I have been thinking lately about American society and the pursuit of wealth and status, which of course, they tell us, leads to happiness.

I have been thinking about the current trend in the U.S. for women to "find themselves" by no longer serving their children or spouses. We have apparently made amazing developments in the world of "self help" and "finding yourself" and other areas of self-fulfillment. You would think that the U.S. would be the happiest place on earth with our vast understanding of the human psyche and all of our books and pills and psychologists and medical journals and tips and tricks. Of course this leads me to wonder why the statistics for clinical depression are so high in said country, as well as the number of people on anti-depressant drugs and the number of people who seek psychological help from professionals who, for all of their schooling, are still strangers who are paid money to listen to your sick-sadness. Or sad-sickness. I don't know if it started with Oprah and Dr. Phil and then oozed out through the related book club and into our sociology text books, but the message that is almost everywhere these days is this one: YOU are number one! Serve yourself! Conserve your time and energy for your own endeavors, because time and energy are precious. YOU are precious. If you don't do something for YOU, a part of YOU will be lost. Spend money on yourself. YOU deserve a break today!

But, if we are honest with ourselves (which we hardly ever are, save for a few lonely seconds late at night when we can find nothing else to distract us from ourselves. No text messages, no T.V. shows, no IM's, no noise noise noise to dull our senses and fill our emptiness), we would see. We would realize, if we thought about it, that TRUE personal fulfillment NEVER comes through self-gratification.

Yeah, I know. It is counter-cultural to think this way. I can almost hear the heavy boots in the hallway coming to take me away. Think about it. Think back to the happiest times in your life. It was when you had something to pour your life into. Another person, a group of people, a cause, heck, even a pet. A higher cause than you. It isn't all about you. Ouch. That stung.

(the following quotes were discovered in squirrelx's diary.)

"Jesus only told half the story. The truth will set you free,

but first it's going to piss you off."

__Soloman Short

"It has been said that when human beings stop believing in God they believe in nothing. The truth is much worse: they believe in anything."

__Malcolm Muggeridge

ckb

Sunday, May. 04, 2003 at 11:36 AM