Thinness and Vainglory

ThinnessandVaingloryNowomancanbetoorichortoothin.ThissayingoftenattributedtothelateDuchessofWindsorembodiesmuchoftheoddspiritofourtimes.Beingthinisdeemedassuchavirtue.Theproblemwithsuchaviewisthatsomepeopleactuallyattempttolivebyit.Imyselfhavefantasiesofslippingintonarrowdesignerclothes.Consequently,Ihavebeenonadietforthebetter----orworse----partofmylife.Beingrichwouldn'tbebadeither,butthatwon'thappenunlessanunknownrelativediessuddenlyinsomedistantland,leavingmemillionsofdollars.Wheredidwegooffthetrack?Whendideatingbutterbecomeasin,andalittleextrafleshunappealing,ifnotrepellent?AllreligionshavecertaindayswhenpeoplerefrainfromeatingandexcessiveeatingisoneofChristianity'ssevendeadlysins.However,untilquiterecently,mostpeoplehadaproblemgettingenoughtoeat.Insomereligiousgroups,wealthwasasymbolofprobablesalvationandhighmorals,andfatnessasignofwealthandwell-being.Todaytheoppositeistrue.Wehaveshiftedtothinnessasournewmarkofvirtue.Theresultisthatbeingfat----orevenonlysomewhatoverweight----isbadbecauseitimpliesalackofmoralstrength.Ourobsessionwiththinnessisalsofueledbyhealthconcerns.Itistruethatinthiscountrywehavemoreoverweightpeoplethaneverbefore,andthat,inmanycases,beingover-weightcorrelateswithanincreasedriskofheartandbloodvesseldisease.Thesediseases,however,manyhaveasmuchtodowithourwayoflifeandourhigh-fatdietaswithexcessweight.Andtheassociatedriskofcancerinthedigestivesystemmaybemoreofadietaryproblem----toomuchfatandalackoffiber----thanaweightproblem.Therealconcern,then,isnotthatweweightoomuch,butthatweneitherexerciseenoughnoreatwell.Exerciseisnecessaryforstrongbonesandbothheartandlunghealth.Abalanceddietwithoutalotoffatcanalsohelpthebodyavoidmanydiseases.Weshouldsurelystoppayingsomuchattentiontoweight.Simplybeingthinisnotenough.Itisactuallyhazardousifthosewhoget(oralreadyare)thinthinktheyareautomaticallyhealthyandthusfreefrompayingattentiontotheiroveralllife-style.Thinnesscanbepurevainglory.