We are cynical and lost. Excluding those us who live in closed rural societies (Amishes) or who join a sect (Hare Krishas) we have too many value systems to choose from that we end up choosing none. This makes us nostalgic.

We long for simpler times, the comfort and boundaries of childhood, retreat into nature and quality time with our pets. Yet, when reduced to our animal state, we get easily bored and need stimulation. Is this one of the reasons why movies and books with clear values in their fictional worlds have such universal appeal? How else do you explain the success of dreadful movies such as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?

We even want to buy into ideals we have already lost. We greet brands that stand for something with open wallets, whether it is for the purest possible drink (Innocent), providing jobs in downtown L.A. (American Apparel) or the love for snowboarding (Burton).

We also would love to stand for something. We buy books such Neil Crofts Authentic – How to Make a Living By Being Yourself and I’m Important but Do I Matter by Lonnie Pacelli, but get stuck when we can’t figure out what is it that we could stand for.

Could it be that we are aiming too high. That we feel that unless we are single-handedly taking care of global warming and all the crises in the Middle East, we have failed and should not even try? Could we find fulfilment on a smaller scale, in relationships with our friends and loved ones? Should we stop for a while, and allow ourselves to dream together? If I sound like a teenager, maybe that’s the state of mind we should all try to recapture.

Children at Giraffe Center, Nairobi, Kenya

A reader making a choice at Bartnes & Nobles, New York.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 24th, 2006 at 15:20 and is filed under Art & Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.