Wellmania

Ah. The things we do to get peace and serenity. In many ways Brigid's account was hilarious, but I ultimately found it sad. Because in the end, all that fasting, yoga, meditating and screaming in the bush at a campfire doesn't bring the results we hope: Peace with yourself.

And it's almost tragic to see those in the affluent West flailing about, flocking from one guru to the next, paying wads of cash to achieve “wellness” through a series of navel-gazing activities while half the world is just struggling to feed themselves and stay alive. What an unbalanced world we live in! But that's the price of modernity. While we've managed to achieve many things to ensure life is smoother, we've somehow lost a vital part of us.

And the sad thing is we're trying to buy it back.

As the author said: “Pay $2000 to go on retreat, and meaning, spirituality and community will be sold to you. You'll feel great for a week ... (but) there's little possibility or means of integrating what you've learnt into your daily life.”

“At home there may be no community waiting, no place to visit to get that sense of higher meaning, no one willing to dive below the surface with you, and so you go back to that empty feeling until you go online and book another retreat - and the cycle starts anew.”

In the end Brigid said that while the wellness industry had noble intentions, it had caused people to turn “lethally” inward. It's time to ditch indvidualism for collectivism.

“We've had years of looking after ourselves. Now it's time to look after each other.”