Maintaining Health (Formerly Health and Efficiency)Alsaker, Rasmus Larssen
Science
Maintaining Health (Formerly Health and Efficiency)
Alsaker, Rasmus Larssen
Diet; Hygiene
Those who are anxious to do good in the spreading of health knowledge
among their friends can serve best by getting health themselves. If a
physical wreck evolves into good health there will be considerable
comment and inquiry. This is the opportunity to tell what nature will do
and inform others where to obtain a good interpretation of nature's
workings.
A little practicing is worth more than a great deal of preaching. The
truth is the truth, no matter what the source, but it is more effective
if it comes from one who lives it.
I have gone into the subject of health cranks so deeply because there
are so many of them. They get a little knowledge and then they believe
they are masters of the subject. The right attitude toward proper
living, and especially toward proper eating is: "I shall try to conduct
myself so as to be healthy and efficient. If others desire my help, I
shall try to indicate the way to them. Right living is no sign of
superior goodness or merit, being a matter of higher selfishness, so I
deserve no credit for it. Although health is very important, I shall
refrain from attempting to force my will on others."
After conquering ourselves it is time to begin making foreign conquests,
but by that time the realization comes that in the end it is best to
leave others free to work out their own salvation. The desire is strong
to mould others according to our pattern, but those who size themselves
up honestly soon come to the conclusion that they are so imperfect that
perchance some other pattern is fully as good.
_Postponing happiness_: One peculiar state of mind is to refuse to be
happy at present. The romantic girl and boy think they can not be happy
until they are married. After marriage they find that they have to gain
a certain amount of wealth before happiness comes. Then they have to
postpone it for social position. They continue postponing happiness from
time to time and the result is that they never attain it. Happiness is
not a great entity that bursts upon us, transforming us into radiant
beings. It is a comfortable feeling that brings peace and places us in
harmony with our surroundings. It can best be gained by doing well each
day the work that is to be done, cheerfully giving in return for what is
received. Happiness is largely a habit. It is as easy to be bright and
cheerful as it is to be sad and doleful, and much more comfortable. If
we look for the best we will find beauty even in the most unpromising
places. If we are looking for tears and woe, we can easily find them.
We can get along without happiness, but it adds so much color and beauty
to life, it makes us so much better, it helps us so much to be useful
that it is folly to do without it. It is not gained by narrow
selfishness. Those who forget themselves most and are kind and
considerate find it. By giving it to others we get it for ourselves.
Ecstasy and rapture are emotions of short duration. They are so
exhilarating that they soon wear out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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