I Believe

Musings with Old Friends : I

In a national survey undertaken recently, 90% of women and 77% of men reported that its socially acceptable for men to cry. I guess that means crying in public. The report went on to say that men are ' making contact with their inner self and child.' But how much has changed? Does the fact that the survey was undertaken by the Kleenex brand of facial tissues somehow makes less a growing social phenomenon in the world?

In having taught Marketing at graduate level, I for one take advertisers seriously. As a result I don't dash to the refrigerator during commercial breaks, instead, I read commercials as if it is a social statement of the times. It is a reflection of what companies believe in when they spend millions in developing a new formula for shampoo, a new design for food processors or a new attitude regarding cosmetics. They don't take uninformed risks. Hence, in a strange manner, a man sitting in front of the TV is conducting a social relation with his society.

I asked an acquaintance of mine recently of the indicators we may come across of the fact that people still believe in God? He mumbled something inaudible at first and then in realizing that I am serious, responded by rolling his eyes around the room and then coming to rest on the newspaper on the table. His eyes seemed to be viewing the report of a drone killing several people in the middle-East.

' Well,' he began slowly, ' you realize that things have been bad around the world recently. But do you also realize that people are taking it and are trying to manage with it.'

I had to admit that there was some grain of truth in that, without of course anything that might constitute sound facts and statistics. Yeah, I figured it might qualify. But the man took off completely on something that had preoccupied him.

' Do you know who I would believe as a true God?' I didn't know. He continued. ' That's the God that had fallen and did not lose his faith in man or the world and strove to get up on his feet again to continue to lead the faithful. That's the guy I'll believe,' he announced.

It was apparent by then that we were mixing heroes, man, God and a bunch of ' pick me up ' philosophies that's so popular these days. But ... I think I'll be giving this one some thought over the next few days.