Monday, April 24, 2006

Brands: The new faith?

On B&T Sally Robertson is talking about brands being the new version of religious faith.

It's not the first time I've thought of this. There's definitely a crossover between the general secularisation of society, and businesses trying to fill the gap left behind.

That's why movies like Kingdom of Heaven didn't do well. They're trying to make something epic, something transcendental, yet the core value of that movie is secularism. Honour without God. It just doesn't work - even for viewers who agree in their heads.

I was talking with a new friend on the weekend about my time of questioning and searching in the past few years. I told him a philosophy of agnosticism is attractive because you don't have to worry about whether God exists, what he requires, how he communicates and which holy book is the truth. You just figure out what works for you, and let everyone get on with their lives.

It's so appealing, and so simple. But it's not founded in reality. Truth is, I couldn't stay in that space. I still knew God existed, and it's rude to ignore someone when you know they're right there in the room with you.

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