Health
Taking only what we need
It is normal for human beings always to want to possess more and to compete with others. At what point does it become abnormal? Our own bodies give us the answer so clearly that no one can deny it. What does your stomach do when you give it food? It takes only what it needs, and even the little it keeps is not exclusively for its own benefit; it works on it before distributing it to the rest of the body. So, the stomach retains what it needs for only a short time, and if it lets you know that it wants more after a few hours, it does not ask for more than it really needs. Our health depends on the wise behaviour of our stomach. But suppose your stomach were to say, ‘From now on, I’m going to keep everything for myself. Why should I bother about all those other idiots? Besides, who knows what the future holds; I’ve got my offspring to think of.’ Well, if it hoards all the food for itself, you will soon be very ill. If human beings would only reflect a little, they would see that they were behaving like selfish stomachs, thereby endangering the health of the immense body of humanity.*
* Related reading:
Daily Meditations 2023 (eBook)