The Great Conflict

What has caused America to think solely about food and physical attractiveness at the same time? How can one pig out at a fast food restaurant and at the same time stay Hollywood-slim? Who came up with such an absurd idea? Where did this come from?

Really, it's the byproduct of a shift in the way our society views the idealistic lifestyle. Up until about two hundred years ago, obesity was the sign of wealth. If you were fat, it meant you had the ability to gorge yourself in whatever food you pleased and could afford it. If you were skinny, you were poor and lacked a large income. The only people who were capable of stuffing themselves were those who were extremely wealthy, so very few people were overweight, while the majority of the population stayed thin.

Now, it's so cheap and easy to get food that will throw the scale out of whack. You don't need to have mounds of dough to be the burger king (pun intended). The point of being king back then was to be able to do whatever you wanted, and becoming fat was a byproduct of that. Now, the goal is to enjoy yourself. Pleasure is the driving force behind most social and economic movements now. We like to eat, but we also like looking at people who are fit. The conflict between this pair of pleasures (visual and tasteful) has caused much frustration and confusion to many people over the years. Can you say fad-diets?

Now, we all enjoy the mental and physical stresses that arrive in tandem with this idealistic lifestyle of being able to enjoy a great body and great food at the same time. Must we sacrifice one for the other? There is a lot of great food out there, but there's an amount of discipline necessary in order for one to enjoy it while maintaining a decent figure. Ah, discipline, it sucks - but it's also necessary if you want to live. I don't mean living only in a breathing sense, but also in a joyful sense. You can't live if you indulge in everything. You'll wind up bitter and lethargic. Sometimes sacrifices must be made, but they're always for the better. It's a lesson I personally never seem to learn. But I try, so I guess that counts.