Two and a half years ago, Matthew McCounaghey, like many others during the pandemic, wrote an autobiography: “Greenlight – The art of running downhill”. I read it and three million people with me. His voice, relaxed, amused, at times brutally honest, was heard loud and clear, as was his philosophy of life, that of green lights of the title: the universe shows us the way with green or red lights. Through long-distance peeing contests, or erotic dreams with a metaphysical content, the actor had understood that every success or failure is sent to us to learn something. A philosophy distilled in simple sentences, such as those on bumper stickers– motivational bumper stickers that McCounaghey admits to collecting; which made him a New York Times bestselling author for 65 weeks and which, at the time, helped mount what appeared to be the preliminary stage of his run for governor of Texas. However, nothing more was done about politics: McCounaghey had other plans.
The Art of Living: who are McCounaghey’s acolytes
A massive marketing campaign got them to me too. “Join Matthew McCounaghey and other speakers in an epoch-making event: The Art of Livin’ “ Written as it is pronounced, informally, without the final g. On the other hand, McCounaghey does not evoke formalities, if anything strip tease a la Magic Mike or cathartic verses while beating the chest in The Wolf of Wall Street. I join: let’s see how the well-deserved Oscar award for The Dallas Buyers Clubcan teach me to live.
Registration is free. it involves two things: the first is a continuous flow of emails from the “McCounaghey team” urging me not to miss it. Pretend you paid $10,000 for this event! Don’t miss it! Block at least 4 hours! The second is redirecting to a Facebook group. I sign up there too. I want to see who’s there. Members of the group, McCounaghey’s acolytes, post copiously: They’re 60, divorced, looking for a fresh start; they are 50 years old, they want to move on after a life of alcoholism, abuse, after an illness, after being fired; they are 70 years old, want to live in a camper, settle down with their children and grandchildren; they are 55 years old they realize they have lost decades behind the corporate rat racecareer race.
The 10 rules of life according to McCounaghey.
Finally, it’s seven in the evening on Monday: it’s the time, for Italy, in which the live youtube of the event will begin. McCounaghey, introduced as an opinion leader and a man who has kept a diary for 30 years, appears in faded jeans and untucked shirt, in a studio that has as background, alternatively, a perpetual sunset in the desert or the gallery of faces of the spectators who paid the most to access the event via zoom. She plays the bongos, moves back and forth and talks, to herself. The artificial traces of laughter and applause and the live chat of the YouTube viewers that he often consults keep him company. What is he doing here? He clarifies, partially at his entrance: after the book people wanted to know more from him, like tell if a traffic light is red, yellow green. And behold, says he, that he’s here to do it, though he himself doesn’t always get an A in the things he preaches.
With this word: preach, the feeling that True Detective you are giving yourself to teleevangelism is strengthened. The setting, for those accustomed to American mega-churches, closely resembles him, as does the vehemence, apparent honesty with which he addresses his congregation. “Admit!” He screams at the void, that is at the network: “What do you want less in your life and what do you want more?” The chat box fills up with confessions: i want a richer life, i want more happiness, i want to be a better mother, a better husband. THE matthew mccounaghisty anonymous confess. He listens to them. The flow of comments is impressive, viewers reach five hundred thousand.
Beware of white lies!
For two hours the actor, with the stage presence we know him, rattles off his decalogue. 10 simple points aimed at personal growth and improvement. It would be what the self-help sector is in bookstores, even if this word is never said. Metaphors are more direct. “Our greatest strength may be your greatest weakness!- Warns the former king of romantic comedies- For example? My strength is resilience: that if I run and step on a poop, I won’t stop! I’m resilient I keep running! And I keep stepping on the same poop!” As he rattles off his commandments: beware of white lies! Impostor syndrome is what’s holding you back! Look your fears in the eye! McCounaghey alternates with the bongos and reads a few sentences inspired by his own diaries
The road to abundance has a price
It’s the road tripthe high road to the blackberries, more in our life. I admit that the all-American-Calvinist vision according to which God or the universe, McCounaghey alternates them, in order not to offend anyone, has reserved for us abundance, wealth, more, catches the eye of those who come from the moral sacrifice and penance. In this new gospel of Hollywood self-realization, the transition from moreover to the How much it is not only natural but necessary. It’s not up to the Texan actor to talk about it, but to one of his associates: Dean Graziosi, motivational speaker and in turn partner of the more famous Tony Robbins, the coaching guru: the one who, say, worked with Clinton or DiCaprio. In short, this Dean Graziosi pulls out a power point made up of figures: the road to our most could cost 4000 dollars. Then with a teleshopping masterstroke, he discounts it to $397. What’s four hundred bucks for a course with McCounaghey, a workbook, and a breakthrough in life?
Two hundred thousand viewers leave you tube. But first they comment: for them it’s a lot of money, they’re disappointed, they didn’t think it was teleshopping. And to say that there was talk of trust and feelings. But another two hundred thousand remain. They will be there when, from an exotic location, Tony Robbins reminds us of his 130 companies, his consulting fees of one million dollars a time, and his fortune that began 48 years ago with a course like this, costing what it would be today just 400 dollars. When, in this rotation of speakers and telemarketers, McCounaghey returns to the stage and the group of speakers gathers for the final hugs it is only a matter of congratulating each other in the unchanged virtual sunset. Surely behind the scenes the mathematics of subscriptions will have recorded a millionaire profit. Green light: the universe loves us.
Source-tg24.sky.it