I have come to the conclusion that most of the human race has gone mad. In the obsession with one’s own body and the rampant narcissism, they have lost the meaning of and been blind to the actual miracle of life. Their lack of appreciation for and their frequent mutilation of their bodies in an effort to “fit in” or to “feel good about themselves” is indicative of a soul that is lost. The popularity of tattoos, not only in the younger generations, but even among people my own age, is incomprehensible to me. The piercings – of ear, nose, tongue, and navel – desecrate the body that was given to them. Invasive surgeries have become commonplace, even elective ones for face lifts, breast implants, liposuctions, and sex changes. Most of these procedures are painful to undergo and in some cases, dangerous.
These obsessions may have begun with simpler things such as lying for hours in a tanning bed, spending several hours a day at a gym to sculpt a body into a mass of muscle, dying and bleaching one’s hair, applying fake fingernails, false eyelashes, and adorning one’s body with jewelry for the neck, ears, wrists, fingers, and toes. Added to that, is the obsession with sex and with drugs that induce temporary euphoria. The consumption of handfuls of vitamins and supplements to create super strength, coupled with the hugely competitive popularity of sports, continues the rampant grasping for happiness, in a futile attempt to create it by manipulating their outer world.
The truth is that these people remain unhappy. The surgeons, the tattoo artists, the cosmetic industry, and all of those offering false promises, continue to profit from the weakness of others. This plastic, artificial world is an illusion. These people spend thousands of dollars every year in an effort to find fulfilment. They continue to look outside of themselves, instead of inside, where true contentment resides. They remain joyless and miserable while continuing to seek the next thing that will complete them; but sadly, their search only brings more disappointment, bringing them face to face with their emptiness.
I believe that the biggest reason so many people are unhappy is that we have destroyed so much of nature of which we are a part. The only way to heal that separation is to spend more time with nature. By returning on a regular basis, to that which we truly are, we learn to honor the bodies that we were given – the bodies that do so much for us – where we can come to appreciate and be grateful for and honor them.
