Deprogramming

I've recently noticed a push by ad campaigns to return to the values of our grandparents, to cherish the things that were important to them and to make sure that in these "tough economic times" that we enjoy the littler things in life; the simple things (I listen to far too much television, and I absorb the ads far too readily, even when I'm only half paying attention to any of it). While this is all well and good as far as sounding idealistic and lovely, I'm of the opinion that there will never be any such thing as a return to the good old days of moral imperatives and scrimping and saving. We're too far gone from that already.

I think the best we can do is hope for people to realize that they absolutely do not need the $400 iPhone with the $200/month media plan so they can email pictures of their new pedicures instantly to all their girlfriends so they can be super jealous about the little flowers they got painted on their big toes.

And I said hope for it . . . we all know it's not going to happen.

Especially not considering the last post about $100 jeans with granny-knit all over them.

Moving on, though, I'm rather fascinated with why they're running this campaign to begin with. Generally speaking, I'm going to say that their goal is to get people to think about values and saving money and to remind them that their grandparents made it through tough times, which means that they can make it too. Generally. More likely is the fact that most of these ads are being run by banks, life insurance companies and things of that nature, which can only lead me to the conlusion that they're in it to make a quick buck. Fair play on them, preying on the country's insecurities. I'd do it too if I were independently wealthy.

Moreover, I think the point I'm trying to make is this: Why not? Why don't we give this whole 'living clean and enjoying the small things' a try? Seems simple enough. Grab a beer, park yourself on the lawn and watch the kids play in the street. My neighbors do it all the time (sans lawn, as no one here really has a lawn so much as a collection of dirts and a palm tree or two) and seem to be perfectly content to do so.

So why can't we just deprogram for a minute or two? Step away from the cell phone, go outside and away from the TV. Don't bother with going and doing something, just ... take a walk or enjoy the stars (if you're lucky enough to be able to see them).

I distinctly remember one of the most purely peaceful moments of my life was standing on the peir at Grand Haven, staring out into the lake. I was perfectly quiet for about half an hour, just watching the water turn pink and purple with the sunset, listening to the sky-rats and breathing in the clean, wet air. Every now and then when I get really stressed, I remember that moment as best I can and take a deep breath.

It seems to me as I think about it, that it's the quiet moments like that that seem to be the most worthwhile. The long hours I spent staring out the window at the dorm room, at the maple tree there as it changed colors, dropped its leaves and started growing them again. The moments I spent at camp trying to memorize the way the lake looked through the trees. The years I spent enjoying the drive home, through the intermittent canopy of leaves that arched over the dirt road.

I have the sneaking suspicion that the kids growing up now are going to remember things differently; their first game system, the way the sun used to come in the window and throw off the TV's picture, their first cell phone with a camera.

Conclusion: I am better than the kids now-adays. They are spoiled, but only slightly moreso than I am. Kids today, I'm tellin' ya.