Popular culture is the fabric of our everyday lives and weaves its way through television, movies, advertising, the Internet, magazines, books, merchandise and food. The sights, sounds, images and objects that surround us and permeate our day-to-day experiences impact us in subtle as well as obvious ways. We hum tunes that 'stick' in our head, we share quotes from movies and books with each other in casual and serious conversation, we covet and envy the things of mass production-from Superman toothbrushes to Tickle Me Elmo Dolls and Dora backpacks to Hummers. In many ways, we are what we consume.
In my therapeutic work, this 'stuff' of popular culture is never far away. It is not uncommon for a client of mine to reflect upon a movie scene, song lyric or television show episode that poignantly captures a sentiment, focuses a memory or highlights a conflict with which they are struggling. Similarly, I may ask a client if they have seen this or that movie, heard a particular song or read a specific book which I believe addresses a concern that they are currently dealing with in their life. Popular culture has been, for me and many of my clients, an important element of our shared experience.
I have come to value the wisdom in popular culture, and believe that its messages contains many valuable insights and lessons from which we can all grow. For this reason, my colleague Dr. Mike Brody and I wrote "Messages: Self Help Through Popular Culture." This powerful little book guides the reader through important domains of our shared experience, including safety and security, identity, family, relationships, work, money, culture, education, technology, health and finally, mortality. In each chapter, we offer several quotes from television, advertising, music, the movies and literature that most of us live with. Accompanying each quote is our interpretation of how it may be used to enhance living, and a provocative question, with which to explore the various facets of our lives.
Beginning with this post, and for the next four weeks, I will offer a few quotes from several of the chapters in 'Messages', an example of one of the prescriptions for 'better living' and a clip from ongoing interviews Mike is giving on News Channel 8-Let's Talk Live. Please enjoy the clip, and then feel free to share with your fellow blogsters what wisdom you have taken from popular culture.
Money makes the world go round...Show me the money...Money is the root of all
evil...You've heard them all. Money is certainly of primary importance in all of our lives. Spending, lending and investing often define both our personal and interpersonal selves. But keeping up with the Joneses is tiring. They always seem to have more, send their kids to better schools and enjoy more leissure time than we do. So, consider the following:
Quote: "Live Long and Prosper"
Source: Mr. Spock of Star Trek
Interpretation: What does the word 'prosper' really mean? Is it a function of how much we have accrued in our bank or retirement account? Can we judge our success and worth as a person on the basis of our liquid assets?
Question: Do you regularly take inventory of your non-monetary, non-financial assets?
Now, let's see what Mike has to say.
