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| I don't know how many times I've done that. And it isn't always the same thing either. There are many things I've said or done that were just plain silly, dumb, unhealthy, unwise, dangerous, sinful, or embarrassing. I guess I could fill a page with adjectives describing dumb deeds I have performed over and over. Some of us are just habitually self-destructive. No matter how hard we try, we just can't stay on the straight-and-narrow line they want to walk. Just think about our eating habits a minute or two. I'll use myself as an example. I'm a junk food junkie. You turn me loose in a convenience store and I'll spend my whole allowance on Cokes and peanuts. The greasier and saltier the food, the more I like it. Yet I pride myself on eating healthy. I know what foods contain which nutrients. I know the foods that have too much fat, too much sugar, no nutritional value, and no value at all. I know how to select high-octane complex carbohydrates and I know those rich in vitamins and minerals. I even know when I'm taking on fuel that creates nothing but flatulence. I can talk the talk. I just can't seem to walk the walk. That's scary. But at least I know when I'm eating the wrong stuff. I just don't fully understand why unless it's just because it tastes so gooood! I know it's isn't good for me, but I eat it anyway. Now that's dumb. I suffer from a condition called tinnitus, a ringing, rushing, or buzzing sound in the ears not caused by any outside stimulus. It's annoying, but not fatal. I've had it so long, I don't remember if I ever didn't have it. Heck, I even know how to control it. I can turn up the volume and turn down the volume. I even use my tinnitus to regulate my craving for caffeine. When the ringing gets really loud, I stop drinking Cokes and coffee for a few days and the ringing gets very faint. Sometimes it nearly goes away completely. Now if I'm so dad-blamed smart that I can turn the noise in my ears up and down whenever I want to, why can't I exercise enough discipline to eat properly? Or to control other bad habits that I've acquired over the years and that I know are not good for me? If I'm not careful, I can start feeling really bad about this. So I'm careful. I did some research and found that I'm in good company. Many people throughout history indulged in bad habits. Famous people. Righteous people. Did you know, for example, that the Apostle Paul had the same problem back in the first century? Listen to this. In Romans 7:14-17 TLB he says: "I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can't. I do what I don't want to do-what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. But I can't help myself, because I'm no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things." Comedian Flip Wilson paraphrased Paul this way: "The devil made me do it." Now isn't that comforting? We have no higher authority than Flip Wilson assuring us that it isn't our fault when we loose our self-control. Uh, I have to go now. I'm craving some fried food. I'm heading to the kitchen to whip up some scrambled eggs and a pan of greasy home fries, along with some Hungry Jacks with lots of butter. However, I'm not having coffee. It makes my ears ring. I guess there's some truth in what the great philosopher Pogo once said: "We have met the enemy, and he are us." HLG |
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| Harvey
L. Gardner is an author, syndicated columnist, and speaker. Tantalizing Trivialities is a mixture
of fun, frivolity, nostalgia, inspiration, humor, love, marriage, tall tales, work, and other
absurdities. He lives in White House, Tennessee. Your comments, suggestions, and inquiries are
welcome. Email: Harvey@HarveyGardner.com © 2004, Harvey L. Gardner |
