Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Confusing the End with the Means

It used to be that having a tan indicated you spent a decent amount of time doing outdoor activities, such as working outdoors and/or in the garden, going for walks, playing tennis, swimming, etc. The tan was a natural consequence of your activities.

Then it got to the point where people groomed the tan* so they had that look when they actually weren't doing those activities.

It used to be that people did things that they enjoyed doing -- gardening, riding horses, volunteering for charities, etc. -- and the natural consequence was happiness. Then it got to be that people started chasing happiness as the goal instead of the side effect.
.
I read about people who say they just want to be a good person, so they go out of their way to do good deeds in the hopes they will become a good person. Again, being a good person is a natural consequence that comes with doing the right thing. You don't do the right thing so that you become a good person; it just sort of happens while you're doing good things.
.
We have an awful lot of people nowadays who are at everything ass backwards. Be good for goodness sake. Don't cultivate a tan. Do the activities that you enjoy and that help you grow mentally, emotionally, and physically, and you will end up with happiness as the end effect. ~~GH
*Intentional tanning, of course, led to an unprecedented skin cancer epidemic. There has been a 200% increase in melanoma cases since 1973.
A writer friend of mine died last month two short months after diagnosis (I'm not implying my friend overlooked his health, not at all. Some melanomas don't even have external lesions).
Early detection is a must with that terrible disease. Please do a full body skin exam at least yearly, or have someone else help with places you can't readily examine.

1 comment:

B. WHITTINGTON said...

A lot of truth in this article. Enjoy everything you write. Keep at it.
Hugs, B