1969: Meditative Relaxation. 2010: Dirty Harry Callahan.

Recently, at a party, we overheard a guy saying: "I remember watching TV and mindlessly eating potato chips. I loved how I used to just veg out."


We all stared into the middle distance, realizing nobody much used the word "veg" anymore.       The guy then said: "Now if I watch, I have my iPhone nearby. If I get email, text, a tweet or a call, I need to answer."


While this guy no longer "vegs" out, the one healthy thing about his new life: he's quit potato chips, fearful of getting his iPhone screen greasy. Vegetarianism, it seems, is gone, at least in this sense of the word.


Nobody in the group could think of a TV show they recently watched front to back without a pause - unless you count pushing the pause button on a DVR.


All of which made us think that the world we currently live in can hardly be called The Age of Relaxation and Quiet Contemplation. The good news is, before the conversation got too depressing, our attention was drawn to another side of the room. A group of guys were comparing Blu-Ray collections.


You read that right. While it sounded like a new version of "Who's the biggest?", when we listened more closely, a starting difference emerged. A guy stated happily: "I come home. I feed the cat. I order Chinese. I then stoke up my Blu-Ray of Dirty Harry." The capper? "I turn off my phone and relax." Everybody nodded, the middle distance this time happily populated by fistfights, car chases and gunfire.


Another guy added, "I like to make it a theme night. If I watch Dirty Harry, I followed up with "Magnum Force". Then "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Yes, he meant all in one night. It sounds nuts but this guy came across as the most supremely relaxed soul we've ever met.


The talk shifted from how many Blu-Ray's they owned to how many times they'd watched these movies. 145 was the lowest number, for "The Godfather II". 257 seemed high - for DeNiro & Pacino in "Heat" - but the guy actually claimed he was probably underestimating.


We felt strangely elated upon hearing this. Perhaps there are still pockets in today's world that include genuine relaxation. Quiet Contemplation might be a stretch, unless you happen to be quietly contemplating if Harry's giant.44 Magnum pulls a little to the left.


Which makes us wonder: does Clint realize he is responsible for lowering the blood pressure of so many men? Should the American Heart Association feature a clip of Clint's famous line: "You gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?" - followed by a serenly relaxed man in his barcolounger easing his troubles away while Harry pulls the trigger on his empty gun - an inch away from a bank robber's ear.


We thought back to earlier times and deep relaxation techniques, Tai Chi and Zen - and we realized that the real question is: who needs a mantra when you've got Dirty Harry Callahan?