Words of REason

We're Lovin' It?

R. eason — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:53:26 GMT

New York city is the first in the country to implement a policy to help fight against obesity and diabetes. Chain restaurants with more than fifteen locations must post calories next to menu items (this includes drive thru) or else face a $2,000 fine.

The initiative is Mayor Bloomberg's way of assisting New Yorkers in making smarter decisions about our diet. I have personally found it very useful, and sometimes deflating, to know exactly how many calories are in my food. However, doesn't it say something about our country and ourselves, that we need the government to help us stop being so fat? It isn't like there was absolutely no way we could have figured out how many calories was in that basket of fries. Most restaurants post calories online.

I suspect that those who enjoy KFC will continue to eat it and those who have always been mindful about their caloric intact will welcome the ease in which they can continue to do so. But if one person realizes that a Frappucino has more calories than a cheeseburger and opt for water and salad instead...it will be a small step in the right direction.

Our New World

R. eason — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:08:28 GMT

It is a sickening video. A Georgia teen carefully places a helpless baby on an inflatable pillow. He jumps on the pillow, catapulting the child through the air like a missile. The child lands on the floor. The boy, apparently proud of his feat, videotapes the act and places it on YouTube.

This is the new world in which we live. There are two, if not many more, disturbing trends happening in America: 1) The need for celebrity by any means necessary, and 2) the anesthetizing of emotions in young people.

Reality TV (such as programs like the now defunct "JackAss") and YouTube have given the average person who is desperate for attention a forum to showcase their talents, or lack thereof. In many cases, they succeed in demonstrating to the world their severe lack of judgment and good taste.

In June, six teens were arrested in New York for robbing a man at a supermarket. The teens were armed with crowbars and bats. Their motivation? They were emulating the graphically violent, yet disturbingly popular video game, Grand Theft Auto.

These teens are a reflection of our society. Our collective need for profit, fame, significance and a laissez faire attitude towards parenting puts us at risk for more increasingly dangerous behavior. I believe in the garbage-in-garbage-out school of thought. If we do not monitor what our children receive from television, music and the internet and discuss the ramifications of their actions, we will all be impacted by their poor decisions, directly or indirectly.

The child in the video survived. The next one may not.

This Too Shall Pass

R. eason — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:22:07 GMT

She had it all. Natural beauty. A slim body. A high-profile career. An apartment in a high-rent district in New York. So if she appeared to have everything going for her, what would prompt Russian model Ruslana Korshunova to jump off of a building?

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The one thing each of us can be certain of in life is change. The quote "This too shall pass" is a constant truth. Few situations in life are permanent. Fortunately, one of the permanent situations in life is our ability to choose. We can choose to let a situation affect us negatively or positively. We can choose if we will turn lemons into lemonade. We can choose to seek help or not. We can choose to survive, thrive or die.

It puzzles many to discover that rich people can suffer with overwhelming episodes of depression. It has been reported that Heather Locklear is in a medical facility for depression. The common question that springs to mind of ordinary folks struggling to put gas in their tanks, lose twenty pounds, save for a small vacation, or place their children in extracurricular school programs is: What does she have to be depressed about? Happiness is not a by-product of wealth. It is difficult to convince those who do not have wealth that money does not bring happiness. Many of us believe that if we had money it would eliminate so much of our worries and unhappiness in life.

I believe that if a person really takes the time to assess what has brought them the most joy in life, money, most probably, played little part in it. Being surrounded by good friends, enjoying a hearty laugh, eating a delicious meal with family, spending alone time at a beach, watching a dog chase his tail, participating in a lively debate with a significant other, getting dressed excitedly for a new date, achieving success at work, helping someone who could not help themselves, watching a child's accomplishment and receiving an unexpected compliment are but a few of the cost free joys in life.

Problems, like joy, are temporary. Life will always be a tremendous rollercoaster ride. But while in the midst of the darkest of clouds, the loneliest of moments, the scariest of days, remember: This, too, shall pass.

The Other Addiction

R. eason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:11:53 GMT

It is an addiction like many others. It is as socially acceptable as drinking and smoking. How does one know when one is indulging a bit too much? With drinking the signs are obvious: the hands shake involuntarily, one reaches for the bottle at times when most would deem it inappropriate (i.e. 8 a.m.) With smoking the lines of excess begin to blur. Is one pack a day too much? One and half? Two?

But now there is a new means in which we can indulge our senses when we are bored, anxious, euphoric, depressed or emotionally conflicted. For those of us not inclined to have an insatiable need for sex, food or marijuana, we have a much more inconspicuous, yet blantaly obvious, alternative:

The internet.

In today's society, we don't bat an eyelash when we see a co-worker habitually cruising the internet. It is expected that our children be computer savvy to compete on a global scale and therefore, they are on the computer at a much earlier age than ever before. Recently, at my office, our computer technician brought his six year old daughter to work with him. She had a small portable computer with her. She stated matter-of-factly that it was her third computer. She sat at the front desk and cruised the internet on the receptionists' computer until she found her favorite internet game. Is it called an addiction when the afflicted is only six?

I have always had a habit of checking my favorite new sites online. Sometimes, I would hit the same five websites four times an hour, almost disappointed to discover that there had been no major catastrophes since the last time I checked, ten minutes prior. Now that I have started my own webpage, I have caught myself checking my statistics for visits up to ten times per hour! This doesn't include the Instant Messaging and emailing in which I also use to combat boredom.

The internet is filled with information and it is wonderful that so many of us seek knowledge, and even a social life, online. However, it is imperative that we use caution and moderation as our guide. Nothing can replace a warm smile, a soft touch, or a lively conversation in which we can look our companion in the eye and communicate honestly.

Like any addiction, surfing the web can give us the greatest rush just before the fall, causing us to lose friends, families and possibly ourselves.

UPDATE: THERE IS NOW A REHAB CLINIC FOR INTERNET ADDICTION. CLICK LINK TO READ ABCNEWS.COM REPORT:Internet Rehab