To keep himself blameless and free from such errors one should by constant practice accustom himself to choosing food not for enjoyment but for nourishment, not to tickle his palate but to strengthen his body. Indeed, the throat was designed to be a passage for food, not an organ of pleasure, and the stomach was made for the same purpose as the root was created in plants.
For just as the root nourishes the plant by taking food from without, so the stomach nourishes the living being from the food and drink which are taken into it. And again, just as plants receive nourishment that they may survive, and not for their pleasure, so in like manner food is to us the medicine of life.
Therefore it is fitting for us to eat in order to live, not in order to have pleasure, if, at all events, we wish to keep in line with the wise words of Socrates, who said that the majority of men live to eat but that he ate in order to live. Certainly no reasonable being, whose ambition is to be a man, will think it desirable to be like the majority who live to eat, and like them, to spend his life in the chase after pleasure derived from food.
I was told many words of earthy wisdom long before I knew that they had come from certain philosophers, and the one about eating to live instead of living to eat was one of the more memorable ones. I understood it, and yet something about it annoyed me.
It could only have been the implication that I shouldn’t be enjoying my food, that its nutritional value was all that mattered. Once again, however, I was assuming an opposition where none needed to exist. I simply needed to return to that old Socratic lesson, that things are not good because they are pleasurable, but rather that they are pleasurable because they are good.
My intention should be to eat and drink in the healthiest way possible, and I will then also find that this is the most satisfying way possible. Aim for the good, and then gain the bonus of pleasure, but never expect that it can work the other way around.
It isn’t always easy to teach that to a flighty and passionate young fellow, and so I suppose we offer a bit of leniency for the ignorance of youth. It takes some experience and reflection to appreciate the benefits of a pure and simple diet, to embrace it for its natural purpose of building vitality. Once that goal is within reach, however, there will also follow the deepest joy.
I remain a terrible gardener, and yet I am always happy to have helped a humble houseplant grow by providing just the right mix of rich soil, clean water, fresh air, and invigorating sunlight. I should find no less pleasure in nurturing myself, as I will surely find no nurturing in just pleasuring myself.
Most people I know think a bowl of old-fashioned Scottish oatmeal to be bland and boring, and yet I have gained the deepest respect for this humble and stalwart companion. Few meals can strengthen the body and warm the soul as well as a fine porridge, so it should come as little surprise that I have found both the greatest energy and contentment when I choose it to begin my day.
When I keep my thoughts focused on the quality of what I eat, I find that satisfaction is in less instead of more, and I no longer have such strong cravings for what is processed instead of what is natural. All the high-and-mighty preaching of the food police turns me off, though the prospect of a hearty lunch will soon get me back on track.
They now call it a ploughman’s lunch, though the basic concept is surely an ancient one. By all means, add a hard-boiled egg, salad, or a chunk of cold ham (though Musonius might frown upon the last one) if you like, but the core of it is bread, cheese, and onion or pickle. Slices of apple will also fit in wonderfully. Over the last few years, this has become like ambrosia to me, best served on a cutting board and eaten with a pocketknife.
It isn’t terribly difficult to figure out why Nature wants us to eat, and then working from that premise to decide what sort of things are best for us to eat.
For just as the root nourishes the plant by taking food from without, so the stomach nourishes the living being from the food and drink which are taken into it. And again, just as plants receive nourishment that they may survive, and not for their pleasure, so in like manner food is to us the medicine of life.
Therefore it is fitting for us to eat in order to live, not in order to have pleasure, if, at all events, we wish to keep in line with the wise words of Socrates, who said that the majority of men live to eat but that he ate in order to live. Certainly no reasonable being, whose ambition is to be a man, will think it desirable to be like the majority who live to eat, and like them, to spend his life in the chase after pleasure derived from food.
I was told many words of earthy wisdom long before I knew that they had come from certain philosophers, and the one about eating to live instead of living to eat was one of the more memorable ones. I understood it, and yet something about it annoyed me.
It could only have been the implication that I shouldn’t be enjoying my food, that its nutritional value was all that mattered. Once again, however, I was assuming an opposition where none needed to exist. I simply needed to return to that old Socratic lesson, that things are not good because they are pleasurable, but rather that they are pleasurable because they are good.
My intention should be to eat and drink in the healthiest way possible, and I will then also find that this is the most satisfying way possible. Aim for the good, and then gain the bonus of pleasure, but never expect that it can work the other way around.
It isn’t always easy to teach that to a flighty and passionate young fellow, and so I suppose we offer a bit of leniency for the ignorance of youth. It takes some experience and reflection to appreciate the benefits of a pure and simple diet, to embrace it for its natural purpose of building vitality. Once that goal is within reach, however, there will also follow the deepest joy.
I remain a terrible gardener, and yet I am always happy to have helped a humble houseplant grow by providing just the right mix of rich soil, clean water, fresh air, and invigorating sunlight. I should find no less pleasure in nurturing myself, as I will surely find no nurturing in just pleasuring myself.
Most people I know think a bowl of old-fashioned Scottish oatmeal to be bland and boring, and yet I have gained the deepest respect for this humble and stalwart companion. Few meals can strengthen the body and warm the soul as well as a fine porridge, so it should come as little surprise that I have found both the greatest energy and contentment when I choose it to begin my day.
When I keep my thoughts focused on the quality of what I eat, I find that satisfaction is in less instead of more, and I no longer have such strong cravings for what is processed instead of what is natural. All the high-and-mighty preaching of the food police turns me off, though the prospect of a hearty lunch will soon get me back on track.
They now call it a ploughman’s lunch, though the basic concept is surely an ancient one. By all means, add a hard-boiled egg, salad, or a chunk of cold ham (though Musonius might frown upon the last one) if you like, but the core of it is bread, cheese, and onion or pickle. Slices of apple will also fit in wonderfully. Over the last few years, this has become like ambrosia to me, best served on a cutting board and eaten with a pocketknife.
It isn’t terribly difficult to figure out why Nature wants us to eat, and then working from that premise to decide what sort of things are best for us to eat.
Written in 5/2000
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