Message Hits Mainstream

[Sloppy Zhang]

So today my mom was talking about this "awesome" book she heard about on Oprah, but she didn't remember many details. Today I saw the article on it here: Oprah's Epiphany

 

It's about dieting, but to me seems there's some alternate spiritual views and some feel good concepts applied to food, for example:

 

"So you're not talking about god in the religious sense?" Oprah asked.

 

"I'm talking about wonder, mystery and possibility," Roth said. "What a mother feels ... when her kid is born, miracles, or the feeling that you have in nature."

 

Here's where Oprah's epiphany comes in: Your relationship with food and your relationship with whatever is going on in your life; the goodness that you feel and the alignment that you feel (when things are working out well for yourself) is in direct proportion to how close you are to what Roth calls god. Your disconnection from the center of yourself is the reason for all of your problems, including the problem with food.

 

Oprah continued to read an excerpt from "Women Food and God," the book that changed her life: "We turn to food when we are not hungry because we are hungry for something we cannot name. A connection to what is beyond the concerns of daily life, something sacred. But replacing the hunger for a divine connection with Double Stuf Oreos is like giving a glass of sand to a person who's dying of thirst."

 

The more you recognize your inner problems, anxiety or discomfort, the better your relationship will be not only with food but of course with your soul. You'll be happier, and the weight will fall off more naturally.

 

I smile at it because some parts seem kind of cheesy, and messages like these have been around for a long time, and only just now hitting the mainstream, and everyone thinks it's some "groundbreaking discovery" or revelation on a Biblical scale.

 

But then I remember that, well, not a lot of people are exposed to beliefs like this. Not a lot of people take an integrative view between the psychology of self esteem, physical aspects of addiction and food habits, societal messages, and spirituality.

 

So even though I'm rolling my eyes at the over-the-top-ness of the mainstream media, I am glad that more and more people are getting the message, and my mom has been telling my whole family about this, even though I've been trying to introduce her to some of these ideas for the past year. Oh well, long as she gets the message from somewhere, right?

Edited May 13, 2010 by Sloppy Zhang

[Vajrahridaya]

Oh well, long as she gets the message from somewhere, right?

 

Everyone has their process of progress.

[RyanO]

I'm not the biggest Oprah fan but I like her general message. She's a little cultish at times. I also wish she would just admit she's not a Christian!

 

Oprah Winfrey Believes Many Paths to Heaven

[Guest paul walter]

It's about dieting, but to me seems there's some alternate spiritual views and some feel good concepts applied to food, for example.

 

I smile at it because some parts seem kind of cheesy, and messages like these have been around for a long time, and only just now hitting the mainstream, and everyone thinks it's some "groundbreaking discovery" or revelation on a Biblical scale.

 

 

No you're wrong to be cynical--'spiritual Oprah' is the new black. If she can do for matters of spirit what she has done for dieting then we can expect to be exposed some rather bloated concepts. See her "interview" with the Dalai Lama for a bit of a giggle-my favourite bit is when he says "That is a stupid question!" to her and she tries to compose herself. .