Sustainable living

Random thought of the day:

Neal A. Maxwell said, "To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!"

When I first read that, I wondered what it meant.

Now I'm realizing that, at least in part, he's saying that God is teaching us how to live the way that he lives: sustainably. Eternally. To build relationships and communities instead of destroying them, and to improve our environment instead of neglecting it.

Also, to care for our own bodies instead of abusing them.

Over the last few years, my wife and I have served a handful of people who have brought most of their health problems onto themselves--

These people seemed to have an antagonistic relationship with their bodies. They'd punish their bodies, and soon their bodies would punish them back. They'd dump various stimulants/chemicals into their stomachs and lungs and eyes, all for a temporary rise, somehow blind to the fact that they were simply building their own torture chamber. Lung/throat cancer, liver disease, nerve damage, insomnia, heart problems, kidney failure, obesity, loneliness, anxiety ...

In exchange for a few short years of exhilaration, their body soon became a torture device. Their diagnosis revealed the instrument, and also the duration, often interminable. And they can't escape. Worse, their only relief is so often more of the very thing that caused the problem in the first place.

Human bodies are prone enough to illness and disease even with careful living, why would someone bring it on through their own choices? It's insanity.

It's so sad to watch them -- we can sit 2 feet from them, but we can't free them -- we've watched as their bodies torture them day after day. Early onset issues are the worst, the rest of the young body is so resilient.

Granted, we all do it to some degree (looking at you, sugar...). But there's a big difference between carelessly stubbing your toe, and intentionally knife-stabbing yourself in the gut.

For my part, I'm going to try a little harder to see my body as a cherished friend, worthy of care: better food, a little more activity, better sleep.