On Popular Culture

You talk of the many soul-numbing aspects of contemporary life.

Today everyone is time deprived. There's no time to think, so when things happen around us we simply react. Then something else happens, and we react to that also. And because we're tired and distracted much of the time, we resort to living packaged lives. We eat junk food, veg out in front of sitcoms and reality TV - and spend our spare time in wine bars or shopping malls, until we're virtually asleep to the many possibilities available to us. It's only when we step back from these patterns that life comes into focus.

You say that it's all too easy to confuse being busy with leading a purposeful life, but we all have responsibilities.

Sure, we all need to take care of ourselves and our families, but often we become so caught up in these things that we stop living. Human life was never meant to be a grind. Paradoxically when we attain balance in our lives, then we are better able to cope with our daily activities. Then even making a meal, however simple, can be a sacred act.

You warn against concentrating on our woundedness

For too long we have become distracted by all the things that don't work for us. We spend a great deal of time focussing on our woundedness in therapy and in endless conversations with friends. We concentrate on those parts of our lives that aren't working, instead of on those things in our lives that are joyous, that do work. Again it's all about balance.

This connects with your views on popular culture?

When we look around us we see there is much that is dark in popular culture. It has become fashionable to be cynical, to concentrate on those things that are confronting and brutal. We even deprave those things that are sacred in the name of art and sophistication. We cannot criticise others for their violence and blatant disregard for human rights, when we promote violence and dysfunction, and use it for entertainment.

You bemoan the loss of opportunities for personal expression. Why?

We're all very busy, but the reason for our loss of creativity isn't just a question of time. We have all become so self-conscious that we're afraid to be ourselves. Creativity is the voice of that unique part of us that needs articulation. So we don't paint because we might not get exhibited. We don't write because we might not get published. Yet to lead rich, fulfilling lives it's important we immerse ourselves in the things that bring us joy, and that we allow enough room to experience space between our thoughts.

And yet you're still hopeful about the future

The last decade or so has been a bleak experience, where spontaneity and optimism have been in short supply, but the tide is turning. We're tired of the no pain, no gain ways of doing things. We want room in our lives for more fun, more enjoyment, more freedom. We're now seeking those things that are beautiful and nourishing and unusual, because we want our lives to have more texture, more satisfaction.

We see this in the explosion of lifestyle themes in shops and magazines and TV programs. We're also embracing the exotic in everything from food to fabrics. The emphasis on natural products is evident in everything from cosmetics to home furnishings. Meditation and alternative healing have become widely accepted, and organic foods are no longer fringe. In part these trends are a reaction against economic rationalism and mindless consumerism, but they also reflect a desire for a more complete life, that has more beauty and meaning.

You talk about human life being a holographic experience

As our gaze shifts beyond the literal, we enter a rich multi-dimensional world. This isn't make believe - even physicists talk about the universe having up to ten or eleven dimensions. When we understand a piece of music or great work of art, then all the symbolism and nuances become apparent to us, and the same is true of our lives. We can live on a superficial level, or we can choose to go deeper into the human experience and discover all that is apparent there.