“We all have within us a centered place of wisdom,
harmony, and strength.” This is a quote from Arianna Huffington’s latest
book, “Thrive: The Third Metric to redefining Success and Creating a Life of
Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder.”
I’ve caught Arianna on television and have read articles
about her over the years. I am aware she was married to a politician and that
she is of Greek heritage. She has an interesting face and an appealing manner.
She has been a figure on the TV/political scene, so I casually accept her as
part of the culture I involuntarily ingest by virtue of my habitual tuning in
or scrolling. I have found her
entertaining at best, and admire her determination.
In recent years, she has begun to expound on ways by which we
might find our spiritual center and path to peace. I’ve read a few of her
tweets, her little gems of wisdom; as if
she invented wisdom. I’ve read some of
her feel-good essays, and no, I haven’t read “Thrive” yet, but it’s on order.
In the meantime, I’m calling BS on Arianna.
Arianna‘s earlier endeavors included support of the conservative right, She stood up for Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich, then she took a political left turn. She worked in journalism, she’s on the list of the most powerful women in the world; okay, so she’s No. 52. Still . . .
None of these facts makes her a bad person, but Arianna’s
choices and philosophies have been all over the map. And that’s fine, we are
free to change our minds. My observations and instincts tell me that Arianna,
who has amassed great wealth over her years of doing business in the public
forum, now feels she’s in a place where she can encourage us to chillax, as if
we’ve never considered the notion. Put down the iPhone, people. Deep breaths,
everybody, it’s easy. The advice is similar to what author, Shakti Gawain, has
been talking about for 40 years through her books, Living in the Light and
Creative Visualization. I mention Shakti because I’ve been reading her
since the 1980’s. Shakti, though close in age to Arianna, wasn’t tromping
through the media and politics amassing wealth while always at attention, ready
to pounce on the new best thing that might garner special appearances, a book
deal, and workshop gigs.
Arianna casts an appealing persona. She’s written several
books, she truly is a modern-day media power-broker. But
hasn’t Oprah been working the spiritual angle lately, too? Maybe it’s just me,
but I can’t help feeling a little jaded over Arianna’s new crusade, while all
along, women such as Shakti Gawain have been sharing with readers and
work-shoppers what has been known and shared by respected spiritual advisors
for centuries - that wisdom comes from within, that we can find that higher
power in ourselves when we take the time to slow down, pay attention, breathe,
meditate, and extend kindness to the world and ourselves.
Arianna espouses the virtues of putting down your phone to preserve sanity and gain inner peace, but I’m pretty sure the phone served her well on a 24/7 basis as she built her empire.
Okay, so she claims
to have had her moment of reckoning in 2007 when she collapsed; at least she
“gets it” and is aware of when enough is enough. But there are single moms and
hard-working folks out there who can’t afford an iPhone. No need for THEM to
get rid of the constant chatter, that’s easy – already done.
Om
Yoga class for stress reduction? Yeah, if you can afford the
time and money to take a class, but how many women have the time when they work
40 or more hours a week just to pay the bills? The only stretch some women get
is when they kneel down to scrub the bathroom floor, or reach for a grocery off
the top shelf. Arianna may mean well,
but I don’t know if she realizes the existing economic gap that renders her
advice prohibitive to many individuals’ daily infrastructure and that yoga, spa
retreats, the privilege of turning off an iPhone, or even buying a new book are
features that don’t figure into the lives of many.
Arianna is a yogi, by the way. A recent Yoga Journal article
listed five points, which describe her yoga practice. Here’s No. 4 on the list: “She’s created a
new, stress-busting ap!” This ap will
inform you if you’re stressed or not. But oops, the ap is on an iPhone. How on
earth will I be able to check if I’m stressed or not?
For now, I’m going to forget about Arianna because thinking
about her makes me feel cranky. Perhaps a walk, instead.