The Sterility of Hyperbole.

[Ian Gardner]

In ‘Westernised’ societies we are in a time of rampant hyperbole. It is hurled

at us at every opportunity supposedly to make us feel good, or because the

hurler hopes to gain from making us feel good. We too embrace hyperbole in

the hope of feeling good. However, in reality this is a fruitless, if fleeting,

embrace because this feeling is as fickle as a breeze on a still day.

In these times we search madly for ‘fun’, we are inundated by smiling,

laughing faces and contrived laughter – all exaggerated; we are attracted to

what once were ‘stars’ but are now ‘superstars’ and there are thousand of living

‘icons’ who are worshipped more than ancient religious icons and just

about everything is described in superlatives that have improved upon previous

superlatives! This is the massive con of hyperbole that we both accept

and enjoy in the mistaken belief that it makes us happier. This is self-delusion.

There are many who will perceive what I have said here as negative, for a

variety of reasons, but perception does not alter reality. Discounting physics,

reality is neither negative nor positive – only the perception of it is one or

the other.

Rather than succumb to the pursuit of the ephemeral ‘feel good’ feeling one

would do well to pursue a course that brings true, permanent happiness –

and that cannot be found in worldly things.

Ω