I don't know what's come over me. Well, no, that's a lie; I know exactly what's come over me, but it still continues to shock me every time I experience it.
This may come across as a silly, rather insignificant post, but something has come to my attention that I thought would never happen; I hate the mall.
Yes, dear Reader, you read correctly; I honestly have a deep resentment of the mall. I noticed this yesterday, while shopping in downtown Newcastle (I'm here for a week-off). Whilst casually strolling through Elton Square, I saw numerous stores, both designer and affordable, lining the seemingly never-ending halls. I entered a few stores, most of whose items were far beyond my price range, and reveled in the glamour of it all. And then it hit me, the ridiculousness of it all. Here I was, standing in a shrine, ultimately, which glorified human wealth, power, greed, and vanity...and I was enjoying myself!
Now, I understand how melodramatic that sounds, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was reminded of a documentary I watched a few years back where the narrator had mentioned that only a short while ago, people gathered at the Church to celebrate and embrace community. Now, we gather at the mall, a symbol of our own vanity and desire to assimilate ourselves to an unattainable ideal of beauty and status. I remember being astonished when I'd watched that film, and the the same sense of astonished disgust filled me again yesterday.
Last Friday, while making breakfast with one of the women I'll be staffing with, Taryn, we listened to DC Talk, singing along to the songs that brought back our childhood (Thank you Dad). One of the songs, "What Have We Become", has a lyric in it which says, "What have we become? A self-indulgent people, what have we become? Tell me where are the righteous ones, what have we become? In a world degenerating, what have we become?". I remember it was the first time I'd actually paid attention to the lyrics and felt them resonate with me like never before.
Like I said, maybe this post is random and is simply me processing my own thoughts online. But I think it's at least something to consider...maybe even learn from.
