Merriam Webster online has this to say about wholesome: promoting health or well-being of mind or spirit. 2 : promoting health of body. 3a : sound in body, mind, or morals. b : having the simple health or vigor of normal domesticity. That is a reasonable starting point for today's topic. Think Shirley Temple. She was a rarity in that not only did she play wholesome characters, she was wholesome in reality as well. Clean cut and innocent - a rare combination. Even rarer today then in yesteryear. Interestingly enough,several male wholesome types were not so innocent - guys like Tab Hunter, James Dean and others as their images were fabrication of movie studios.
I started this little ditty with entertainers for a simple reason - we in our society love to emulate the characters our entertainers become. That begs the question - does emulating wholesomeness - be it real or fake - actually make one wholesome? I say if the net result is someone who embodies the traits of wholesomeness, then they certainly should be considered wholesome. Hannah Montana was an example of a wholesome young lady but I doubt anyone would make that statement about her portrayer - Miley Cyrus. And if the envelope continues to be pushed will wholesomeness even survive? Yes - within the cultural norms wholesomeness will survive.
Ah yes - it is all so confusing. Every culture has its own definition of wholesomeness. That variety makes it like comparing apples to oranges but the core of the definition - promoting a healthy mind, spirit and morality makes it possible to find wholesomeness in any culture. As one ages and hopefully matures, the definition should still apply to that culture although I'd say mature wholesomeness is a bit different from youthful wholesomeness.
This group of kids look like a fairly wholesome group - in fact they look a lot like my neighborhood friends back in my youth in Hayward CA, where we literally spent every summer day heading off en masse to a ball field or vacant lot. Were we more wholesome than my friend Vicky who spent her youth driving quarter midget race cars at Kennedy Park? Of course not. Oh, and by the way - she won a bunch of races and grew up to be an exceptional glass artist. Vicki Lee Glass Art So, you see, there is much that can be used to define wholesomeness. It might change from generation to generation - no doubt the Millennials of today hold a different standard for wholesomeness than do we aging Baby Boomers.
Hope means different things to different people, and is the state of mind that believes and desires a positive outcome to situations in your life. Hope is the feeling that things will turn out for the best. Hope consistently looks forward to that positive outcome to something planned in life.
So how does hope relate to wholesomeness? Simply stated, wholesomeness relates to things that make you feel better so hope is a natural contributor to wholesomeness. There is some legitimate debate I suppose over there is hope without faith but that is a topic for another time. To spend your time doing things that offer you hope is a simple prescription for your wholesomeness.
My prescription for your wholesomeness today are not surprisingly musical
On those harmonious notes I will remind you to please visit the other members of the 5-on-1 team to see what they have to say about this week's topic, chosen by Sanjana. Ramana, Padmum, Sanjana & Conrad
See ya next week, same shack time and same shack channel.
Wow...I am flattered to be mentioned in your article. Hugs..!!
ReplyDeleteI like your question of whether wholesome portrayed by an un-wholesome actor is still wholesome and I agree that the image, the cultural icon fosters that which is wholesome in the audience. Wholesome getting a start in our minds is good. As long as it is not just another act masking bigotry.
ReplyDeleteOf course often the bigotry is intentionally well masked and very hard to discover
DeleteI am yet to read Sanjana's take on the subject but, you, Fossil and Padmum have gone on nostalgic trips to talk about wholesomeness. Do I take it then that there is no wholesomeness in our senior years?
ReplyDeletethe definition should still apply to that culture although I'd say mature wholesomeness is a bit different from youthful wholesomeness.
DeleteIt exists, just a more mature version - not easily swayed by stardom, etc in y case it centers on usic
Enjoyed your take... Stars have always been looked up to... I think the one person who made you land with a thud into the quagmire of reality was Woody Allen... Followed by Bill Cosby.
ReplyDeleteWe all need some whole and a lot of hope, don't we!
Bless you.