Living in Denial
"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right."
— Thomas Paine
Have you ever thought that you have had thousands of opportunities to solve your problems? At each and every moment — think of the seconds ticking by on the clock — you have had the chance to wake up and say, "I'll solve my problem(s)." Have you, or have you chosen to remain in a kind of sleep-like state, unaware, living in denial?
Denial means not wanting to see, admit, or realize the truth. It means not seeing what is right in front of your eyes. One major problem facing about a third of adult Americans now is obesity, a medical term indicating that they are so overweight that their health is going to be severely impacted. They are cultivating disease, and for the most part they are in denial about it. However, some do feel the pain, suffer greatly in their trap, and would rather not be caught in this self-destructive cycle.
Life is about overcoming, not giving in, not giving up. Do you want the marker on your grave to read, "He was defeated by a cheeseburger"? There are people who run marathons with an artificial leg, or who use their arms and a wheelchair if they cannot use their legs. It is a choice you make as to what you will let beat you in life. People who literally cannot see run the Iditarod dogsled race through the wilderness of Alaska, or ski. You aren't beaten until you give up.
So, what's got you beat?
We are not here to judge or condemn anyone who is stuck in the terribly unfair and destructive traps in life. And there are countless traps — if it isn't obesity it could be poverty, disease, an abusive relationship, drug abuse or some other addiction. We are not saying anyone is bad simply because they are in a trap of self-limiting or self-destructive behavior. We are merely pointing out that the primary means of remaining stuck in any trap is denial. As we discuss the exponentially increasing problem of obesity in society, we realize there may be many causes of this problem. Yet, one thing remains true: if you are in denial about the problem, you will very likely remain stuck in it. There is something in society's thinking that seems to accept or justify obesity at this time; maybe it has become fashionable; maybe it represents living the good life; maybe it is taken as a sign of worldly success; maybe it is a reaction to the stresses of life; or maybe it is largely just a matter of denial. But, to the thinking person, obesity is a self-destructive trap, and a minefield of health issues. It is symptomatic of a common reaction to life's stresses, worries, problems: we make ourselves less aware of what is troubling us; we turn to food for comfort, for distraction, for a kind of pleasure which cannot ever fulfill us or fix us — and all the while, we are not getting better, but only worse. We are not really avoiding suffering, but giving in to its pressure.
We have noted that how you approach a problem determines how or if you solve it. Sometimes you can see you are in a trap, but have no idea how to get out of it. Be aware, enjoying the trap you are in does not make it any less a trap, or any less self-destructive. A heart attack does not care how much you enjoyed that last super-sized double cheeseburger at McDonald's. Whether they are abusing themselves with food, alcohol, drugs, or anything else, people usually do not want to hear about their problems from others — especially if they are unwilling to hear about them from themselves. read more ...
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