Don't Think of an Elephant

Yesterday, a friend lent me his copy of George Lakoff's book don't think of an elephant.  I'm halfway through now, and I've got to say: if you're a progressive/liberal/leftist who cares about US politics at all, you should buy or borrow this book.  And when you're finished with it, pass it on. 

 Even if you care nothing about advancing progressive political ideals in the US, this book is worth a read.  At least it's been for me.  Lakoff opens the book by talking about frames: the basic pictures through which we view our world.  The 'conservatives', he says, are good at using frames to advance their position.  Namely, they frame their arguments in terms of the strict father model (think James Dobson) that the right values.   Members of the left, says Lakoff, and I really identified with this, adhere more to a nurturant parent model (freedom, opportunity, honest two-way communication, etc.).  Unfortunately (in terms of political advancement), we don't use that frame to our advantage.

 So, okay, politics.  Fun to read about but not a passion of mine.  However, everything I read seems to subconsciously come back to this: how can I use this information to become happier?  So I was walking down the street, and my mind was churning as usual, and it hit me: I parent myself (that is ego/self-hate parents 'me') using the strict father model, whereas the values I identify with are all in line with the nurturant parent model.  

 I don't know what this teaches me.  It's not really a new realization, just something I hadn't been actively aware of... So I guess I'll end this entry with no conclusion, and I'll go finish the book--and continue to think.