The human mind tends to be rather
forgetful, hence we need reminders of what to do and how to live. But
unfortunately we are being reminded of the wrong things...
It’s no secret that our society is ruled by
profit. Much of what we see around us is designed so that we keep on buying
things for the sake of buying. Most CEO’s and marketing agencies don’t care if
you are happy or not; all that they are interested in is to sell their
products.
Not surprisingly, TV commercials and
billboards send out constant messages that remind us to consume more. They
suggest that we are lacking something, that we need to get a new car and the
new ipad or else we will feel unsatisfied. A desire is created which soon
becomes irresistible – crisis or not, on most days the parking at shopping
malls is full.
Imagine a world in which profit was not the
highest goal in life. Imagine there was space for different kinds of
advertisment. Opening the online newssite in the morning, you might be reminded
that, “if you go shopping today, remember to take a bag from home”; you scroll
down and see a big banner, “Smile! It could be the best day of your life!” Then
you leave the house and a bus passes by, bright letters on it saying that
“Cyling rules! It’s better for you and the planet.” After lunch you switch on
the TV and just before the 3 o’clock news you watch a three minute long
promotion for a new ethical bank that invests in organic farms and solar energy
projects. When you come home at night you read your favourite magazine and on
the second page there’s an ad talking about the importance of eating a healthy
diet. On page fifteen only two words are printed: “Live now!” And so on…
Imagine what kind of world we would be
living in. Imagine what each one of us would feel like if we were constantly
reminded of good things.
You might think that this is a utopia, that
it’s not possible. But the question is: why shouldn’t it be possible? Why can’t
we live in harmony with the enviroment and in peace with each other? Why can’t
we change and make the world a truly beautiful place? Who says we can’t?
True, right now it’s impossible to change
the profit-driven commercial ads that we are surrounded by. But what we can
do is to make publicity ourselves. We can post positive affirmations on facebook; send good news by email; wear
t-shirts with meaningful messages; have a coexist sticker on our car; put on a
happy smile…
We could become human billboards,
advertising love!
