There is a frequent line I hear, in movies and TV shows. People are always saying, typically while pointing a gun at someone….“You will do ‘such and such’ if you know what’s good for you.”
If you know what is good for you.
Now if you ask me, (and since you are reading this, I take license to say), knowing “what is good for you” can be an extremely difficult challenge.
To begin with, there are so many different things we have to take care of as humans. The physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.
Physical first. Heaven only knows what is good for us and what is not. This changes daily it seems. Study after study changes the things that it said the day before. Coffee is good for you. Now it is not. Eggs cause high cholesterol. Now they are A-OK. Exercise is what you need. But not like that. Get this much sleep per night, or maybe less will do. Eat this. Not that. Whoops. Now we should eat that and not this. As you can see, 9 out of 10 dentists are recommending something. So. Hang on to your blood pressure cuffs. Because salt is good.
And the physical part is the easiest.
The intellectual. The education of the mind. Learning. Fact-finding. Brain-teasing. It seems straight-forward enough. Yet, everything we learn, we understand through a set of individual filters, specific only to each one of us. That is the tricky part. Of course, we try to further our scope of knowledge throughout our lives. But our “facts” are only as good as their sources. Knowing the difference between reliable and disreputable sources is key. For instance, the moon truly, truly, is NOT made out of cheese.
The emotional aspect of our lives can be a sticky-wicket. At least for me. We all know, deep down, where our emotional downfalls lie. Getting to know them, and trying to work them into an agreeable state, can be a great deal of work.
And then, there is the spiritual. Some of us focus a great deal on this. Others, not at all. To each his own, I say. And, IF whatever you do, is growing your spirit in a kind and loving manner, that is a beautiful thing. If it turns you mean, judgmental, and ugly, then perhaps you might consider some introspection. Either way, I don’t ask you to practice mine. Please, don’t ask me to practice yours.
Yes, a tall order, knowing what is good for you.
Sometimes it is hard to know. But I do know this. Every choice we make leaves a mark on the strength or weakness of our spirit. And there are a LOT of choices along the way.
What is good for us? Being on the path to our life work. Taking things one bit at a time. Making ourselves who we are, one step at a time. To live a life that is pointing toward something higher, or kinder, or more fulfilling.
At least, that is what might be good for me.
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“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
― Ernest Hemingway
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“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
― George Bernard Shaw
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“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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