we be satisfied with what we’ve had all along? Will we ever find pleasure or joy in the things that can’t be bought? I’m fully aware of the elementary nature of these questions but holy guacamole, they’ve been nagging at me every day since I was a kid.
Progress is necessary, inevitable and evolution can’t be stopped and to me that is a beautiful thing. However the force that is guiding us is telling us that we’ve fallen short and we must continue consuming as much as possible and to not pay attention to the alternate voice in the back of our heads that are telling us something doesn’t feel right. Something is definitely off…but pay no mind, my child! (In your most sinister villain voice) You’ve got Netflix and Instagram and Facebook and Snapchat and Amazon and Door Dash and WiFi and Bluetooth and and and…
Everywhere I turn someone is trying to sell me something. It might be tangible, it might be a service of some kind (I’m guilty of it as a health coach), or it might be a made up imaginary concept like money on a credit card for your kiddo. At the risk of sounding like someone who said the printing press would destroy humanity there are so many aspects of our culture that go directly against what it means to be human and it’s due time we start to unplug. Put down your phone (after you finish reading this) and sit with your thoughts. If they get too chaotic try to quiet them by focusing all your attention on your breath. Not shut them off, just quiet them and watch them as if they were clouds passing over the peak of a mountain. Congratulations, you just meditated and you might be surprised at what you find and learn about yourself. Imagine that, a practice that is thousands of years old with ZERO negative effect is right there, FREE OF CHARGE, waiting to be utilized. No obligations and no monthly subscription required!
Historian and author Yuval Noah Harari often speaks on the theory that it was the use, transmission and agreement of stories and our acceptance of those stories that allowed our species to thrive, spread throughout the globe and dominate it. The two most prominent and obvious stories being those of money and borders.
Money exists because we all agree that this piece of paper represents a fixed amount. In reality it’s just paper. The story we tell is that it has value. One might argue that the paper is legal tender representing a fixed amount of gold. Ok. What is gold other than a chemical element we’ve all agreed has value? Diamonds are only worth what we’re willing to pay. Think of all the resources that go into protecting and accumulating these imaginary objects. Check your bank account, it’s just pixels on a screen. Pixels that we’ve been conditioned to unfairly labor over, die over and in some cases betray over. I don’t know what the alternative is. A community off the grid where everyone grows different crops and trades and barters? Fuck if I know. The land upon which you live has a name and a border that we all agree are fixed and tangible. In reality both are arbitrary and can easily be renamed and reshaped just as they were when the most recent conqueror claimed them. We wave flags and scream slogans that represent a section of the Earth that we all agree is “our land”. The reality is the land and its inhabitants don’t belong to us, we belong to the land. Let a natural disaster come sweeping through the few acres you claim ownership over and see if it stops to read the street signs or ask you what your thoughts are on same sex marriage. It’s all imaginary. We spend all our time in the historical realm and turn a blind eye to the ultimate. Cognitive dissonance sort of tastes like chocolate cake, no?
The human skull is a prominent image in Buddhist traditions. It represents the idea that the skull itself is the only tangible thing in our head, everything else is just perceptions. Are you sure of your perceptions? I know mine could use a little tweak from time to time. I’m tired of telling stories. I can hear the voices of the insecure screaming “then go move to the forest if you don’t like the way we run things down here!” Well, that’s the plan, Stan.
Peace,
Marc.