Well according to director Tom Shadyac, I AM. or at least that's the the premise in his documentary of the same name. He has another one out called “Happy”. You could say that ones about the search for, well happiness.
First off, who is Tom Shadyac? Well have you ever heard of Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar? Well he directed those movies among others. I'm not going to go into his story here, and why he's making serious documentaries about life and the pursuit of happiness. You'll just have to see for yourself. I just wanted to bring a little discussion to the issue.
Tom puts forth the hypothesis that accumulating wealth beyond one's basic needs is a mental illness. That may seem pretty drastic, and yet the fact is that once we've reached a comfortable level of income that meets our basic needs, anything over that does not make us any happier. It's kind of like that with drinking if you’ll forgive the analogy. Where one drink may feel good, having another, and another does not increase ones feeling of “good”!
I believe we have a dissociative disorder, but before I get into that we can easily come up with a few simple explanations for our obsession with wealth and power. It feels good, though that feeling is temporary, and again like that analogy of a drug leaves us wanting more, and another fix. Wealth and power in themselves can be self intoxicating, and can lead to almost an obsessive tendency. One develops a need to have more, as if life would be empty without it. This extends beyond the mental to the physical level, and I can only liken it to an adrenaline junky. It’s a game, and it’s fun. That one is self explanatory. It provides a purpose. If that’s all I know, and I’m good at it, well then as with many people and careers, it can provide an identity.
So let’s look at this picture from a different perspective. My experience through my own chronic health issues and work as a Counselor has shown me that most or all of us are uncomfortable with not only negative feelings but positive ones too if they are too strong. We also seem to be uncomfortable or disconnected with our bodies, and look at them as foreign entities, that we inhabit and fear may fail us at anytime. We either avoid our health symptoms or run to the doctor in hopes of a pill to make them all go away. How can we feel safe, connected and supported if we even feel disconnected from ourselves?
We have over the past hundreds of years become disconnected from nature and the earth. Rather than feeling ourselves a part of this planet and the other natural inhabitants, many of us feel disconnected and threatened by it. How have we gone from feeling supported and safe by our natural surroundings to feeling like we need to control them?
We have become disconnected with others. I sit on my computer typing this blog rather than being surrounded by family because I can. Travel has allowed us to move away from our birthplace, and technology has allowed us to “communicate” without being all messy and stuff, by actually having to be with someone. How can I feel connected while being “alone”?
So...now what? First off, I would suggest watching Tom’s documentaries, “I Am”, and “Happy”. They’re well done, and insightful. I also have a few simple suggestions. Spend time making time for friends and family, even if it’s through facebook. Spend a little time each and every day connecting with nature...get a CD with nature sounds...bye a bird feeder...plant a small garden of herbs or vegetables...go for a walk without headphones on, so you hear the sounds of the earth. Spend time each and every day in quiet contemplation/meditation/mindfulness. Finally if you like Tom’s films there are a host of others you can find at your library, on Netflix, through GIAIM, Oprah’s OWN Network, etc.
