We could use a little Scientology right now. After all, according to the church’s new commercial, “you are not your name, you’re not your job, you’re not the clothes you wear or the neighborhood you live in. You’re not your fears, your failures or your past.”
And there’s more. “You are hope. You are imagination. You are the power to change, to create and to grow. You are a spirit that will never die. And no matter how beaten down, you will rise again.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to cast off the irrelevant, supposedly unimportant, aspects of your life – all that heavy baggage that drags you down – and just start over anew with hope, imagination and “the power to change.” The only problem? You can’t simply cast those things off because they are part of you and they do define you. They are your history. They are your personality. They are you.
Religion doesn’t cure everything. Religion doesn’t erase the messy aspects of live. Religion can, of course, be a powerful, supportive force in your life but it’s not like getting a makeover.
Maybe that’s a pessimistic viewpoint. Maybe it’s just realistic. Anyway, take away from this what you will. We will give it points for its uplifting, “you can do it!” qualities though.
After watching that spot, one does feel like one could simply flip a switch and all would be well with the world.
Of course, before you realize it’s a Scientology commercial, AdPulp correctly notes it could be a commercial for anything; insurance, shoes, electricity. It just has that “we are human, we are unstoppable” quality to it.
