viva las vegas, baby.Whew! That really was an awesome trip! From gulfing down one of the biggest burgers I've seen at the Hard Rock Cafe and flinging through the New York New York roller coaster track, to somberly observing cadavers at the Real Bodies exhibit at Bally's, this trip was full. We got to experience a lot of things that we don't during normality, the Michael Jackson ONE show by Cirque certainly being one of them, and what I learned really was that you can live off of facades; but you will never grow. "Well that's fascinating, how in the reeking farmyard did you come to that conclusion, Rebekah?" I know, I know; I should simply be thankful for this experience and move on, but like basically everything else I witness, I'm going to dig this baby up. I really did enjoy my time in Vegas, it was seriously fun, and I'm super glad I had the opportunity to go; but my growth in all of it stems from the issue of superficiality: how long can you live distracted? Let me give you the run down of our trip: On Monday morning, we flew from Seattle to McCarren airport in Las Vegas, and then before taking our first ever Uber ride and checking into the famous Flamingo hotel, we snacked big-time at my most favourite franchise on earth: The Hard Rock Cafe. We promptly ventured the blazing heat and flamboyancy of Las Vegas Blvd, and upon check-in, made our way towards the greatest Cirque du Soleil show I've experienced, Michael Jackson ONE. In the days following, we lounged at the pool, Mermaided, shopped, looked at cute lil' sharkies, and ate some super good food. The trip, overall, was incredible. But let me explain an entirely different experience to you: people were hurting, they were empty. There were a few occasions I mourned the missed growth and self-worth of some people roaming the streets, all looking for something bigger than mediocrity to fill that soul-sized hole within themselves. Not only did people treat others with disrespect and desperation, but they treated themselves that way as well. Don't get me wrong, Las Vegas was a bundle of fun, but it revealed a very real societal epidemic to me: superficiality. Thursday afternoon we walked through Caesars Palace during our last hours inhabiting the City of Sin, at which point we were roped into an expensive cosmetic shop by samples and emotional manipulation. It wasn't the greatest end to the trip, as the cosmetologist used our insecurities to pressure us into purchasing over $300 of cream (all but one item, may I add), and became aggressive and insulting when we refused. We escaped the scary makeup artist and quickly got back out to the boulevard where we took a minute to assure eachother of our worth as defense against the words of hurt and insult this man was speaking towards us. I'll be honest, at that moment, we were excited to return home. The point is, and I could go on and on with even more stories to illustrate this, that we have a cultural epidemic in North America that steals from wholeness and pours into distraction and insincerity. Filled up on emptinessI heard something at church this past Sunday, which was that instead of constantly planning our next vacation and moving to fill the hole of tiredness and stress with novelty and intrigue, we should move to dive deeper into wholeness and growth. That's not to say we can never go enjoy time away in Viva Las Vegas, but it is to remind us of the refreshment that awaits within the soul. I think what I missed most while being in a strange, new, extravagant land, was the social expectation of filtration and pre-thought. People regurgitated the thoughts of their Id, word for word, and didn't waste a second in consideration or empathy. People were there to 'blow off steam', not to delve deeper into a cognitive awareness of themselves. The entire city was built around accommodating reckless behaviour that's unimaginable in your hometown, but accepted and encouraged in the entertainment capital of North America. This novelty can temporarily fill even the most desperate of us up, but the effects only last as long as the single shot of dopamine administered by your brain by the power of intrigue. Which brings me to my next point, If we want fulfillment, we should look to maintenance and rejuvenation rather than titillating experiences that temporarily shock us. The state of mind: an organWhat is meant by 'maintenance and rejuvenation'? Well I would start with self care and end with self-development, in that order. There's a huge movement these days that presses into self-care, which is a very positive influence on our majorly depressed culture, but there's no real direction or reason in attaining higher self-care and maintenance without some goal of self-development. Think about it, if you were running for the sake of running, like, simply enduring every painful step on the pavement, why would you keep running? You wouldn't. People run to achieve fitness and stamina, they run to feel healthier and feel more productive throughout the day. Some people even run to compete or meditate! Whatever the reason, it is not one within itself. Another example might be eating healthier: I know I wouldn't strive to eat healthier if eating junk food all the time didn't make me feel so awful; I strive to eat healthier because having an irritable gut disrupts my happiness, my productivity, and even my relationships! Point being, we maintain to rejuvenate. Similarly, there's purpose in maintaining our emotional and spiritual selves. This is exactly what some of the classic Vegas culture lacks, a holistic view of self care and desire for development; further, it's why so many retreat to Sin City to fill up on empty. Anyways, all of this to say, we as a culture need to recognize and reflect upon our tendency to make self-destructive decisions based on the need for relief or healing. It really is backwards to begin filling your vehicle up with the wrong type of fuel just because it's wild and perhaps more expensive. The fact is that hollywood perceptions of 'going wild' are not going to help you get back onto your feet in health and full productivity. To combat this innately invasive cultural movement, I think it's important we recognize what kind of 'fuel' our bodies and minds really need to excel and be filled wholly. Not only would our attitudes and general health improve, our confidence, focus, and even kindness improve greatly. Think of how easy it can be to treat yourself with respect and care enough to fill yourself up instead of covering the holes with rags and scotch tape; even more, how much more satisfying it would be. The fact is, intrigue is not going to save you from yourself. What is going to save you is the deepest entity of understanding, the very definition of love, and the direction of life-purpose. Know who I'm talking about?
Yeah, yeah He is pretty cool. And He's the only thing that can provide you with direction full enough to be worth it. The intrigue of Las Vegas in all of its non-convicting glory, all of its freedom, is not going to provide you holistic refreshment; that's a fact. It's a fun thing to do, but don't lean on it to do you any favours. To finish, I want to send you off on your week with a bout of encouragement. As you walk through your week, go to work, pick up your kids, pay the bills, and pick up groceries, I urge you to pay a little more attention to what your soulful mind is telling you, or your heart. Listen intently to the seemingly unimportant winds and the dreams that fill it up, and aim to identify what's fueling you and what's guzzling your fuel in this season. And besides the whole 'boundaries' talk, I'd encourage you to plant your feet strongly when you identify those things instead of retreating to Expedia's cheapest flights. Start looking within, or more accurately, walk forward into the unknown steps of the realm of love and peace that you Creator has set for you.
1 Comment
6/18/2019 01:11:57 am
Beautifully-written, Rebekah. I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to read this after such a busy stretch. It was more than worth the wait.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Welcome,My name's Rebekah. Categories
All
Archives
March 2020
|