Hey John, I must tell you I look forward to every one of your posts, finding them a welcome addition to my reading selections. You are my go-to voice for common sense advice, observations, and opinions. You bring up important points in today's post. Specifically, this idea that no one should have to take responsibility for their personal circumstances, but instead everyone else must accommodate their weaknesses, lack of ability, bad choices, or anything else, leads to nothing but personal failure, self-disgust, and psychological pain. There is no criticism that is harsher than one's own.
Thank you for making salient and factual points about this subject. Speaking personally, I've always been weight conscious, almost to the point of obsession, forcing my natural set point to adhere to my idea of beauty rather than reaching equilibrium through healthy choices such as good quality food consumed in moderation, daily moderate exercise, 7 to 8 hrs. sleep per night in optimum conditions, and balance between work and personal pursuits to allow my body to be at its healthiest weight. Instead for at least 25 years, I deprived myself of good nutrition and exercised too hard in an all-consuming effort to achieve a body weight that did not match my natural set point. Did I do that to adhere to an artificially imposed standard, or for my own standard of acceptability. Honestly, the latter was my motivation, but certainly I was influenced by the impossible and artificial examples I saw in magazines and on t.v. or movies.
Our culture is consumed with appearance, and judgy about it, too, which can lead to unhealthy extremes, but finally it just comes down to having a larger purpose in life beyond external appearance. Work that engages and inspires you, people you care about and who care about you, and peaceful contentment will most likely take the focus off food. As Matt Walsh pointed out, a beautiful package around a poisonous interior is not a win-win.
Hey John, I must tell you I look forward to every one of your posts, finding them a welcome addition to my reading selections. You are my go-to voice for common sense advice, observations, and opinions. You bring up important points in today's post. Specifically, this idea that no one should have to take responsibility for their personal circumstances, but instead everyone else must accommodate their weaknesses, lack of ability, bad choices, or anything else, leads to nothing but personal failure, self-disgust, and psychological pain. There is no criticism that is harsher than one's own.
Thank you for making salient and factual points about this subject. Speaking personally, I've always been weight conscious, almost to the point of obsession, forcing my natural set point to adhere to my idea of beauty rather than reaching equilibrium through healthy choices such as good quality food consumed in moderation, daily moderate exercise, 7 to 8 hrs. sleep per night in optimum conditions, and balance between work and personal pursuits to allow my body to be at its healthiest weight. Instead for at least 25 years, I deprived myself of good nutrition and exercised too hard in an all-consuming effort to achieve a body weight that did not match my natural set point. Did I do that to adhere to an artificially imposed standard, or for my own standard of acceptability. Honestly, the latter was my motivation, but certainly I was influenced by the impossible and artificial examples I saw in magazines and on t.v. or movies.
Our culture is consumed with appearance, and judgy about it, too, which can lead to unhealthy extremes, but finally it just comes down to having a larger purpose in life beyond external appearance. Work that engages and inspires you, people you care about and who care about you, and peaceful contentment will most likely take the focus off food. As Matt Walsh pointed out, a beautiful package around a poisonous interior is not a win-win.