May 2, 2018
Come with me back in time to a real-life mystery where life imitates art. Unlike poor Jack Hare, you have multiple opportunities every day to reclaim your life from binge eating, sugar addiction and compulsive eating. Find out how here...
*Quote Of The Week*
Life doesn’t happen to you – it happens through you – Joan Sotkin
In 1979, the UK - and other parts of the world - was obsessed by treasure. Specifically one golden hare buried somewhere in Britain. The clues to find it were hidden in a fantastically beautiful, subtly complex children's book called Masquerade. The book - and indeed the controversy surrounding the actual treasure hunt - offers us a number of valuable lessons to help us reclaim our lives from food. In this unashamedly fangirl fest of an episode, I tell you what they are.
Lesson 1 - Things Are Never What They Seem
Apart from the obvious look for the hare hidden in every picture aspect of this, there is a very poignant and still highly relevant commentary on physical confidence.
Lesson 2 - Guard Against Instant Gratification
Things fall apart for the moon when she stays behind to watch the progress of Jack Hare on his journey to deliver her gift to the sun. Hear what this can tell us about our own change stories. We need to allow our new behaviour time to take effect in the form of the results we crave.
Lesson 3 - We Are All Susceptible To Cognitive Dissonance
Tens of thousands of letters from Masqueraders have convinced me that the human mind has an equal capacity for pattern-matching and self-deception. While some addicts were busy cooking the riddle, others were more single-mindedly continuing their own pursuit of the hare quite regardless of the news that it had been found. Their own theories had come to seem so convincing that no exterior evidence could refute them. These most determined of Masqueraders may grudgingly have accepted that a hare of some sort was dug up at Ampthill, but they believed there would be another hare, or a better solution, awaiting them at their favourite spot. Kit would expect them to continue undismayed by the much publicised diversion at Ampthill and would be looking forward to the day when he would greet them as the real discoverers of the real puzzle of Masquerade. Optimistic expeditions were still setting out, with shovels and maps, throughout the summer of 1982.
~ From Bamber Gascoine's Quest For The Golden Hare
The shame that so may compulsive eaters feel means that they are often liable to be blind to the fact that a particular diet etc may not be working at all. Watch out for pleasure deprivation which will create a backlash if you are not careful.
Lesson 4 - Watch Out For Goal Obsession
The irony of goal achievement is that behaviour is what you should focus on to achieve your goal, not a ever-constant stream of nice neat linear smooth results. Unlike poor Jack Hare, who loses the amulet on his journey, you have multiple opportunities every day to reclaim your life from food.
RESOURCES
All the pictures from Masquerade and a lengthy discussion of the book can be found at http://bunnyears.net/kitwilliams/
I am indebted to Paul Slade for his very detailed account of the real-life treasure hunt, which you can read here: http://www.planetslade.com/masquerade.html
Bamber Gascoine's Quest For The Golden Hare: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1176887.Quest_for_the_Golden_Hare
Episode 29: Better Than Willpower: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-better-than-willpower-ec29/
Episode 26: Real and Fake Pleasure: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-real-vs-fake-pleasure/
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