The recent documentary movie ‘Super Size Me’ followed someone who did just that, and the results weren’t pretty! Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but food available from the one fast food chain for a full month. While the first few days seemed to make little difference to his health, by the end of the first week Morgan was increasingly tired and moody. After three weeks he had gained eleven kilograms in weight, he began getting chest pains and was having difficulty breathing. Doctors and friends told him to abandon the whole experiment as his life was now in danger. Morgan went from being a vibrant, happy and healthy person to being a depressed and sick person within the month. In the end, it took him a long while to regain his health: eight weeks for his blood pressure, liver functions and cholesterol to return to normal and a little over a year to lose the weight he had put on.
It is said ‘you are what you eat’ and while this has a fair amount of truth in this, it is just as true to say ‘you are what you think’ Our thoughts shape our life, so we need to take care with the shaping of our thoughts. The relationships we establish at home, the conversations we have at school or work, the material we read, the friendships we develop, the topics that take our interest will all contribute to the health of the inner self and ultimately will shape the way we live and interact with others. If one month of bad eating could make such a difference to Morgan Spurlock physically, what more can a month of bad thoughts do to the character of our souls?