"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
- Martin Luther King
Have you ever had those moments in life where something catches you completely off guard? Where something happens or you see something that was the last thing you expected to? I'm sure everyone has had that point at some time in their life. For me there have been many times where things have caught me off guard, and last night was no different.
In today's world, companies and businesses are forever filling our screens with adverts and offers trying to persuade us that our life is somewhat incomplete or empty without their product being in our life. Like there's some sort of missing piece in our lives which only they can fill. Whether its loans, household items, gadgets or holidays, companies plague our screens with clever and witty advertisements to entice us. Thankfully, more often than not, we find superhuman strength to resist their powers and only on the odd occasion do they manage to influence us to buy them. I know when the iPad was first advertised I gave in and got one, but usually my will power is pretty strong.
I don't know if you've noticed but more recently, it seems that the more risqué or controversial an advert can be the more successful the product seems to be. The sorts of adverts that are shown that get everyone talking, or the adverts that hit the press because of the number of complaints they've recieved. You probably don't have to think too hard before one pops to your mind that you can think of. And if you are stuck, YouTube has plenty on offer. We've sort of come to accept it for a lot of products, whether its for underwear or other similar products; where initially we were shocked, now it's the done thing.
Having said that, there are some things that, even now, you don't expect to see, and here's where I had my unexpected moment. Now when I ask you to think about butter, flora butter, what do you think of?
Maybe you pictured a big cow in a field with the farmers getting the milk ready to turn into butter? Maybe you think of a family sitting around a table having toast for breakfast? Maybe children in the school hall eating sandwiches? All good ideas, and ideas that I'm sure would make great adverts. However, whilst I was sat watching TV last night, unwinding after a day of work, I witnessed Flora's new advert. Needless to say, the advert was not quite what I expected for the noble butter that we all love and trust. I'm not even going to try and describe what happens, but let you watch for yourself. Here's the clip;
Ummm...speechless. Mummy and daddy wrestling? Ok, so you don't exactly see anything, and it is only a harmless cartoon, but still. Was I taken by surprise.... very much so! Needless to say it's not the first time Flora have made an advert that has been, umm, controversial.
But there's something about us that loves a bit of controversy. This incident is not the first time that something controversial has got us all talking. After all, 'no publicity is bad publicity', and it certainly has people talking about Flora. Job well done I think.
Even from a young age, we learn to know what is wrong and right. It's funny. No-one teaches us to be 'naughty', no one teaches us how to be 'bad', there's just a natural part of us that knows when something is happening that shouldn't be. And yet when we see it, we can't help but be interested in it. How many times have you driven past a broken down car and stopped to help? Truthfully... I never have, but it doesn't stop me from taking an interest in what's happening. Or those times you drive past a car crash. Bad though it may be we can't help but look.
Our TV screens are constantly filled with reality tv shows and documentaries that are always being judged controversial. But does it stop us watching? No way! If anything, it makes us want to watch more. Those times where you think, "This is a bit controversial, I should turn this over" but something inside us doesn't because there's a part in everyone that is intrigued by the controversial things in life.
I suppose one of the best examples is Big Brother. Day in day out, watching peoples lives through a camera, very often doing controversial things, but things that get us all talking. It's perfect TV because all of us want to watch the good and the bad!
The funny thing is, that's life. Life is controversial. The way we say things or do things can very often be controversial. Even for the people in the world who consider themselves "perfect", even they have times where they do things that upset or offend people. Truth is life is filled with controversial moments, but does that put us off? Does life make us simply want to hide under the covers and close our eyes? Do we simply take offence at everything and show our disapproval? Not at all! In fact, if anything, those controversial moments in life make us even more interested in people than we were in the first place.
And so I end with this thought.
Life is filled with moments and people who at times will do things that we accept, and sometimes things that offend. It may not be on purpose, it may not be malicious, it's just the way life is. People are all different. Different ideas. Different backgrounds. Different cultures. Because of that, there are bound to be moments in life where we come up against those controversial moments.
More often than not the people we come into contact with and spend time with regularly will do things that are not controversial to us at all. It's just the norm for us. But there are always times in life when people say or do things which come a little unexpected; things that are a little bit 'controversial'. And what do we do? Instead of embracing peoples differences, and expressing our dislikes at the controversy, we take offence and "turn them off". Cut off contact. Pretend those people aren't there.
Life is a journey. An exciting journey, filled with plenty of unexpected moments. It's also filled with controversial times when we really don't know what the right thing to do is, but that shouldn't put us off life. It shouldn't put us off people. Everyone is unique and bring something different into the world. The fact that there are those controversial moments in life should simply increase our interest in the human race and not cause us to drift apart.
Today in your life, challenge those controversial moments that happen in life. Don't simply take offence by everything and everyone that is different to you, but use these moments to take an interest and love in life. If every roller-coaster was a simple flat track then pretty soon everyone would want to get off. What makes a good roller-coaster are those unexpected drops, loops and turns. So too the same can be said of life.
Life is exciting because of the good things, the happy times, the time of laughter and surprises, but it's also exciting because of the lows, the shocks, the unexpected events and the controversial moments. It's one big roller-coaster of ups and downs. And I wouldn't want to change it for anyone!
So sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Controversy comes and very quickly goes. Life is just like a roller-coaster and no-ones getting off anytime soon!
Bywyd sydd yn byw! - Just living life!
RM
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