One of the fascinating things I have noticed about reactions to health questions, is the comment “well, I did/I do such and such thing, and it hasn’t killed me yet.”
Obviously we have to take into account the latitude that one gives to casual conversation – general conversation isn’t meant to be pinpoint precise, because, no matter how much we like to think otherwise, we humans are very scattered and unpredictable beings.
But it is noteworthy to me, and as much as it is good to call to mine that simply because something doesn’t kill you, doesn’t mean that it is “healthy” in any meaningful sense. Health properly understood is your balance and proportion as a living creature, that enables you to act. This is why people will always respect and gravitate towards healthy choices over unhealthy choices: Even if the healthy choice involves sacrifice, we innately know that enabling ourselves to perform virtuous acts is it more desirable thing than convenience or the gratification that comes from addicting food tastes.
Eating artificial dyes, for example, may not kill you, but it will – and yes, I maintain that it necessarily will – dispose you away from desirable actions, and dispose you you towards undesirable attitudes in actions. (The brainfog, grouchiness, emotional disarray, etc. necessarily happens; these things don’t force us to act certain ways, but they do dispose us to act certain ways). While of course this type of trade-off is simply part of life, there are certain things that we don’t have to put up with – and in the realm of food, I firmly believe that artificial dyes are prime example of this.
If we are truly analyzing options and choices with more precision, I think it is a good reminder to remember that simply because something doesn’t kill you, doesn’t mean that it’s desirable – All things may be lawful, but not all things are helpful. It is perhaps helpful to remember this when examining our life and disrespect.
This pattern of thinking has made me laugh as a parent, because I see that it’s built-in to us – it’s the way children think. This is why parents are always having to hang the sword of Damocles over their child – for some reason, it’s either “perfectly fine” or “gruesome death” with no in between. “If you don’t tie your shoes, you’re going to trip and fall and DIE.” “If you climb that shelf, it’s going to fall on you and crush you and you’ll DIE.” Maybe the reason this health tagline, “I ate it and it didn’t kill me!”, is so effective is because there’s a little bit of 4 year old in all of us…
