The Anti ‘Norman Rockwell’ Society
Norman Rockwell — the classic American painter captured the essence of ordinary people, and their ordinary wishes — a simple family life, a picturesque setting, a quaint small-town community with happy people. Real people with believable families. Most included families sitting someplace, and the iconic one is ‘Freedom from Want’ (1943), where a family gathers around a full dinner table at Thanksgiving. We all unconsciously wish for that life — a freedom from ‘want’.
Most parents I know work night and day, wanting to diligently provide for their children, give them the best they can do, the best their paychecks can buy, the choicest education, the best possible opportunities and so on. A leg up in the world — for their careers and personal lives. Admirable. Noble.
But what if I told you, that whatever they are working towards, slogging, meeting deadlines, and working on their own performance evaluations for their next bonus — that it was was not good enough?
What if I told you that it did not matter what they did or how much income they pulled in?
How would they feel if I said their many homes owned or culturally enriching vacations taken don’t amount to a richer life?
Does their frequency of visits to religious institutions of choice eventually matter?