Of course, you are. After all, in 1984 Madonna declared that:
"You know that we are living in a material world; And I am a material girl"
Sometimes, profound truth is uttered by pop stars in the form of song lyrics that are put music which resonate through the culture for years and years.
Or, is it truth?
Approximately ten years earlier, Buddhist author Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in his book entitled, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialsm shared teachings on what he referred to as “the Three Lords of Materialism": 1) The Lord of Form, 2) the Lord
of Speech, and 3) the
Lord of Mind. On a very basic level, these aspects of materialism deal with the challenges
of everyday life: fulfilling one’s needs for food and shelter, as well as intellectual and spiritual sustenance. Taken to an extreme level, these "Lords" enslave us.
As a trained materials scientist, I am keenly aware that modern physics teaches that matter is energy and energy is matter (Einstein). I am also aware that the material world we perceive as people, places, and things is more akin to the vibrations of particles (or waves) dancing to the orchestra of form (quantum physics).
So, when you get a little caught up, or hooked by Three Lords, it may be helpful to recall Matthew 6:19-21:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.”
In the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, the
Captain of Road Prison 36 (played by Strother Martin in a memorable
performance) explains to Luke (Paul Newman) upon his arrival at the
prison that, “You run one time, you got yourself a set of chains. You
run twice you got yourself two sets. You ain't gonna need no third set,
'cause you gonna get your mind right.” The implication is clear; either
conform to prison life on the chain gang--or else.
Off the silver screen, “gettin’ your mind right” is a somewhat different matter. As we
mature our ego tends to strengthen and our mind can become muddied like
the waters of a southern bayou. From this perspective it is often
difficult to see clearly and we lose our way. In so doing we
sometimes forget our connection to the Universal Mind, or “Infinite Intelligence” (as it was referred to by Napoleon Hill).
You know the feelings: confusion, disorientation, and general uncertainty.
Can anything good be accomplished when the mind
is in such a state?
During times of
“muddled mind,” it can be helpful to recall what it was like to be
a child. In my home, we refer this to being like the "Goo" (our 8-year old daughter). In Zen Buddhism this state of mind is referred to as Shoshin
or “Beginners Mind.” Shunryu Suzuki succinctly explained this approach
in one of his talks which was compiled in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind . He said, “In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.”
Along
similar lines, in the Christian tradition we have the parable of Jesus
and the little children. The Apostle Mark describes a scene in which
“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his
hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he
was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and
do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a
little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms,
placed his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10: 13-16)
In the words of Dragline (George Kennedy) describing
Luke’s death to his prison mates at the end of Cool Hand Luke,
“He was smiling. That's right. You know, that, that Luke smile of his.
He had it on his face right to the very end. That old Luke smile. Oh,
Luke. He was some boy.”
So how are you going to get YOUR mind right?
Sometimes, profound truth is uttered by pop stars in the form of song lyrics that are put music which resonate through the culture for years and years. 
