Who Says I'm A Mess?

On a recent walk in our little town of Freeport, I was stunned to see a brand new, pretty big -- dare I say huge -- sign posted in the parking lot of the CVS pharmacy hawking vaccines for Covid and the flu. For free, and no appointments necessary. Walk-ins welcome, just come on down!

WTF? According to the CDC, the latest Covid vaccine  offers protection for "a couple of months." Then what? Should we get another one? And then another? Who is benefitting, and who made that sign?

Everywhere you look there are reminders that we are simply not good enough without some help. Unseen forces push products aimed at fixing our bodies and our minds. One popular example is the drug Prevagen. What started as an FDA-approved aid for people diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's and experiencing memory loss is now targeted at any and all "cognitively normal" adults who want a "sharper mind" and "clearer thinking." And really, who among us doesn't want that? Sounds good to me!

BTW, you have to take Prevagen for three months before you realize improvements in cognitive function ..... maybe. A report by Forbes states, "There are no peer-reviewed, independent, clinical studies available to support the health claims made directly by the makers of Prevagen regarding the product’s efficacy. "

Even if your parents told you that you were perfect in every way, that you were made in God's image, and that they wouldn't change a thing about you, as an adult the overriding message we all receive is that we need a drug, or a hearing aid, or a muscle relaxer, or a laxative, or a sleep aid, or a probiotic, or a vitamin supplement just to make it through the day. And that's if we are healthy.

I like what my parents told me better.