I digested the staggering statistic that 80% of products were made to be used only once & then considered that sex appeal is used to market so much of that trash - and then followed that train of thought where it led - and, well.... you don't want to go there either.
Anyhow, I just tho't to share one conclusion that No Impact Man & I have both come to. He says it well after realizing & pointing out that at any given time, we all want something & when we get it, we just want something else. This perpetual cycle prompted him to ask...
"If we want to demonstrate our membership in the human race, if we want to fit in, where on earth did the idea come from that we have to do it by having or aspiring to have exactly what everyone else has .....?"
& to conclude that ...
"We'll do, or can be tricked into doing, almost anything for the promise of love."
And that's it...that's basically what prompted my previous post. Sorry if I sounded harsh - or rude - or offended anyone. It was purely out of concern about our "get whatever you want when you want it by using sex appeal to buy and sell almost all of it and throw it away when you're done" culture and the impact it might have on my girls who stand in stark contrast to it based on their commitment to remain sexually pure.
I guess No Impact Man and all his "trash talk" is having a rather deep impact on me ....& I haven't even finished his book yet!
Perhaps I should take a break and heed Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
—think about such things.
—think about such things.
7 comments:
(Ooops! Sorry, I deleted my first comment to add something else!)
I had been tending to family business and missed your previous post, so today's entry caught me by surprise!
I applaud your daughters for their committment. Not only for the obvious reasons, but because too many of us fail to commit - to anything! We place so little value on relationships, resources, even life. Marketing pushes us in the wrong direction. Even the "diamonds are forever" advertisements have an underlying message of "sex sells".
But again, I agree with the decision that both of your daughters have made. If we cannot respect ourselves, what would we respect?
It's just my humble opinion :)
Hi Farmgal. Well said :) I'm glad I was the winner of your "No Impact Man" giveaway. As you can tell - it's been very thought provoking.
A wee bit defensive but not offensive in the least. I appreciated the clear, effective, and passionate explanation. Now, if we could only get that message of self worth conveyed to all girls, that would be worth funding.
This is so true! My struggle this week has been in way of trash too. On our farm. We have so much debris and stuff from a dilipated once operating, ranch. So much work and so much to do. Plus we want to build, something solid.
We are living in an old farmhouse, which is also in the same condition as the farm (and the floor is wavy in spots, UNsolid). At one time it was lived in by family, then for 20 yrs rented out, then vacant for a year or two before we moved here. LOTS of work and CLEANing went into just being able to move one stick of furniture. And still we work on it.
Our goal, eventually, is to have this place operating as a ranch again (with cattle & hay meadows which are still intact) and build a house just the size we need in my favorite childhood spot at the back of the farm. It's at the end of our private road (and right now is full of trash from the farm). After you past the junk and turn the corner to the meadow hidden behind it all, it takes my breath away every time!
But we wait because we choose. Even though finances allow us to run ahead, we are choosing to be as debt free as possible. It has been hard at times and full of grace at other times. This week, it was hard. Thanks for coming over and sharing some comment love. I've been drudging through last week. But feeling way better today! ((((hugs))))
Ps. I never thought you were defensive in your posts (even if you were). Actually I was agreeing with ya when I read them (shaking my head in a 'yes'). And hoping my boys will make the same commitment at that age. It was an inspiration for me in reading.
I admire your daughters for making such mature commitments at this age and you for bringing them up with good values.
We all make personal choices and we should not feel like we have to apologize for them. You said what you believe in and what your girls believe in and that is wonderful. There is nothing wrong with saying what you feel. Maybe it did sound a little defensive, but like someone else said, it was by no means offensive. More people should stand up for what they believe in.
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