Truth>Feel Good.
Cartoon depictions of worldly desires tend to make a situation more acceptable, more tolerable, less critical. The depictions of a friendly Santa, the cartoon ghouls, the jokey turkey with a personality fighting with a can of whipped cream. The comfort of child-like nostalgia, we are trying to recapture what we once had, innocence. Not innocence in what the the world has shown you through years of experience, but in knowing God as well.
Ouch, see, that is the harsh stuff we don't want to hear. However, once one looks at what nostalgia in this world is, once one pieces apart why we feel a certain way, even a good way, we tend to see through the smoke of it all.
Why do this? Why look into even the good emotions and see what causes them? Why would I stare at a box of Pop-Tarts, looking into why they provide comfort, a sense of slight warmth that all is right in the world, despite knowing it isn't? Because we cannot have one side of a coin without the other. We must understand the good to be able to combat the bad.
For example, look at pizza. Yes, LOOK AT IT!
To each it brings about a certain sense that can either cause hunger, or can disrupt a diet, or can remind us of good times, pizza parties growing up. I remember the Book-It program well and often anytime I am around a Pizza Hut. Being able to go in and get my own personal pan due to the books I "read." I cannot remember the books, but the pan with it's crispy-buttery crust, yea, now that rings a bell. Plus, Pizza Hut was the fancy stuff growing up, so to get that was a definitely a treat.
A powerful image, driven by good times. I do not look into the times pizza was this battle of what to eat, when to eat it, should I just eat toppings, did I eat too much, or the entire mess I made it. I just remember the good. And that's good. That's nice to have those memories. However, as in what I said, one has to look at why I feel this food brings about such good feelings, to understand any bad or interfering ones.
I do not want to hold food on a pedestal, but already two of my most recalled reactions are to Pop-Tarts and Pizza, two very stimulating foods. Two foods that have been with me longer than my wife, longer than my daughter, and have been more consistent than any family or friend along the way. They never fail, they are dependable. I have to look into what I notice about those good feelings to better understand why they can take such a controlling role in my life, even if I am not eating them, the sight, smell, sound of a toaster or oven opening up or open affects me, more than it should.
In reality, the cartoon pictures, the high-stimulating foods, they are cover-ups aren't they? Like not in a bad way, or those companies are bad, quite the opposite actually. These companies are doing what companies do, make us feel something. When we can rely on foods to be there and taste the same throughout life, there is a consistency there that should be comforting. Many of us have never known a comfort outside of the comfort foods we have known. Just like people who drink excessively and consistently have learned to rely on their friend alcohol, or drug users, drugs. We all have something. Unfortunately, we label it a "vice," as though we know it is a problem, for maybe we rely too much on it.
Nonetheless it is beneficial for us to investigate why we feel something to understand the truth, as it relates to us. When we fail to investigate for ourselves the images, colors, sales tactics of products are really missing a very important component of our physical health in this example, but also our mental and spiritual health outside. To take the superficial, or the bright colors and presentations, as the only truth you know, then you will constantly look for the next, biggest, brightest, and there is never satiation. There is only devastation as one's dopamine will never be satisfied or the threshold never met. Those pleasurable things, yes, even Pop-Tarts, fall short of satisfaction and yet we find ourselves looking for more. More stuff, more things, more or different, chaos even, for then we can put the pressure on the things we missed out on, glorifying them as though they would have saved us, but shoot, this thing happened and now we will never know.
The colors, cartoons, humor in life is nice. These things should be nice, they should bring about something of a good feeling inside of us, however, we should also look past the box, the cartoon, the tradition with the upcoming seasons into why? Why do we do this? What do we get out of this? Looking into why we like the "good" will also help us look into why something is, "bad." To just know "good" and "bad" without understanding why, well, that passed us long ago with the responsibilities and privileges in this world we all thought we wanted as a child. Instead we have a responsibility now to understand feelings and understand why we feel the way we do, for this can help us avoid pot holes that consume us, prevent us from spiritual and mental growth and stability to look past the humorous or scary presentations this world threatens us with at times.
To see this world as the temporary place it is, too harsh for some. Yet, then we rely on the next, car, job, love, always something else, only to see it slip through our hands like sand, until the last morsel has dropped and our time here expires. To live life in truth and understanding, well now, to me, that is the promise given by the most high.
As always, Castle-Broken: When appearances are everything, available HERE. A look into the truth behind the obsession with body image disorders, specifically in men, and accepting that reliance on the body or appearance will not save us any more than a weight tied to our ankle in deep water does not provide protection from sharks. (Something like that).
Ouch, see, that is the harsh stuff we don't want to hear. However, once one looks at what nostalgia in this world is, once one pieces apart why we feel a certain way, even a good way, we tend to see through the smoke of it all.
Why do this? Why look into even the good emotions and see what causes them? Why would I stare at a box of Pop-Tarts, looking into why they provide comfort, a sense of slight warmth that all is right in the world, despite knowing it isn't? Because we cannot have one side of a coin without the other. We must understand the good to be able to combat the bad.
For example, look at pizza. Yes, LOOK AT IT!
To each it brings about a certain sense that can either cause hunger, or can disrupt a diet, or can remind us of good times, pizza parties growing up. I remember the Book-It program well and often anytime I am around a Pizza Hut. Being able to go in and get my own personal pan due to the books I "read." I cannot remember the books, but the pan with it's crispy-buttery crust, yea, now that rings a bell. Plus, Pizza Hut was the fancy stuff growing up, so to get that was a definitely a treat.
A powerful image, driven by good times. I do not look into the times pizza was this battle of what to eat, when to eat it, should I just eat toppings, did I eat too much, or the entire mess I made it. I just remember the good. And that's good. That's nice to have those memories. However, as in what I said, one has to look at why I feel this food brings about such good feelings, to understand any bad or interfering ones.
I do not want to hold food on a pedestal, but already two of my most recalled reactions are to Pop-Tarts and Pizza, two very stimulating foods. Two foods that have been with me longer than my wife, longer than my daughter, and have been more consistent than any family or friend along the way. They never fail, they are dependable. I have to look into what I notice about those good feelings to better understand why they can take such a controlling role in my life, even if I am not eating them, the sight, smell, sound of a toaster or oven opening up or open affects me, more than it should.
 |
| First thought: Comfort (I love these things) Quick realization as I look at ingredients: Ah yes, they are pretty artificial. |
Nonetheless it is beneficial for us to investigate why we feel something to understand the truth, as it relates to us. When we fail to investigate for ourselves the images, colors, sales tactics of products are really missing a very important component of our physical health in this example, but also our mental and spiritual health outside. To take the superficial, or the bright colors and presentations, as the only truth you know, then you will constantly look for the next, biggest, brightest, and there is never satiation. There is only devastation as one's dopamine will never be satisfied or the threshold never met. Those pleasurable things, yes, even Pop-Tarts, fall short of satisfaction and yet we find ourselves looking for more. More stuff, more things, more or different, chaos even, for then we can put the pressure on the things we missed out on, glorifying them as though they would have saved us, but shoot, this thing happened and now we will never know.
The colors, cartoons, humor in life is nice. These things should be nice, they should bring about something of a good feeling inside of us, however, we should also look past the box, the cartoon, the tradition with the upcoming seasons into why? Why do we do this? What do we get out of this? Looking into why we like the "good" will also help us look into why something is, "bad." To just know "good" and "bad" without understanding why, well, that passed us long ago with the responsibilities and privileges in this world we all thought we wanted as a child. Instead we have a responsibility now to understand feelings and understand why we feel the way we do, for this can help us avoid pot holes that consume us, prevent us from spiritual and mental growth and stability to look past the humorous or scary presentations this world threatens us with at times.
To see this world as the temporary place it is, too harsh for some. Yet, then we rely on the next, car, job, love, always something else, only to see it slip through our hands like sand, until the last morsel has dropped and our time here expires. To live life in truth and understanding, well now, to me, that is the promise given by the most high.
God Bless““If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.”John 15:18-19
As always, Castle-Broken: When appearances are everything, available HERE. A look into the truth behind the obsession with body image disorders, specifically in men, and accepting that reliance on the body or appearance will not save us any more than a weight tied to our ankle in deep water does not provide protection from sharks. (Something like that).
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