Being kind to yourself

Articles In This Section:

· Being kind to yourself

· Being unkind to yourself without knowing it

· Being kind to yourself proposition

Many times we read something in a newspaper, magazine or book that will stimulate us to a new line of thinking about a subject. We may have given some thought to this particular subject before, but the facts we see in print may be so astounding as to give us a new perspective. I experienced a reaction of this sort when I read in the 1958 holiday issue of Life an article devoted to American entertainment. I was astonished to read that entertainment is a $4-billion business in our country.

Although the United States in the twentieth century is responsible for many innovations in man's life, it is not the creator of his desires for fun. The article traced man's yearning for entertainment back beyond the Roman games and Greek drama, 8,000 years ago when the flute first came into being. What we can claim credit for, though, is the building of entertainment into a tremendous business, one of the giants in our national economy. Never before have so many people passed so many hours just being entertained as at the present time in our country.

The movies, radio, TV, marine shows, ice shows, the circus, amusement parks, the theater, opera—all of these amusement outlets are devoted to the job of making fun for people. The figures given for the attendance at these events are almost unbelievable. I believe it was estimated chorus lines alone drew more than 1.5 million customers during the year. Moreover, the salaries paid to the top male and female stars and the directors, playwrights, producers and choreographers are equally impressive because they run up into the millions of dollars.

After reading the article, I started thinking about the effects of this gigantic entertainment effort. Apart from the all-important diversion factor, what is the net result after all the curtains are rung down? One conclusion easily reached was that the job of amusement for the public was by no means fun for the busy entertainers. It is a well-known fact that producers, directors, playwrights and the star performers themselves are oftentimes made virtual wrecks by the excessive strain of their jobs. To many of these people, f unmaking is a very grueling task.

What about the entertainees, the people who spend millions in support of the shows of their choice? Are their domestic, business, financial and social problems harmoniously solved by the amusement effort put forth on their behalf? Unfortunately the answer is No. Millions are left to wrestle with their same old troubles. Hospitals and mental institutions are crowded. Doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts are working overtime. People spend millions of dollars on drinking, smoking, drugs, vitamin tablets, sleeping pills, shots, tranquilizers—all in a frenzied effort to escape the self-torture of their daily routine.