Satisfaction guaranteed?

Tue, Oct 30, 2012

Editor

A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval – Mark Twain

Advertisements occupy every inch of the media informing the public of a cornucopia of offers – devices and items we may have encountered or never in our wildest dreams could have imagined. The effort put into making these products so attractive and worth the buy, such as visual pleasure and colourful words, sometimes seems to be better than the actual product itself.{{more}}

The main idea in a product placement is enticement. At one point in everyone’s life, they would have made this an avenue for business, while for some that is their life. The consumer will appear reluctant at first, but as time progresses and the energetic salesperson uses every last bit of persuasion to convince him, he budges and most likely gives in. He demonstrates the benefits, operation and drives a hard bargain with much disagreement until finally, it’s SOLD! For the other party, headstrong and having the same mentality as the salesperson, they leave his show unimpressed and his words bite the dust. The overwhelmed friend who thinks he made a great choice goes home to enjoy his money’s worth; but sadly after being in use for no longer than a week, faults appear, a part gets lost and eventually it falls apart. It is in no condition to be returned or exchanged – and knowing the salesperson he would hear none of it. What about that beautiful pair of ‘brand name shoes’ that you bought? How long did it serve its ‘footage’?

In the same way, the devil seeks to operate. He lurks about our every location, keeping a sharp lookout to attack us when most vulnerable and tempts us into wrongdoing. He uses persuasion and fools us into thinking that the wrong is absolutely right. He carefully elaborates succulent advantages of yielding to his immoral lifestyle, while leaving out the unfavourable consequences and tragic potholes his plan will lead to. If we refuse to train and feed ourselves on spiritual morsels then surely we will be hungry by the time he is finished convincing us to eat the bread that he has kneaded – and to imagine it has not been baked yet! To feast on his finished work is something we should by all means avoid.

The most well-known story of the devil’s deceptiveness is in the Garden of Eden, as he tempted Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree of good and evil. His ways are nothing but evil, but his charisma shields his wickedness so easily. Now in the garden, while he tempted Eve so effortlessly, it was her choice to eat the fruit. Therefore, even though we become tempted, we have the freedom of choice to do what is right and to ignore the wrong. This is easier said than done.

How can one be able to resist temptation? One must learn to curb his immoral desires and find alternatives that would satisfy him more richly and benefit him positively. It is essential that he takes the time and does some deep ‘soul-searching’ to find the right ingredients that would assist him in saying no to temptation, think about the things he needs in life and act wisely and carefully about whom he will chose to settle down with in the future.

Following these simple bits of advice are not hard at all. It isn’t difficult to consult yourself at times to assess your life and the choices you intend to make. At least thirty minutes of thought time per week can get you on track to making your life easier, happier and a bit less stressful. I bet you will feel more content with yourself, daily routines and financial investments. Your satisfaction is fully guaranteed!

Elizabeth Bullock