Modern-day Mythology

This week, I worked with 6th graders beginning a unit on Greek mythology.  Most of them looked less than thrilled when I announced this.  As we began talking about various aspects of mythology, I explained that mythology is rather like "fairytales on steroids"--wild things taken to the 100th power.  Things not possible, yet mixed with some elements of truth.  Stories of people driven to do unimaginable things for unthinkable reasons. 

It occurred to me that we live in a day and age of modern-mythology.  We somehow believe things that have a small fraction of truth, but are unrealistic in so many ways.  As a self-labeled perfectionist, I have fallen face-first into this trap--again and again throughout my ife. 

As a whole, our society is made to feel that "bigger is better."  Bigger houses; bigger bank accounts; bigger salaries.  Bigger is better, isn't it?  (I've always thought it was--at least with my hair!) 

We strive to work ourselves to death to keep up with the proverbial "Jones'" next door.  Enough is never enough.  Enough can never be enough when you are trying to keep up with those "gods and goddesses" in life.  "Things" never satisfy us--we want more and more.  But even "more" is not enough."  The "myth" that money or a bigger house or car is going to satisfy us charges our batteries and makes us want it at sometimes almost any cost.  

In some things, more is not what we want.  We want less.  We want fewer wrinkles, less body hair and smaller numbers on the scale!  We diet to the point of starvation.  We riddle our bodies with pills that promise to shrink away pounds, but make us nervous and jittery.  We nip, tuck, laser and Botox anything we can!  We strive for perfection in our bodily appearance.  We all seem to think we are some "Medusa-type" creature, when in fact--ALL women are beautiful!  We are made in the image of the Father, and we need to remember that--and BELIEVE it!!  We teach our young girls from a young age that the Barbie doll is the perfect woman.  Many of us spend the rest of our life trying to live-out that myth, and beating ourselves up when we simply cannot. 

Many of us seek to live out those "myths" time and time again.  Failure has been defined as doing the same thing again and again, but expecting different results. Why do we again and again look for happiness by racking up new charges on the credit card for more "stuff"?? 

I am not advocating in complacency or laziness.  I am not suggesting that we live a non-healthy life-style.  I'm not stating that we all adopt the European culture by stopping shaving either!

I am saying that we all need to be aware of what will truly make us happy.  What is something that you simply would not want to live without in you life.  It may be the love of your family.  It may be the realization that you are a child of God.  It may be the beauty of a sunset or the rolling of ocean waves.   Being thankful for what you have is a GREAT starting point. 

As I have grown older, I have begun to realize that THINGS do not make me happy.  Trying to be a size 6 is not going to make me happy.  (And it's not going to happen in this menopausal body!)  A mansion on a hillside is not going to make me happy.  Driving a hummer is not going to make me happy, plus it's going to break my bank account just for gasoline!

Happiness comes from within.  So, I say it's time to slay those myths, and look for the beauty inside of each of us!  I don't think anyone is going to lie on her deathbed, and be thankful at that time that she worked overtime in order to buy that 60 inch flat-screen television or the 6 carat diamond ring on her finger.  I think at that point in my life, I want to realize that I was lucky not to fall for the modern-day myths of this life.  I want to know with all certainty that I was blessed by knowing what was important in this life--and what was not!