You may or may not have read Oliver James' book called AFFLUENZA. If you have then I am sure you will have been enthralled..if not then try and Create Time to read it...The book tells us how an epidemic of "affluenza" is sweeping through the english speaking world and how the more obsessive, envious, and "keeping up with the Joneses" we are becoming, we are becoming twice as prone to depression, anxiety and addictions than people in other developed nations..and we are now infecting the rest of the world with this virulent virus!
He spells out how issues like consumerism, property fever and the battle of the sexes vary across societies with different values, beliefs and traditions and comes to the unavoidable and potentially life changing conclusion that to ensure our emotional health, we can and must pursue our NEEDS rather than our WANTS.
The book is a fascinating read, and his opening pages have the following quiz in it... Thought you may enjoy reading it as it is food for thought for us all!!
SOOO...HAVE YOU CONTRACTED THE AFFLUENZA VIRUS?
Do you agree with ANY of the following statements?
I would like to be a very wealthy person...
I would like to have my name known by many people..
Iwould like to succesfully hide the signs of ageing...
I would like to be admired by many people...
I would like to have people comment often about how attractive i look..
I like to keep up with fashions in hair and clothing...
I would like my name to appear frequently in the media...
I often compare what I own with what others own...
Possessions can be just as important as people...
Shopping or thinking about what to buy greatly preoccupies me...
If an acquaintance can't help me get ahead in life, I usually move on...
I'm less concerned with what work i do than with what i get for it...
I admire people who own expensive homes, cars and clothes....
My life would be better if I owned certain things I don;t own now..
The things i will own will say a lot about well I've done in life...
I want a lot of luxury in my life....
If you answered yes to ANY of the questions, then you have, like most people in the English speaking world, contracted the Virus! The more you answered 'yes', the more infected you are and the greater your likelihood of becoming distressed later in life!!
I imagine that the younger you are, the more "yes" ticks you will have. Hopefully as we mature, we realise, sometimes too late that we should be nurturing our SPIRIT, MIND and BODY as opposed to our bank accounts....
The questions, partially written in jest...are somewhat thought provoking!
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