Upside Down
They who lose themselves in their pursuit of things, and lose their nature in their study of what is vulgar, must be pronounced people who turn things upside down.
-Zhuangzi, Correcting the Nature, by Zhuang Zhou, trans. James Legge
With the GMC Sierra truck commercials, I feel a twinge of discomfort. Is that repulsion a feeling envy? Deep within am I fantasizing about being in position to purchase one of those trucks? I doubt it. Owning one of those would not cause me to smile as does the couple in the commercial. I seldom have anything to haul around, my friends and my family would be confused over my sudden transformation of desire. Once satisfied to drive a Kia Forte, which is easy to park, now I am piloting the Sierra? What happened?
No matter differences in country, in the customs of culture, or political/economic condition, all of us quest for harmonizing our sense of self. Do not homo sapiens desire palpable satisfaction, a feeling “that all is well”?
Owning and driving a GMC Sierra, or a Kia Forte for that matter is not causal of well being. Nor would the lack of a new truck or the Kia be relevant to happiness.
The Zhuangzi writes implying otherwise is to turn things upside down.
I agree.
One thought on “Upside Down”
Corporations are not marketing for the long haul. They know that satisfaction is fleeting and that soon enough one will (ostensibly) want to upgrade not just their vehicle but to re-experience the supposed joy of owning something new whether it is a truck, a television, an upgraded washer/dryer combo, or even a wonderful patio set that is free from all of the mildew that has accumulated on your old furniture.
This is the great “SNOOKER”; that somehow the ecstatic feelings one garners by signing your life away with a new purchase will be infinite (see my former comments on this subject). But the endorphins fade and need replenishing, so onto the next vehicle, appliance, house, furniture, or whatever. No wonder we never learn from overall history, we can’t even learn from our own personal history. YIKES!