What is it about certain phrases or ideas that plant themselves into our collective brain and cause us to want to share and repeat them over and over? Now that we have the ability via the Internet to spread our "cleverness" to the masses in just a matter of seconds it seems that each day brings a new "catch phrase" or some idea that everyone feels the need to hitch our reins to and ride that trend...until the next trendy idea comes along. At which time will will quickly dismount and get on the new trend.
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| Definition according to the Urban Dictionary...gotta love the phrase "virus of the mind/" |
It kind of makes me wonder how ideas spread so effectively prior to the Internet. How did the word "groovy" ever get in widespread use? Were the words and images in the 1960's transferred by the media, by the music, or by advertisers? Frankly, I don't remember how we all came to talk about "how cool and groovy" or "out of sight" things were....although I do remember thinking my brain would explode if one more person used the phrase "out of sight".Thought Number One: Conscious Uncoupling
Last week we have another new "catch phrase" in our lexicon and we can all thank Gwyneth Paltrow for getting the message out for us. While Gwyneth, didn't come up with this bubble of brilliance, she posted it on her website, Goop, in a statement that her and her husband Chris Martin were separating...oh excuse me...they are Consciously Uncoupling.
The idea came from one of her frequent website contributors Dr. Habib Sadeghi and his wife Dr. Sherry Sami. They have a lot to say on the subject.
A conscious uncoupling is the ability to understand that every irritation and argument [within a marriage] was a signal to look inside ourselves and identify a negative internal object that needed healing, "From this perspective, there are no bad guys, just two people," they say, expanding on the blame-free, "it's about people as individuals, not just the relationship" theory.
OK...some of that sound legit...no finger pointing, no blaming (unless, of course someone is to blame).
"Life is a spiritual exercise in evolving from an exoskeleton for support and survival to an endoskeleton. Think about it."
Oh, oh...now they have lost me!
"There's a scientific theory by Russian esotericist, Peter Ouspensky, that the creation of insects was a failed attempt by nature to evolve a higher form of consciousness.
How did insects get into this? I think we have crossed the line from new-agey to total bull****.
"Conscious uncoupling brings wholeness to the spirits of both people who choose to recognize each other as their teacher...If we can allow ourselves this gift, our exoskeleton of protection and imprisonment will fall away and offer us the opportunity to begin constructing an endoskeleton, an internal cathedral, with spiritual trace minerals like self-love, self-acceptance, and self-forgiveness. "The misunderstandings involved in divorce also have much to do with the lack of intercourse between our own internal masculine and feminine energies.
Maybe we should worry less about our internal energies having intercourse and worry more about who is having real intercourse and with whom.
Thought Number Two: Here comes the bandwagon.
I have been thinking a lot this week about why we ( I am including myself here) follow trends. The "conscious uncoupling" will not be one of the trends I intend to participate in. I am just not all that "new age-y" and still am pretty secure in my belief that long term relationships can last a lifetime.
I, however, am not immune to following trends and often find it troubling to be one of the lemmings. This became especially true this week as I went to the "big company who shall remain nameless" to get the next generation of my iPhone. (OK you iPhone haters...mock and berate me..but let's stop short of calling me an i-hole)
After installing the latest update on my 4S to the OIS 7 operating system.... it went "funky" That is a technical term for "not working worth a damn." So hubby and I both went to the cellular store thinking we would qualify for a discounted iPhone 5s because we were out of our contract period. NOPE..there are no longer upgrades. You buy your plan by the amount of media you need then you pay a fee to use a phone on that plan. Oh..and if you want a phone you pay retail but they add it in monthly installments to your bill. According to them, they are doing you a big favor.
When I suggested that there wasn't a chance in hell that I would pop for $40.00 a month for 18 months to get a cell phone he gave me a number of reasons why "everyone else" thinks this is a really slick idea. At which point, my cynical side wanted to jump out of my skin and beat the man about the head...instead I went to plan B.
Plan B is "Big Box wholesale club store. Yes, I went elsewhere and bought the phone outright and had it activated to my "big cellular company" account.
I was thinking that I had averted a monetary crisis until I got my bill from the "big cellular company that shall remain nameless". Turns out they didn't charge me the $40.00 per month for the next 18 months but the bill was chock full of other surprises... all with $$$$ attached. The phrase "one time charge" might not have had the pacifying effect that the company hopes that phrase imparts. GGGRRR
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