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Mindfulness and Commercialism: A Coca-Cola Christmas
It's Christmas time here in Mazatlan, Mexico. I can tell by the
Coca-Cola Christmas tree in the plaza facing the cathedral.
In fact, last Friday must have been St. Coca-Cola Day or
something. At sunset, we heard a commotion. Nothing too unusual
about that-- there's always some sort of celebration going on. I
figured it was part of the presentation of the Carnaval
princesses going on in the other local plaza.
We went to the roof to look down the street and saw a procession
of red vehicles of various sizes emblazoned with the Coca-Cola
logo. From convertibles and the backs of pick-ups, lovely misses
dressed as Santa's helpers waved to passersby. The thumping bass
reverberated off store windows along the street. A blaring
loudspeaker invited everyone to follow the parade to the
Coca-Cola Christmas celebration.
The final fire-engine red vehicle carried Santa himself, who was
perched merrily on several cases of--what else?--Coca-Cola.
A visit to the plaza later revealed a 30-foot artificial tree
all dressed up for a Coca-Cola Christmas. The ornaments
consisted of glittery round disks with the familiar logo. A few
six-foot-tall inflatable Coca-Cola cans flanked a red-bannered
stage where ten-year-olds took turns singing pop favorites.
Everyone was bopping and enjoying the festivities which
concluded with the Coca-Cola Christmas fireworks display.
Now, back in the States, this type of blatant commercialism of
Christmas would bring jeers and eye-rolling and perhaps even a
few demonstrators. After all, we parents formed groups
protesting the availability and promotion of Coke products in
our kids' school lunch rooms. We railed
against the corporate
irresponsibility of a company so clearly contributing to the
increased rates of diabetes and obesity in children.
But here, it's just another reason to celebrate. If Coke wants
to sponsor a parade and a fireworks display, that seems
perfectly fine with people here. They'll dance to whatever's
playing and enjoy it without getting too hung up on the politics.
I had to check my cynicism at the door. That's mindfulness in
action--recognizing our knee-jerk reactions as simply choices we
make about responding in a certain way. We can choose to respond
differently, but first we need to SEE our conditioned response.
Hmmm. Fire up my outrage or ooh and aah at the fireworks? I get
to choose.
I can be offended. Or, I can just take it as another absurdity
in my day and smile at the kids belting out ballads on the stage
and the parents dancing with toddlers in the plaza.
It might be "wrong" to enjoy a Coca-Cola parade or celebrate
singing children on a Coca-Cola stage, but from where I sit, it
doesn't feel like blatant commercialism as much as it feels like
a spontaneous party.
Sure, it's tacky. But it's also surprisingly joyful. Those
smiles were not the result of Coca-Cola-- they were just an
expression of happiness prompted by an unexpected celebration.
And that's the real thing.
About the author:
Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay
attention. Her playful, eyes-wide-open approach to everyday
mindfulness has been featured in over 150 publications. To read
her free tips and tricks for practical awareness, visit
http://www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com
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