Gratitude

“Who are rich?  Those who are content with their portion.”  (attributed to Simon ben Zoma, early 2nd century)

C.S. Lewis was a renowned and influential writer, perhaps best known as author of the children’s stories The Chronicles of Narnia.  He was a professor of literature at Cambridge University, a friend and colleague of J.R.R. Tolkien, and an atheist turned Christian.  In 1942, living and writing in war-torn England, he published The Screwtape Letters, a witty yet serious treatise on evil.  In the story, Screwtape is an experienced demon who mentors his nephew Wormwood, a demon-in-training.  Wormwood’s task is to obtain a human’s soul for damnation.  In order to do this, he must successfully exploit the vulnerabilities of his human subject.  

Through letters to his nephew, Screwtape describes a series of effective damning techniques.  In one letter, he tells Wormwood to use “the horror of the Same Old Thing.”  Screwtape explains, for humans there is a natural pleasure experienced with change.  The devil must twist this “into a demand for absolute novelty.”  It is the devil’s task to discourage satisfaction with the status quo.  The goal is to create an unquenchable desire for change by constantly promoting new tastes and new fashions.  Make what is new today, obsolete tomorrow.  The resulting unrest and desire will lead to avarice which will, in-turn, set in motion the endless and futile pursuit of material acquisition.

Seen as allegorical, Screwtape encourages Wormwood to be a good marketer, a good advertiser.  After all, it is the purpose of advertising to create an unquenchable desire for change by promoting new tastes and fashions. And when successful, good advertising can set in motion the endless pursuit of material acquisition.  Advertising is everywhere.  It influences visually and verbally, consciously and unconsciously, by methods that are subtle and sophisticated.  Success in advertising depends on its ability to create unrest, craving, and dissatisfaction with the status quo. The emotional reaction to advertising is ”I need,” “I want,”  and “I gotta have.” Advertising needs us to be unhappy. Advertising works.  It is a savvy multi-billion-dollar industry.  It is embedded into our daily lives and it's not going away.  I have long contended that the most harmful effect of media is the cumulative impact of constant advertising.  I have called the impact of advertising “toxic.”  I believe that C.S. Lewis would have called it “evil.”

If, as I contend, advertising is the toxin, what then is the remedy, the antidote?  I believe the answer is "gratitude."  Perhaps a thank-you a day can keep Screwtape at bay.  We protect ourselves by giving thanks for what we have and for who we are.  We must remember to say, “I’m thankful,” “I’m blessed,” “I have enough.”  In a materialistic society, constantly bombarded by toxic advertising, it is important to regularly inoculate ourselves with a dose of gratitude.

In my work, I was often asked by parents how to raise a happy child.  I replied, “Teach your child to say thank-you.”