Breathe

What would you see if you were from another country or planet?   You studied English so you understand what it says, but you are not familiar with American culture.  What would you see?

I admit I like post-apocalyptic zombie movies, because I know they are not real.  I enjoyed the campiness of Zombieland.  I felt for Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) craving for Twinkies.  My brain is functional enough to place what I see in Zombieland into the “Entertainment” box, not the “Real Danger” box, so my limbic system a.k.a.paleomammalian brain won’t be activated.  The mayhem in the movie won’t register there as DANGER.

I’ve  spent most of my adult life in NYC.  I’m used to see soldiers in fatigues with big guns in the Grand Central Terminal.  While It shocked me when I first saw them in 2001, now it’s an everyday thing.  It won’t alarm me.

But these images are disturbing.  I know it is an advertizing campaign for a T.V. show.  But “WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T BREATHE” ?   As a massage therapist/believer of integrating body-mind awareness,  I constantly tell people to “BREATHE.”  I once placed postit notes with “BREATHE” on them randomly in my apartment to remind myself to stop and take a mindful breath.

The Grand Central is not the most breathing friendly place on earth.  It’s noisy, stinky, and overstimulating.  Living in Manhattan I have learned how to shut down senses to survive and stay sane.   So we don’t give a darn for those images posted on the walls of subway pathways.  Still this managed to stop me and made me think about it.

So I guess the campaign was successful, though

I rather would like to see a poster reminding me to stop and breathe.

No, I’m not planing to watch the show.