Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Junk Food for the Mind
In America, we love our junk food. Potato chips, candy, donuts, cakes, ice cream treats, pizza, french fries... you name it, we eat it. These foods are bad for you because...
1) They have high levels of bad stuff in them (fat, cholesterol, sugar)
2) They lack other nutritional value (vitamins, fiber)
3) They stuff your stomach so full there is no room for proper food
4) They taste good, so you crave it more
5) They are often convenient and readily available
The result of our love affair with junk food is we are a nation growing very obese. It is not uncommon in Iowa to see 12 year old boys who weigh 200 pounds (90.9 kg). We have a junk food culture, and it goes further than just food.
Our entertainment has become junk food for the mind. Our TV shows are unimaginative and trashy. Music has become mostly stale. Movies seem to get worse every summer. Video games are not fit for children anymore. And those of us Americans who do read tend to read uninspired novels about the Judgment Day, unauthorized tell-alls about government officials, or how to lose weight by cutting carbs.
I hate when I see myself, and my friends, fall prey to this. I used to read a ton of books a month. I usually read about science, evolution, world religion, and environmental issues. Now I read a lot less. I study Japanese (which is good), but I also have spent most of my other reading time on manga. I used to play chess and do mathematical problems for fun, now I play Super Mario on my Game Boy.
Today I finished the first disk of .Hack, a marvelous video game by Bandai. (The one I posted a picture of below). But at the end, the game reveals to you how long you have played the game. I spent 35 hours (not counting times I died and had to continue) on disk one... and there are three more disks left! I have wasted a lot of time playing a video game. And I will probably continue to play it.
This is junk time. My mind could be learning biochemistry or anatomy in preparation for the school year to come. I could be volunteering with a charity. I could be exercising. I could be finding a way to make money with a second job. Instead, I play .Hack for 35 hours. It is sort of embarrassing (at least it wasn't 35 hours all at once).
Its no wonder then that I am obese, and often have to do paperwork at the last minute. Its no surprise that I often find myself short on money, and that I waste a great deal of it. I have become junk by ingesting junk; both as my food and as my actions. This is something I hope to work on more, but between you and me...
I can't wait to get home to start playing disk two. :)
This was meant to be both serious and funny, but the truth is, America does have a problem. We have hundreds of people with money and time, but few use it to better the world. The church is a microcosm of this, as its people often are least involved in helping others. My own church is (on the surface) more active in REACHING people than they are in HELPING people. It is shameful that Ty Pennington, the actor/carpenter, is more of a missionary than our elders at church (he has a show that he builds homes for underprivileged families).
We shouldn't be guilty to enjoy life's riches: whether it is a chocolate chip cookie or two hours to watch a movie. But we should practice ingesting junk food and junk culture in moderation, and spend more time being productive. We need to help people, strengthen our communities, and better ourselves while we can.
Stick with it! I know you can do it. You aren't alone in being addicted to junk. Despite my guilt, I have actually done a better job over the last year avoiding junk than ever before in my life. I hope you find success in your life, and I encourage you to cut junk out of your life, and fill the space with something nutritious and meaningful.
See ya!
1) They have high levels of bad stuff in them (fat, cholesterol, sugar)
2) They lack other nutritional value (vitamins, fiber)
3) They stuff your stomach so full there is no room for proper food
4) They taste good, so you crave it more
5) They are often convenient and readily available
The result of our love affair with junk food is we are a nation growing very obese. It is not uncommon in Iowa to see 12 year old boys who weigh 200 pounds (90.9 kg). We have a junk food culture, and it goes further than just food.
Our entertainment has become junk food for the mind. Our TV shows are unimaginative and trashy. Music has become mostly stale. Movies seem to get worse every summer. Video games are not fit for children anymore. And those of us Americans who do read tend to read uninspired novels about the Judgment Day, unauthorized tell-alls about government officials, or how to lose weight by cutting carbs.
I hate when I see myself, and my friends, fall prey to this. I used to read a ton of books a month. I usually read about science, evolution, world religion, and environmental issues. Now I read a lot less. I study Japanese (which is good), but I also have spent most of my other reading time on manga. I used to play chess and do mathematical problems for fun, now I play Super Mario on my Game Boy.
Today I finished the first disk of .Hack, a marvelous video game by Bandai. (The one I posted a picture of below). But at the end, the game reveals to you how long you have played the game. I spent 35 hours (not counting times I died and had to continue) on disk one... and there are three more disks left! I have wasted a lot of time playing a video game. And I will probably continue to play it.
This is junk time. My mind could be learning biochemistry or anatomy in preparation for the school year to come. I could be volunteering with a charity. I could be exercising. I could be finding a way to make money with a second job. Instead, I play .Hack for 35 hours. It is sort of embarrassing (at least it wasn't 35 hours all at once).
Its no wonder then that I am obese, and often have to do paperwork at the last minute. Its no surprise that I often find myself short on money, and that I waste a great deal of it. I have become junk by ingesting junk; both as my food and as my actions. This is something I hope to work on more, but between you and me...
I can't wait to get home to start playing disk two. :)
This was meant to be both serious and funny, but the truth is, America does have a problem. We have hundreds of people with money and time, but few use it to better the world. The church is a microcosm of this, as its people often are least involved in helping others. My own church is (on the surface) more active in REACHING people than they are in HELPING people. It is shameful that Ty Pennington, the actor/carpenter, is more of a missionary than our elders at church (he has a show that he builds homes for underprivileged families).
We shouldn't be guilty to enjoy life's riches: whether it is a chocolate chip cookie or two hours to watch a movie. But we should practice ingesting junk food and junk culture in moderation, and spend more time being productive. We need to help people, strengthen our communities, and better ourselves while we can.
Stick with it! I know you can do it. You aren't alone in being addicted to junk. Despite my guilt, I have actually done a better job over the last year avoiding junk than ever before in my life. I hope you find success in your life, and I encourage you to cut junk out of your life, and fill the space with something nutritious and meaningful.
See ya!
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