According
to the high pundits of the pundits and the sanctified critics of the
critics, as to human frailty and weakness, or let's just say it, down
right depravities, one is insufficiently wise to counsel another on
overcoming such failings unless he or she has descended to similar
depths of depravity; and, one is not sufficiently vetted to editorialize
upon the shortcomings of our public figures or others unless he or she
devoid of any character flaws.
Although experience can endow
great insight and piety can bestow superior moral gravitas, I do not put
stock in either opinion. Nevertheless, both these conscious and often
unconscious sentiments give me pause enough to feel compelled to intone
this disclaimer. I am not pious enough nor depraved enough to claim the
moral superiority of those who deserve our veneration (and I know this
is no revelation to many of my friends, family and not-quite-friends who
need not verify this); nor have I mapped out the territories of all
seven of the deadly sins--but there is still time for both.
Still, as an American, it is my God given right to have an opinion, and
to share it with all those who might stumble upon it. With that out of
the way, let me further confess that since the end of high school
wrestling (for which I engaged in mildly undisciplined weight variances
of about 7 pounds), my weight has not varied more that 10 pounds, except
for a period of one year when I took a small step toward the slippery
slope of nutrition supplements and added creatine to my diet and bulked
up 15 lbs, but then stepped away from the brink, when the muscle wasn't
worth the disadvantages it accompanied.
So, big flippin' deal.
Yet, here's my point. America is one of the fattest countries in the
world. Others are trying to catch up. They've seen what we have and they
want it. But, some say it's not to be emulated and must be arrested. So
they pass laws barring school from serving soda pop during lunch if
they want to keep getting federal funds. Then they fine them for doing
so (as has occurred in Davis County). Then the school complains, as it
should, and points out that the fines will just hurt the kids by losing
both the federal funds and the money from the soda pop sales and
therefore the school must cut its art and music programs which rely upon
these funds (as has been threatened in Davis County).
But
isn't there a deeper problem? Why are we so undisciplined that our
schools have had to rely upon soda sales to fund its programs? Why don't
we just sell crack and have a higher profit margin, as apparently one
principal did back east at an elementary school? And why do we always
take it out on the music programs, which have been shown to improve math
acuity? Any way, back to fat.
Could it be that we are fat
because we don't want to spend our money on school programs, we want to
spend it on new and improved processed foods and then since we don't
want to spend it on school, we think, "hey, I have a great idea, since
we're buying all this food, let's just buy it at school and let them
have the profit?!" I have a better idea. Let's turn all of our schools
into multilevel marketing companies and give our kids an education being
obnoxious multi-level-marketers?
Anyway back to fat. Can't we
all collectively just exercise some freedom of choice and back away from
that unhealthy food, contribute more to our schools, and pull the
machines out of them and leave the heavy hand of the law free to police
more important things like the upsurge of illegal U turns? Ok, that is
enough stream of conscious-William-Faulkner-mumbo-jumbo. And yes, my
shoulder is much better.
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