Habits That Are Dangerous To Your Health

Vacillation of mind

Vacillation of mind is a common fault. Many small questions have to be
settled and a few important ones. Some are in the habit of deferring
their decisions from time to time, or making and revoking their
decisions. Then they decide over again, after which there is another
revocation. This is repeated until it is absolutely necessary to make a
final decision. By this time the mind is so muddled that the chances are
that the last decision will be inferior to the first one. No one who
leads an active life can be right all the time. He who is right six
times out of ten does pretty well, and he who can make a correct
decision three times out of four can command a fine salary as an
executive or build up a flourishing business of his own, if his mind is
active.

The doubt and uncertainty which result from unsettled questions, which
should be promptly decided, are more harmful than an occasional error.
The untroubled mind works most quickly and truly.

Related to this in minor key is the doubtful condition of mind where the
individual has to do things several times before he is sure they are
properly done. For instance, there is the man who must try the office
door several times to be sure that it is locked and after being
satisfied on this point he is obliged to unlock it and investigate the
condition of the safe door. Then it is necessary to attend to the office
door two or three times again. This kind of doubtfulness takes many
forms. It does no special harm except that it leads to much waste of
time. Such people should teach themselves concentration, thinking about
one thing only at a time, until they learn that when a thing is done it
is properly done.

Judging

Many insist on passing judgment on everything and everybody
that come to their notice. Every individual has to be placed with the
sheep or the goats. This is a great waste of time. Each one of us can
know so little about the majority of individuals we meet and of the vast
volume of knowledge that is to be had that if we try to judge everyone
and everything, our opinions become worthless. Wise people are never
afraid to say, "I don't know." If it is necessary to judge, let there be
kindness.



Volunteering Advice

This is another annoying habit. It is very well
to give advice if it is desired and asked for, otherwise it is a waste
of time. Take a person with a cold, for example: If he meets twenty
people he may be told of fifteen different cures for it, ranging from
goose grease on a red rag to suggestive therapeutics. If he were to act
upon all the advice received there would probably be a funeral. It is
best to be sparing with advice. Those who have any that is worth while
will be asked for it and paid for their trouble. Free advice is
generally worth what it costs.


Cranks

Many allow themselves to get into a mental rut with their
thoughts running almost entirely to one subject. This is a mild form of
insanity, for normal people have many interests. These people are the
cranks. They can talk volumes about their favorite topic, often of no
importance. It may be some peculiar religion or ethics; or that Bacon
wrote the plays of Shakespeare; or some health fad, or almost any
subject.

Of all the cranks the diet crank is one of the most annoying, for he has
three good opportunities to air his views each day. With the best
meaning in the world he does more harm to the cause of food reform than
do the advocates of living in the good old way, eating, drinking and
being merry and dying young. When people become possessed of too much
zeal and enthusiasm regarding a subject, they are sure that their
knowledge is the truth and they insist upon trying to enforce their way
upon others, resent having their old habits interfered with forcibly.
Those who are too persistent and insistent produce antagonism and
prejudice in the minds of others, and then it is almost impossible to
impart the truth to them, for they will neither see nor hear.

To be able to influence others for better is a grand and glorious thing,
but it is well to remember that we can not force knowledge which is
contrary to popular thought upon others suddenly. Those who change a
well rooted opinion generally do so gradually. When they first hear the
truth, they say it is ridiculous. After a while they think there may be
something in it. At last they see its superiority over their former
opinions and accept it. It requires infinite patience on the part of the
educators to impart unpopular knowledge to other adults, no matter how
much truth it contains.

The truth about physical well-being is so simple and so self-evident
that it is exceptionally hard to get an unprejudiced audience. From the
time when the ancient heathen priests were the healers until today the
impression has been that health and healing are beyond the understanding
of the common mind, and therefore people are willing to be mystified.
The mysterious has such a strong appeal in this world of uncertainties
that it is more attractive than the simple truth. Mystery simply demands
faith. The truth compels thinking and thoughts are often painful.

By all means, avoid being over insistent in trying to impart health
knowledge to others. All who have a little knowledge of the fundamentals
of health and growth know that useful men and women are going into
degeneration and premature death constantly, because of violated health
laws. If these people on the brink, who can yet be saved by natural
means, are told how it can be done, they generally either refuse to
believe it, or they have led such self-indulgent lives that it is beyond
their power to change. The knowledge often comes too late.

Those who are anxious to do good in the spreading of health knowledge
among their friends can serve best by getting health themselves. If a
physical wreck evolves into good health there will be considerable
comment and inquiry. This is the opportunity to tell what nature will do
and inform others where to obtain a good interpretation of nature's
workings.

A little practicing is worth more than a great deal of preaching. The
truth is the truth, no matter what the source, but it is more effective
if it comes from one who lives it.

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