The Cafe on the Edge of the World: A Story About the Meaning of Life by John Strelecky

Author:John Strelecky [Strelecky, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-21T14:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

When they reached my table, Mike introduced me to the woman he’d brought over. “John, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Anne.” He looked at Anne, “And this is John. Tonight is his first time at the cafe.”

I stood and Anne and I shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” I said. “I take it from Mike’s introduction that you dine here a lot?”

She smiled, “Every once in a while. It’s one of those places you just kind of find yourself at when you need it most.”

I nodded, “I’m beginning to sense that.”

“John and I were just discussing one of your favorite topics, Anne. I thought perhaps we could bring you in for an expert opinion.”

She laughed, “Well, I’m not sure about the expert part, but I’m rarely short of an opinion. What were you talking about?”

“John was asking why we spend so much of our life preparing for when we can do what we want. Instead of just living that life now.”

“Ah, that is one of my favorite topics,” she said, and laughed again.

Anne’s laugh was infectious, and I liked her immediately. “Please sit down, Anne. It would be great to hear your perspective. Yours too, Mike, if you can spare the time.”

As we all sat down, Mike commented, “Before she begins, you should know a little about Anne. She has an advanced degree from the top marketing school in the world and was a highly acclaimed executive in the advertising world for many years.”

“Wow,” I replied. “That sounds very impressive.”

“Not necessarily,” Anne said and smiled, “but it’s probably important for context.” She paused a moment, looking at me. “John, do you ever watch television, read magazines, browse the web, listen to the radio…. Those kinds of things?”

“Sure,” I replied. “Why?”

“Part of the answer to your question about why we spend so much time preparing to do what we want, instead of just doing it, lies in the messages that are placed in front of us every day,” she said. “You see, advertisers have long known that if you effectively target people’s fears, and their desire to be fulfilled, you can motivate them to do things. If you can play to the right fear, or to the right desire, you can get them to buy specific goods and use particular services.”

I looked at her a little confused, “Can you give me an example?”

She nodded, “Have you ever seen or heard an advertisement where the content focused on enabling you to be happy or secure? Something where the message was, ‘If you have this product, your life will be better?’”

“I suppose so,” I replied.

“It’s usually subtle,” she commented. “Most of the time companies don’t come right out and say it. But when you know what to look for, or when you’ve been involved with creating a lot of advertisements, you see it. The purpose of those messages is to get you to believe that you can achieve fulfillment through a particular product or service.

“For instance, driving this make of automobile will bring meaning to your life.

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