Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love was released in 2006 and every middle-aged woman and young traveling female went absolutely bonkers. This book became the ultimate guide for finding ourselves and for getting down to the core of our being. However, what is the real reason that women, men, and young teenagers alike are so obsessed with this traveling tale?
The answer is actually incredibly simple: this book defines the three things that can lead to irrevocable happiness. What I mean to say is that this book defines the three things that make us happy, without money, glamour, or any other nonsense that gets in the way.
It may be simple to say that food makes us happy, but it really does. Whether it be a good pizza or a good curry, food is the simple thing that brings everyone together. Yes, you can have different tastes in food, but if it’s something that everyone is enjoying, it’s hard not to throw a party. Also, the simplest foods, that are made out of plants and things from the Earth, can offer just as much enjoyment, probably even more enjoyment than things that are overly processed. Your delicious salad will actually cause you WAY less anxiety than those McDonald’s fries.
Prayer is actually a difficult one to talk about. Every religion is different, but at the crux of it, it’s just an explanation for happiness and existence. Every single religion explains how to live a happy life and how to make your own life happier. However, the Hindu mantras that Elizabeth discusses in her book are used for self-awareness and meditation. This form of meditation helps her realize what she wants in her life, and that is appealing to the reader. What readers should realize is that no matter what you are doing, yoga or working, you have to take time for yourself and exercise the brain. This want to free the mind from work and our sometimes harsh realities, is what the novel represented. Women and men have identified her prayerful journey in India as a mental escape and a reminder that we are not controlled by the constraints of modern society.
Finally, the love part of the book. This part makes it really easy to understand why people are so into this memoir. The best line that explains this is when a medicine man Ketut states, “Sometimes you have to lose balance for love.” In our lives it’s easy to forget that we’re living. Everyone wants to make money, get drunk with our friends, have that perfect Instagram filter, but most of the time we are not truly living. We’re not losing our balance, which could include money, time, or being comfortable. We get so attached to these material things, that we forget in the end it’s about the experiences, not the money along the way. We want so badly to live, that we forget to get rid of our baggage.
We’re not taking the right chances.
The real reason that we love the idea of this memoir is that she took an emotional chance. A strong female got up and found love by taking a chance. She left a loveless marriage and a great job to go write a travel memoir about prayer. It’s something that is so opposite of the role that women are supposed to play, and it worked out in her favor. She took the chance that we all want and it paid off. So what are you waiting for?
Featured Image via Eat, Pray, Love Screengrab
