Doing the right thing and the pack mentality

posted by Jeff | Sunday, December 11, 2005, 5:35 PM | comments: 5

The other night I was talking to my mom about how I wouldn't be showing up for dinner on Christmas Eve, but would rather wait until after they get home from church. I told her our family ate like crap. That's not to say the family doesn't make good food, but it's sure as hell not healthy food.

Much of my family is overweight and my grandfather is walking heart disease. So which part of "lifestyle change" isn't obvious? My mom said that's how everyone eats, as if that makes any sense. Yeah, we're the most obese country in the world too.

So there's one reason to eat right... it makes you kind of a rebel. Hey, I was always going against the grain as far back as college, so it makes sense to me! Actually, now that I'm older and wiser, I know that the reverse-pack mentality isn't really any better than being a conformist, but that causes me to arrive at the conclusion that everything in life should generally be carefully considered for the situation.

I don't understand why we do things because everyone else does them, even if they aren't good for us. For something like eating poorly, it's not even a matter of acceptance. Most people don't give a shit what it is you eat, and people know that. It's like when people loot in a disaster or riot, people think, well, I guess it's OK then if everyone else is doing it.

God I could go for a pizza right now.


Comments

CPLady

December 12, 2005, 12:49 PM #

My opinion (whether you want it or not).

Yeah, people generally do not eat healthy food. But for gosh sakes, one dinner on Christmas Eve with the parents isn't going to kill you.

Jeff

December 12, 2005, 3:56 PM #

But that's just it... it's a lifestyle. Year after year the conversation is about how they'll eat better after the holidays and it never happens. You either do it or you don't. I don't eat red meat, so what am I supposed to do?

December 13, 2005, 2:22 PM #

You could go for family fellowship and togetherness and just not eat the red meat and try to scrounge up something else. I was a vegetarian for years (now I'm an occasional meat eater as long as it is raised locally and sustainably) and I had to live with my non-vegetarian famly who rarely went out of their way to accomdate me. I was told to eat what I was given or make my own dinner.

What are you going to do? Boycott your parents forever until they change their ways?

I'm going home for the HOLIDAYS (yes, I am waging a war on Christmas) and I already know that I'm going to be driving 9 hours for a plate of ham, overcooked vegetables, and some sort of nasty cassarole. Whatever. At least I won't be putting on any holiday weight.

Jeff

December 13, 2005, 3:40 PM #

You completely miss the point. I'm not "boycotting" anything. The whole point of the original post is that people see an obvious problem and don't do anything about it.

You should also not assume that I have an adequate relationship with my family to begin with.

December 13, 2005, 5:19 PM #

I'm boycotting your parents because I assume you don't have an adequate relationship with them to begin with.

God, I could go for a Double Bacon Cheeseburger right now.


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