Peer pressure

Have you ever thought about the amount of peer pressure that our society has created to "help" us get through life? We often think that peer pressure is when our friends are telling us that to be cool we should dye our hair pink and spike it. But could television and radio be a type of peer pressure?

When we watch TV we see the reality shows, the commercials and the news, how much does that effect our thinking and our decision making process? Unfortunately, I have had the misfortune of going to a restaurant that had a TV news show playing as background. (Is that supposed to be "mood music"?) I noticed that the conversations were almost all related to: the murder rate, the drugged out sports guy or the corrupt politicians. How many times have you heard your self humming a jingle from som fast food joint? I'm sure they are "doing it all for you"! Or are they "doing it your way"?  This is, in my opinion, is scary!
If we look at what we do, how many things are we doing our way? When our current financial crisis first became noticed I felt that the media was causing a greater part of the problem. I cannot prove it but shortly after the news started telling the world that a big crisis was on the horizon and that many were not spending money because of their fears for the future economy, sales dropped. People started getting laid off. The media created more breaking news about the fall of the economy, more layoffs followed.
The point is, are we letting the "Talking Heads" control the way we think? The Bible, many other religions and even the" Secret" tell us that what we think is going to create what we do. How could a society that spends 24 hrs a day watching the horror of network news not be effected. In a way, we are living a form of "1984" with out even knowing it.m
 “Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.” this Marquis de Condorcet quote is even more powerful today then ever before. With all the pressure from other sources it may be difficult for some to even notice that they are living someone else's  dream. We all could look at our lives, find our own path and be much more content with our situation.
Look at the self help industry, how many book do you need to find the real you?  The real method of self help would be to do something you enjoy doing without thinking about what the " COOL" people are thinking. Turn off the TV spend time with friends and family. How  much fun is that? I bet you will find that their are other things you will find that you enjoy doing. Do them, before long you will surely find out that your life is more enjoyable than you ever imagined. You may also find that comparing your life to others is depressing. How can their lives be so much less enjoyable than yours and mine?