The Whimsical Eater

Freedom can only express itself within well-defined boundaries. We are most restricted when we reject such limits. A sculptor begins with a block of marble. He has both everything and nothing before him; potentially everything and actually nothing. It is his vision that sets the boundaries and directs his hands to subtract what does not belong and preserve what does. It is through this process of elimination that his creation is set free. Something meaningful is liberated from meaningful and meaningless. Clearly, boundaries define, they do not confine. It is within these boundaries that we become something unique. Included is everything we are. Excluded is everything we are not.

A rational and effective life is circumscribed by many principles. The notion that these principles are restrictive is not only erroneous; it is diametrically opposed to the truth. You may avoid living in accordance with those immutable laws that govern life, but this will not absolve you of the consequences. To live capriciously, making choices based only upon the way you feel is to be held captive by your nervous system. Unable to break free, you lament that anything other than whim is restrictive. In truth, it is your impulses that are imprisoning you; unwilling to let you grow and further evolve.

Countless times I have heard the defense: “but you’ve got to live.” And countless times I have replied:  “precisely, so take action that is consistent with life.”  Most of us live according to the dictates of social and cultural forces. Life, however, is ruled by natural forces. To recognize this is to acknowledge, perhaps painfully, the finitude of our existence. But it is our finitude that sets us free. Beyond these borders lies something trapped, amorphous, uncertain and undefined. To have everything is to have nothing.

The “whimsical eater” must have what he wants when he wants it, or life is not worth living. Worse than this, he doesn’t know or care why he wants it. Anything that disallows his impulses to lead the way is deemed too restrictive, not practical, and unsustainable. But man is insatiable and will always want more, no matter how much he has devoured.

Helplessly chasing every desire that flirts with you is by no means freedom. It is the ultimate slavery. You are held captive by your impulses. Any random stimulus can cause them to run wild, creating an emotional stampede, violently dragging you behind one foot caught in the stirrup. Don’t mistake the wind in your hair and the dust in your mouth for freedom. Regain your equanimity as fast as possible. Climb back into the saddle and take hold of the reins. Harness the power that carries you. Be guided by your plans not your nerves. You decide the destination and you calculate the route. Bridle your sensations and tame your desires. Live passionately within those boundaries that clearly define your purpose and meaning.

Escape from the wide open undefined wilderness where you perpetually run from commitment yet search for meaning, to a distinct place where you are simultaneously bound and set free by your own uniqueness; a place that has a beginning and an end; a place that has meaning; a place that is ruled by the mind, and no longer terrorized by the “whimsical eater”. 

As a natural health consultant for over 25 years Mark Houllif has been teaching the scientific principles of health promotion. The goal is to guide the individual back to health using natural and nutritonal methods. By removing the causes of disease and establishing conditions of health we allow the body to most powerfully manifest its natural healing tendencies.