Thus the oftener we are tempted by pleasure in eating, the more dangers there are involved. And indeed at each meal there is not one hazard for going wrong, but many.
First of all, the man who eats more than he ought does wrong, and the man who eats in undue haste no less, and also the man who wallows in the pickles and sauces, and the man who prefers the sweeter foods to the more healthful ones, and the man who does not serve food of the same kind or amount to his guests as to himself.
There is still another wrong in connection with eating, when we indulge in it at an unseasonable time, and although there is something else we ought to do, we put it aside in order to eat. Since, then, these and even more vices are connected with eating, if a man wishes to show self-control, he must be free of all of them and not be guilty of any of them.
I keep a piece of advice from Aristotle close to my heart, that a man is good in one way, but bad in many. There are lots of easy ways to miss the mark, but only one difficult way to hit it. This helps to keep me on my toes whenever I am becoming too complacent.
Some vices express themselves clearly in only one manner, and are somewhat easier to identify, but the temptation to gluttony has so many different ways of tugging at us, so many means of pulling us down.
At first, they may seem harmless enough, and I am quite ready to overlook them, but with time they all weaken my ability to be my own master, and before I know it, I have made myself a slave to my creeping habits.
Sometimes I will eat and drink too much, on the mistaken assumption that an increase in the quantity of my consumption will somehow increase the quality of my enjoyment.
Sometimes I will eat and drink far too quickly, thinking that all my petty chores, running here and there, make it impossible for me to take the time to calmly and gently nurture my body.
Sometimes I will allow myself to be overwhelmed by a desire for only strong and overwhelming tastes, loaded with too many sauces and spices, forgetting that a good flavor is often the simplest and purest flavor.
Sometimes I will follow the craving of the proverbial sweet tooth, falling for what is most brutally and immediately satisfying.
Sometimes I will become so greedy in my devouring that I ignore how what is mine is to be shared, because Nature has made us all for one another.
Sometimes I will forget that there is a right time and place to eat and drink, and instead I snack away at all times of the day, or even turn the entire day into a continuous meal, neglecting a balance of living for the sake of my perpetual gratification.
I had never thought of myself as an intemperate eater, having been as skinny as a beanpole for all of my life, but with some honest and humbling reflection, I began to see how often I was using food and drink only as a way to ease my anxiety or avoid my worries.
I can hardly expect to practice self-control in the grander aspects of my life if I can’t manage to do so at my dinner table.
First of all, the man who eats more than he ought does wrong, and the man who eats in undue haste no less, and also the man who wallows in the pickles and sauces, and the man who prefers the sweeter foods to the more healthful ones, and the man who does not serve food of the same kind or amount to his guests as to himself.
There is still another wrong in connection with eating, when we indulge in it at an unseasonable time, and although there is something else we ought to do, we put it aside in order to eat. Since, then, these and even more vices are connected with eating, if a man wishes to show self-control, he must be free of all of them and not be guilty of any of them.
I keep a piece of advice from Aristotle close to my heart, that a man is good in one way, but bad in many. There are lots of easy ways to miss the mark, but only one difficult way to hit it. This helps to keep me on my toes whenever I am becoming too complacent.
Some vices express themselves clearly in only one manner, and are somewhat easier to identify, but the temptation to gluttony has so many different ways of tugging at us, so many means of pulling us down.
At first, they may seem harmless enough, and I am quite ready to overlook them, but with time they all weaken my ability to be my own master, and before I know it, I have made myself a slave to my creeping habits.
Sometimes I will eat and drink too much, on the mistaken assumption that an increase in the quantity of my consumption will somehow increase the quality of my enjoyment.
Sometimes I will eat and drink far too quickly, thinking that all my petty chores, running here and there, make it impossible for me to take the time to calmly and gently nurture my body.
Sometimes I will allow myself to be overwhelmed by a desire for only strong and overwhelming tastes, loaded with too many sauces and spices, forgetting that a good flavor is often the simplest and purest flavor.
Sometimes I will follow the craving of the proverbial sweet tooth, falling for what is most brutally and immediately satisfying.
Sometimes I will become so greedy in my devouring that I ignore how what is mine is to be shared, because Nature has made us all for one another.
Sometimes I will forget that there is a right time and place to eat and drink, and instead I snack away at all times of the day, or even turn the entire day into a continuous meal, neglecting a balance of living for the sake of my perpetual gratification.
I had never thought of myself as an intemperate eater, having been as skinny as a beanpole for all of my life, but with some honest and humbling reflection, I began to see how often I was using food and drink only as a way to ease my anxiety or avoid my worries.
I can hardly expect to practice self-control in the grander aspects of my life if I can’t manage to do so at my dinner table.
Written in 5/2000
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