The Newest American Drug: E² = Electronic Expressionism
February 7, 2010 – 10:42 amYou heard it hear first! I’m coining a new phrase: E² Electronic Expressionism
Reading my inbox this morning I was overwhelmed by emotional arguments. The first was to keep God in the pledge of allegiance. The second was to be proud of my Caucasian race. Some begged me to wear red for cancer awareness and blue for our soldiers. One laundry-listed all of the ways the democrats have “royally screwed up our country” while another laundry-listed how “obstreperous republicans would rather let our country falter than try to compromise on a mutually beneficial solution.”
Investors want me to trust them with my money and ebay merchants want to help me part with it. Both promise I’ll be satisfied. Vistaprints wants give me freebies with my purchase and Walgreens wants to tempt me into purchases with my freebies. I could get bonus points by sending flowers with a credit card or a new credit card with my favorite flowers on it.
The choices are never-ending. But my ability to absorb them is extremely limited. So what is their response? Shout louder and more often. Pop-up on my computer page while I’m trying to read something informative or flash up on the television screen while I’m watching another program because the screaming commercials may fail to get my attention.
America, at some point we are going to wear ourselves into a collective neurotic break-down. (Of course the pharmaceutical companies say that we’re already there and just need their latest drugs.) If we are not already there, I cannot imagine how long we can sustain such emotional noise. I believe we are not suffering so much from lack of liberty but rather we are choking on it. Somehow we have lost our ability to control our own enthusiasm. It has fallen by the wayside as we get higher and higher on this new drug I’m coining as “ E²: Electronic-Expressionism.”
As one small person whispering into the crowd I will not propose a solution for the masses, only a quiet prayer. I pray that all of us seek some balance in this never-ending battle of over-stimulation. To use a politically incorrect word, a Sabbath if you will. One day or several moments each day of peaceful silence. I’m not sure we know how to rest anymore.
We get angry when the stores are not open 24 hours a day to satisfy our craving for instant consumer gratification. We are addicted to wanting everything now and think our liberty entitles us to demand it.
What we fail to remember is that liberty means freedom from imposing ourselves on others as much as it means freedom from being imposed upon. Liberty without unity is anarchy. I believe that is what is truly meant by the term “one nation under God.” Not my god versus your god, not religion versus pragmatism, but responsible individuals coming together under mutual principles of goodness.
Happy day,
Trish
6 Responses to “The Newest American Drug: E² = Electronic Expressionism”
AMEN!
Now if we could just get you to speak at the Tea Parties.
Van
By Van Atkins on Feb 7, 2010
TOO MUCH of ANYTHING is TOO MUCH !!!
By Marie Gandy on Feb 7, 2010
Grand sermon for a Sunday morning.
By Glenda on Feb 7, 2010
At our church we have each Sunday during the service a time call THE GIFT OF SILENCE during which we take the silent time to have moments of quiet reflection and prayer.
Something we need to do on a daily basis
By Pat on Feb 7, 2010
Once I was a product evalutator for Dannon yogurt at A.C. Neilson. As millions of yogurt sales info was tallied with bar codes in grocery stores the world over, I recorded them for marketing comparison ~ 6 oz/8 oz/12 oz; plain/lowfat/fat free; fruit on the top or fruit on the bottom; 17 flavors in each of the above parameters ~ and one customer making a choice. But not just among my Dannon products. There’s Yoplait, store brand, Greek, organic, etc etc to the screaming point. One day I realized that every product in the store required the same sorting and evaluation from the customer. And that, without adding comparisons of calories, sugar, carbs, sodium… How enormous the statement, “I’m going grocery shopping.” It’s a hell hole of too many choices in this world. We are a culture that thrives on more than we need ~ bigger portions, more choices, thousands of things to need/want/strive for. And none of them include time with our family or time for ourselves. And we call it Progress.
By Hartley on Feb 8, 2010
I like this discussion!
By Janine on Feb 9, 2010