When culture is degraded and vulgarity enthroned,
when the social system does not build security but induces peril,
inexorably
the individual is impelled to pull away from a soulless society.
(Martin
Luther King)
The media is another floating world
The mass media represents a dance of colour and stimulation.
It serves two purposes: entertainment and commerce.
It is designed to make you want things, to make you edgy and dissatisfied.
It is an outlet for your restless mind.
A restless person without a focus may start to doubt, to ask questions, to reject
conventions.
Media provides a heady parade of sounds and imagery designed to catch the
attention and ensnare the mind in a shallow pool of illusion.
Envy is the primary tool of enticement.
Within the subculture of the floating world, the mass media is seen as a
means of stimulating the imagination.
Rather than be intimidated by the gloss and the glamour, explore your
responses and let your thoughts be carried where they will...
Value
Taoism explores the
inherent nature of things; the characteristic that makes a thing
what it is.
The dog-ness in dog, the tree-ness in tree.
This is seen as its 'value'.
Mass media imbues certain people with attributes that extend way beyond
their inherent nature.
A tai chi person must see through the myth and see what is real.
Celebrity
Religious figures, politicians, pop stars, actors
and even athletes are sometimes depicted as 'heroes' by the media.
It is important to see these people for what they are - simply other
people.
Money, fame and influence due not change the fundamental fact that you are
looking at just another person; with all the same faults and failings as
everyone else.
An actor is a performer; they serve to entertain people by playing a
variety of characters.
This does not make them any wiser than you.
A footballer kicks a leather ball around a field.
A politician is a confidence man.
Keep things in perspective - popularity does not mean enlightenment - the
two are entirely different.
You should not
idolise these people.
Be entertained, be amused... but don't eat the menu instead of the food.
Gurus
Even people who possess great compassion (such as the Dalai Lama) should not
be idolised.
He is just another man.
At the root of Buddhism is the quest to find your own Buddha-nature, not bow
before statues or other people.
In taoism and tai chi we must see things as they are, not coloured by
belief.
Nobody is more important than you are;
regardless of what they tell you or how persuasively they argue it.
Every single person on the planet needs food, shelter, sleep and love.
When somebody wants you to follow them, you should ask why.
What is their lack?
Why do they need a follower or supporter?
Are they insecure?
They may need you more than you need them.
A world of
consumers
If envy doesn't reach some people - then other tools can be used: sex,
ideas,
politics, aesthetics, vanity and
fear
- there is something for everyone.
The media is sometimes referred to as a circus and this analogy is so apt,
so absolutely perfect.
A circus is a crazy melee of sounds and motion; sleek glossy bodies, painted
faces - infinitely hollow - a grinning carnival of avarice.
We
are told what to say.
We are told what to think.
We are told what to wear.
We are told who we are.
Being aware of this is enough to start with.
You can step back.
Stepping off the merry-go-round makes you a spectator rather than a puppet.
You can enjoy the show and partake or not as you want to.
Page created 2 January 1999