Mirror, Mirror on the wall ( The struggle with our image in a vain world)

I know you are a bundle of self-control, a conscientious person and not moved by the new advert of iPhone 6plus or the Samsung note edge. That new apparel on the boutique window as you passed by is not appealing to you, and the watch on your friend’s wrist is not quietly shouting your name. (LOL)

If the above paragraph describes you, please give me a break. Let the real you stand up.

In this society now vanity is the air we breathe. Every corner of your life you are being made to see things that are supposed to help you appear better than you currently are. The advertisement industry has succeeded in making us somehow hungry for better version of everything. Something you got 6months ago is now regarded as old and outdated and you wonder what happened to what you bought 5years ago.

Our image, value and worth are now directly tied to things we have and can display. The intangible things of life have been relegated to the background, the concept of hard work and sweat equity is no longer fashionable. The society is controlling the image of who we are.

This demand on our image is so subtle, we sometimes don’t see it. I will give a few examples.

It was a thing of pride to say my shoes has lasted for 2years and see how new and comfortable it still feels, but now that comment would be greeted with laughter and comments like. “Haba those shoes are old throw them away”, “did this shoe swear for you”. Durability is no longer a priced asset in this vain society. A demand has been placed on your appearance.

The new demand on women is how the society defines being beautiful and sexy, the new criteria are hips and boobs that are astronomical in size, people who are not “Hippy” are no longer tagged as sexy or beautiful. A demand has been placed on the image of a “young lady”.

Daily in my gym sections I see men who will kill themselves on the bench press all in the bid to have the coveted 6packs some are now hooked on steroids etc. because it is believed to make the process faster. A demand has been placed on the image of a “young man”.

You read blogs every day, of what a man should at least have before you should go out or even consider marrying him, a car, a house, a job, a fat bank account. Etc. A demand on the image of successful man has been placed.

There are 1001 examples of these situations, in our everyday life.

So you can’t really avoid it, if the mirror you use to appraise yourself is the mirror the society has given to you, the mirror that spells conformity, the mirror that spells show off, the mirror that spells pride, the mirror that spells sex, the mirror that spells THAT YOUR WORTH IS IN WHAT YOU HAVE NOT WHO YOU ARE. Then you are in a big trouble.

Whenever I catch myself trying to drift away into looking at my image through the mirror of the society, I quickly remind myself that it is not what I have that makes me valuable, it is who I am. I was created valuable by God. He loves me even when no one does, he loves me even when I don’t have new shoes and clothes to go out with, and he loves me with my pot belle and fat arms (not an excuse to get fat)

Your mirror of your value and worth should stem from the knowledge that God is your father and he loves you. It does not matter if I am wearing the best cloths or driving the best car. He is my father and he is working all things out for my good.

When this world of vanity and cares tries to roar its ugly head up again at you, when you feel you have to buy that new wrist watch to look glam, when you feel you just have to move to bigger apartment to show you have arrived even when you can’t afford it, pause and tell yourself if you are doing it because you really need it or because you want the society to see you as someone that has arrived.