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Everyday Theology: Money can’t buy me love

"Sometimes we need to be distracted, but let’s not forget that “man does not live on bread alone.”

The Super Bowl is the biggest night in the year for advertisers, and with many companies releasing the commercials online before game day the commercials create a buzz that is hard to ignore. Since most Super Bowl commercials are not broadcast in Canada during the game, I watched them ahead of time online.

The Hyundai “First Date” commercial was pretty sweet. The Heinz “Weiner Stampede” was clever and funny. “Avos in Space”, advertising Mexican avocados, was so weird that it came close to poisoning one of my favorite foods. And, the “Monkey Puppy Baby” Mountain Dew commercial was just plain creepy.

But whatever the content or its appeal, the purpose of the Super Bowl commercials, like other commercials, is to imprint a product on our mind and harness our purchasing power. The commercials market to our desires. They would have us believe that we can calm our restlessness with things, and that consumption is the font of happiness.

So as “we’re lookin’ for love in all the wrong places/ lookin’ for love in too many faces”, we get caught up in the culture’s subliminal messages. A tummy full of beer and fast food will satisfy our hunger. A shiny new vehicle will satisfy our longing for status, love, power or adventure. Investing our money will guarantee security. Drive the right vehicle, grow your net worth, eat, drink and be merry.

I’m not knocking the importance of all of the above. It’s common sense that we need some material security if we are to support our selves and our families, and at the same time, look to the needs of others. But, possessions and wealth do not guarantee happiness; “money can’t buy me love”.

Apart from the commercials mentioned above, one stood out for me because it hinted at a different sort of longing.

The Colgate “Every Drop Counts” commercial addressed North American water consumption. According to Colgate, when we leave the tap running as we brush our teeth, we use “more water than many people around the world have in a week”.

While this commercial may sway us towards Colgate toothpaste, it is more likely to make us think about the ways we use and waste water. The commercial stokes our sense of social justice and touches on our concern for the environment. It challenges us to change our habits, and, in theological speak, “to be in solidarity” with the poor.

After watching the Super Bowl commercials online, I found myself returning, as I frequently do, to the words of Saint Augustine. Augustine searched for years for something that would give meaning to his life; he even tried the distraction of the Roman Empire’s bread and circuses. Reflecting back on his life, he wrote, “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you.”

The Super Bowl experience is its own form of bread and circuses, with its commercials playing a part in distracting us from the realities of the day. Sometimes we need to be distracted, but let’s not forget that “man does not live on bread alone.” There are some things that money cannot buy.

Trail BC resident Louise McEwan is a freelance writer with degrees in English and Theology. Her blog is www.faithcolouredglasses.blogspot.com. Contact her at mcewan.lou@gmail.com