What does it mean to sport a pair of Louis Vuitton stilettos fresh from their latest summer line, in comparison to that of last season Nike sneakers purchased at 30% off? To me: absolutely nothing.
Shoes DO NOT determine the person; nor do clothes, perfume, location or jewellery – pretty much everything visible to the human eye.
A 36 karat gold necklace does not compensate for a cold hearted soul. An Oroton wallet does not compensate for a selfish obsession with brand names. Not everyone is as free-flowing as the Lisa Ho dress featured in Madison magazine.
If only we were as natural as Mount Franklin spring water. If only.
Drinking Coca Cola will, before finishing the entire contents of the can, turn you into the goddess of confidence who spends most of her time flirting with boys on the beach. Wearing a Mossimo outfit makes standing in a filth-ridden alley way, massed with graffiti and broken down buildings look good. Who are we trying to kid?
When was the last time you saved up for an item of your dreams and not feel as satisfied as you originally anticipated? Bet they didn't advertise the part about satisfaction NOT guaranteed. Marketing people aren't stupid, they didn't promise it because after all, it was JUST a bracelet, JUST a packet of frozen chips, JUST a handbag and NOT instant euphoria.
Where are the advertisements that endorse a good personality, health and well being? The ones that do exist, though, are lost in between pages promoting the newest mobile technology to change your life, and your how-to step by step guide on the new diet craze to sweep Hollywood of its feet.
Social status only gets you so far. Ultimately, we are all victims of the same time frame, blessed with 24 hours in our day – whether you make them count or not is a different story. We all breathe the same air – spoiled by the same case of global warming. We all have the same fate – death.
These points should be enough to make any sane person open their eyes and see the human race as equal. But it's not. Why? Is it because we're all at least a little bit insane?
Insecure? Indecisive. Insensitive? Indeed.
We're losers to our own game. Upon finally owning the new house, the new car, the new job – we're anything BUT satisfied. We want more. We want the new house with servants and a tennis court – event hough you HATE tennis. We want the new car with rims and the finest quality sound system, fit for 50 cent, dawg. We want to be our own boss to a million dollar empire.
Beauty is a curse on the world that stops us from scratching the surface. All we see is dirt and rubble, not the fortune of gold that lies beneath.
We've built up an appetite for material things, accepting them as substitutes for areas of emptiness in our life. Nothing beats the feeling of helping a stranger. Nothing passes the time better than spending it with people who accept you just as you are, and wouldn't change a thing. Nothing makes you rest easier than going to sleep at night knowing you made a difference in someone else's life.
As my favourite author, Mitch Albom once said: "Devote yourself to something that gives you purpose and meaning". Devote yourself to one or many things, temporarily or permanently.
I devote myself to being positive so that those around me don't have to put up with someone who seems to wake up on the wrong side of the bed everyday. I devote myself to doing fairly well in my studies so that my mother, who raises three children on her own, doesn't feel that her hard earned money to support our education is going to waste. I devote to being a good sister so that my brothers have something worth looking up to. I devote myself to submitting hopefully meaningful critiques so that while I'm exercising my joys for writing, others benefit also. I devote myself to serving God because what you give, you get back tenfold; it's a win win situation.
Know that there's more to life than being the number one fashion brand name victim. It's not what you wear, and it's not how you wear it either – it's what you do while wearing those clothes that makes a REAL difference.
Wake up and smell the roses, then kick off the shoes and feel the sand between your toes!
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