A person can refuse cookies because they strive for a more important goal, such as health or weight loss. However, an unstable will can lead to sweets beginning to control a person. If desires are not controlled, they can take over, turning a person into a puppet.
This threat explains the prevalence of the practice of abstinence in various cultures. Fasting and renouncing pleasures are ways to resist temptations. By limiting themselves in food, sex, and entertainment, people strive to maintain their independence and follow their true values, even if they sometimes include the pleasure of food.
Modern culture, however, rejects asceticism, promoting the idea of "live as you want." In our society, there is an endless flow of pleasures, and people suffer from addictions and depression. If someone decides to stop following the news, they may be judged for "burying their head in the sand," and skipping meals may raise suspicions of eating disorders.
I am not advocating for a monastic life, but modern people can benefit from limitation. We are like plants that fear water and, therefore, cannot grow. The fear of "feeling deprived" prevails over the consequences of excessive pleasures.
The Power of Choice Instead of Limitation
Giving up sweets or social media for a month can open new horizons. However, true strength lies not only in abstaining but also in demonstrating self-control. When you resist temptation, such as cookies, you feel freedom and independence.
Thus, if you voluntarily refrain from using social media, it will be more beneficial than if they were simply unavailable to you. This willpower can be applied in other areas of life.
Experiment with Limitation
For example, in December, I limit my diet to oatmeal for breakfast and soup with eggs for lunch, including raw vegetables in every meal.
I do this because there is a part of me that believes I cannot live without hedonistic freedom. This part wants me to be able to eat any cookie that comes into view.
But either it controls me, or I control it. I strive to develop willpower to leave the cookie untouched on the plate.
Before starting on oatmeal, it’s worth considering how strange it is to live in a culture where abstaining from something is considered taboo.
For most of history, people did not have the guarantee of three meals a day, and many continued to fast to focus on what is important.
Join the Experiment
- Fried food
- Gossip
- Caffeine
- Complaints
- Entertainment apps
- Alcohol
- Innocent lies
- Some dubious websites
- Meat
- News
- Political content
The choice does not necessarily have to concern something that is absolutely harmful. It can be something that brings you discomfort and that you struggle with. The willingness to give it up will help strengthen your inner strength. If it is difficult to give up, it means it truly has power over you.
It is important to learn to say a decisive "no." It is better to choose an easy sacrifice for 31 days than a difficult task and fulfill it partially.
Do not replace one thing with another, like one social network for another. The main thing is to feel the absence and enjoy a deeper pleasure from resilience and self-control.
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