I was in Orlando over the New Year’s holiday. It’s not really a city; it’s a Disney everything. If you are a healthy eater, this is no place for you. There are more fast food and unhealthy eating places than Mickey could shake his wand at. The weekend was packed with swarms of people from all over the world, lapping up the dream of Happy Ever After. Disney is synonymous with innocent morality stories and fluffy rodents singing songs of joy and happiness. There is no doubt that Disney has entertained the masses for many years with great success. But if you take a closer look, you would see that Uncle Walt has embedded more lies and untruths leading the world astray. We are programmed by Disney to believe it will all turn out “happily ever after” and that it’s all just a fairytale.
Let’s take a look at poor Pocahontas. She was most likely traumatized because of the white folks killing her tribe, and the Genocide of Native Americas and, then, John Smith – if that’s his real name – abducted her when she was only ten years old. There was no romance; he would have been considered a pedophile in today’s world. But I imagine there were many happy endings for John. According to the Disney story, everyone lives happily ever after. There was no reality to this fable. Ninety percent of the indigenous people in America was wiped out by a combination of disease and genocide of crazed religious settlers, believing their actions justified by the idea of “manifest destiny.” Those who survived are still subjected to poor living conditions and servitude to the land-grabbing Europeans, who subsequently became Americans.
When I was visiting Disney World, I didn’t see any fat princes at the park. All the women and men are portrayed as slender, handsome, beautiful and in perfect health. Giving us just what we always wanted – the illusion that life is just a bowl of cherries. “Prince Charming,” that good-looking, arrogant, privileged, wealthy guy who felt he was entitled to save the poor victim, Snow White, by giving her a kiss. Or do you think, in the real world, he would have made more aggressive advances? What about if he was a poor, fat guy? Would Snow White and Sleeping Beauty wake up screaming, and say they were harassed?
I was with one of my friends, and she was telling me that she was brought up with a feeling of entitlement and that she was trying to root this feeling out of her psyche once and for all. If you are a Disney fan, this sense of entitlement amongst central characters is consistent in almost everything you see. The “Prince Charming” characters are so valued for their wealth and power that they can get away with basically anything. Just like some of today’s powerful and lustful politicians. Disney shows villains as physically unattractive, encouraging you to associate them with evil. The bottom line – attractiveness is synonymous with both morality and happiness.
In “Beauty and the Beast,” even the ugly Beast transforms back into a handsome stud, allowing for another “Happily Ever After.” There are many examples that teach us how to discriminate between races. The crows in the “Dumbo” movie, for instance, depicts racism against African Americans. The Chinese cat from “The Aristocat” who sings about fortune cookies is a racism slur directed to stereotype Asians. The cat has slanted eyes, breaks out into playing the piano with chopsticks, and has a strong “Asian” accent. Disney characters are covert, somewhat harsh, and racist. Not a model for health and happiness, mentally or physically. Haha, you say, it’s all fun the American way.
On the other hand, the Asian cultures offer a different view. Asian people are known all over the world for their strong cultural values and intelligent minds. I have been involved in the studies of many Asian practices and customs for many years and have noticed that Asian families have much more respect for their ancestors and elderly. There is a big difference between the two cultures and even the way we exercise. In the West, we weight-lift to get strength and look better physically. In the Asian exercises, like Qi gong and Tai Chi, the exercises are more for flexibility and longevity. The emphasis is quite different and will dictate your internal power and the quality of your life. You don’t see many old, buffed guys, but there are many older Asian masters who are flexible, agile and sexually strong into their later years.
Where do you want to be? A Charming Prince who lives in a fairytale, or a Powerhouse of personal freedom and power in life? Start building on your internal power now and get a copy of the Recharging Qigong program today http://rechargingqigong.com/products/recharging-qi-gong/.
I wish you the best in your Health, Wealth and Happiness.
Dr. Wu Dhi
