We can’t go outside because the sun gives us cancer. We can’t stay inside because the dust gives us cancer. You can’t eat butter because it’s fat and salty. You should eat butter because it’s natural and contains nutrients. You can’t eat eggs because of the cholesterol. You should eat eggs for the protein. You should run every day to strengthen your heart and tone your muscles. You shouldn’t run because it’s bad for your joints. So use a low impact exercise machine? No thanks, heavy breathing of indoor air is bad for you (dust). That said, breathing outdoor air is bad for you too (pollution). I’ve heard bad reports about just about every type of food, beverage, activity, location, and even medicine out there.
I’m of the theory that I just would rather live my life not stressed about these things. I understand the need of some people to be careful of the products they use because of potential toxic influences, but that’s not me. I don’t go seeking harmful chemical either, but let me put it this way…
I personally don’t care about all these contradictions, and I just do what I feel comfortable with. I’m not trying to convince anyone to do the same, but rather just expressing my opinion. We can’t live in a cocoon our whole lives protected from the elements of the world, and even if we could, that’s not the kind of life I’d want. I take notice and add to my awareness these kinds of reports, and I might find that it subconsciously affects my behaviour, but I don’t stress about it.
Thoughts?
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3 comments:
I am a HUGE believer in "moderation in all things". You get to actually live a life that way :)
The first family I nannied for was insane about stuff like this! The mother had a bottle of liquid hand sanitizer on a table right by the door so that as soon as someone came in, they had to use it! If you so much as coughed once, she would ban you from interacting with the kids! She also wouldn't use bug repellent on her kids because of the "dangers" of DEET. And the list of food the kids couldn't eat was long! No tuna because of the mercury, no candy because of the food colouring. Only organic food. No cow's milk...only soy or rice milk (no hormones in them!).
Everything causes cancer or high cholesterol or diabetes. I agree with the previous comment: moderation in all things. We have become a gluttoness and lazy society. I think that is why there are so many "bad reports about just about" everything. We are always looking for a quick fix; something that will make life easier and allow us to live longer and be healthy. The old stand-bys (exercise, eating right, moderation) are no longer acceptable because they require WORK on our part. All these things that are supposed to make our life easier have actually made it harder.
Great post, Ben!
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