If we were to stop chasing this ideal and feeding
our desire for it, an enormous amount of revenue would be lost.
Therefore, entire industries of people are invested in
maintaining it. For them,
it is necessary to keep large numbers of us convinced that it is
possible, but at the same time make the ideal slightly out of reach.
They insist that all we have to do is buy their product or
service and commit to its continuous use.
Otherwise, they warn, we will be rejected; worthless, unloved,
and alone. Sadly, this
strategy works. Worse yet,
we have internalized it as our own standard.
If we could reject the power of the ideal, free
ourselves, who among us would wear make-up or butt-lifting girdles,
shave under our arms, starve ourselves for weeks just to lose five or
ten pounds, or choose a push-up bra rather than an oversized, soft
sweatshirt? If we could
just convince ourselves that love and happiness cannot be measured by
our Body Mass Index number, we might find that these inherently valuable
qualities are indeed rare, but at the same time limitless.
If we stopped chasing the ideal, got off the treadmill literally
as well as metaphorically, we might experience a shift in awareness that
reveals the things we are truly missing, the things that we really want,
the things that would finally lead us to an
authentically healthy, good life.
© Salahub 2003 |