Hello, my friends!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend; I know I did! As you talked to family and friends, I’m sure you heard the latest buzzword: MEME. We throw the word “meme” around all the time when we’re describing political cartoons or marketing campaigns, but do we really know what a meme is? Richard Brodie, the author of the best selling book, Virus of The Mind defines a meme as a thought, an attitude or belief that subtlety or aggressively influences human behavior.
Memes are everywhere. They can be good, and they can also be very destructive. I want to introduce one of the most powerful memes of our modern day, that being the meme of holiday eating! I once did my own little independent study and asked 100 people what they thought of when I uttered the word “holidays.” Food and weight gain topped the response chart. This shows the power of a meme! We, as a culture, have defined the holidays as an acceptable time to let our hair down and to eat what we want when we want.
For the record, I, myself, enjoy the holidays, and I am not here to try to change our cultural practices and traditions. What I am doing is inviting you to observe how a MEME can powerfully alter an entire community’s behavior for a month because it is the “holidays.” I hope that you enjoy your holidays, and I hope that you also enjoy some holiday food with your family and friends.
My challenge to you is to listen to your own inner voice and let it dictate what is appropriate for you. If, for example, you have told yourself that you would like to maintain your weight and eat more sensibly this year, then by all means do so! I would also invite you to be aware of the hold the “holiday eating meme” has over people. You will undoubtedly notice how it permeates our cultural thinking as you watch it drive behavior that would otherwise be deemed as excessive. I am not advocating being judgmental or pious, but I am advocating that you simply allow yourself to rise above the power of a cultural meme.
Enjoy this little exercise, my friends. Also enjoy your holiday season and always remember…
Life is Good!
Griff
#SFR