BLOATING AMIDST THE CHANGES
BLOATING AMIDST THE CHANGES
August is winding down and autumnal changes are taking place. I can sense them in the air, feel them resonate throughout my body, my mind. I am aware. The days grow shorter, the population is on the rise as students pour in to prepare for the onset of their college careers. I have been feeling bloated and thirsty over the course of the last couple of days, and although I am partly inclined to inquire about the cause of the physical ailments, I am more inclined to inquire about what the sensations represent metaphorically. The bloating seems to represent an overabundance, whereas the thirst seems to symbolize a lack of or yearning for something that I need or desire. So why not consume more liquids to slake the thirst? Because liquids only serve to increase the bloating symptoms all the more. Perhaps too much milk may underlie the distress. But if so, why do I enjoy the milk? Indeed, why do people enjoy things that bring about feelings of discomfort? Consider this if you will. Many (partying campus-dwellers come to mind here) indulge in binges of alcohol consumption and thereby suffer the same symptoms as I have been experiencing as of late. Despite the unease that they experience after a binge, the payoff is greater than the sacrifice in their way of thinking. The camaraderie, the free-flowing conversation, the lack of inhibition, the spontaneous laughter all make the event one of fond memory. In a paradoxical sense, partying is the ultimate source of well-being, and thereby a “religion” is made of this type of lifestyle—namely “hedonism”: fueled by the pleasure principle and instant gratification. But the security of dogma has a cost. On the other hand, I am a teetotaler, and for the most part, I am withdrawn and introverted. I prefer milk to beer and running legs to running mouths. I am a stereotypical “health nut”. But perhaps I have made a “religion” of the “fitness” lifestyle. But the security of dogma comes with a cost. Perhaps I am learning to prepare for classes—to prepare before the commencement of fall and winter to socialize more than usual during this time of year and to allow some otherwise “forbidden” grains (barley and hops, mind you) into my diet. Perhaps this is obvious to many—a revelation only to myself. If that is the case, I suppose I am just a visionary idiot. Again, I can only laugh at myself. And one final thought…is it possible that the milk is a metaphor for infancy and general nourishment? Do I crave the security of childhood? If this is the case, what might the abstinence from alcohol symbolize? The running? Fear? Yes, I suppose all behaviors can be couched in terms of fear. But is the fear detrimental or advantageous to the evolution of the human being…or should I say the “spiritual being”? These are questions that can only be answered by the “individual”.
August is winding down and autumnal changes are taking place. I can sense them in the air, feel them resonate throughout my body, my mind. I am aware. The days grow shorter, the population is on the rise as students pour in to prepare for the onset of their college careers. I have been feeling bloated and thirsty over the course of the last couple of days, and although I am partly inclined to inquire about the cause of the physical ailments, I am more inclined to inquire about what the sensations represent metaphorically. The bloating seems to represent an overabundance, whereas the thirst seems to symbolize a lack of or yearning for something that I need or desire. So why not consume more liquids to slake the thirst? Because liquids only serve to increase the bloating symptoms all the more. Perhaps too much milk may underlie the distress. But if so, why do I enjoy the milk? Indeed, why do people enjoy things that bring about feelings of discomfort? Consider this if you will. Many (partying campus-dwellers come to mind here) indulge in binges of alcohol consumption and thereby suffer the same symptoms as I have been experiencing as of late. Despite the unease that they experience after a binge, the payoff is greater than the sacrifice in their way of thinking. The camaraderie, the free-flowing conversation, the lack of inhibition, the spontaneous laughter all make the event one of fond memory. In a paradoxical sense, partying is the ultimate source of well-being, and thereby a “religion” is made of this type of lifestyle—namely “hedonism”: fueled by the pleasure principle and instant gratification. But the security of dogma has a cost. On the other hand, I am a teetotaler, and for the most part, I am withdrawn and introverted. I prefer milk to beer and running legs to running mouths. I am a stereotypical “health nut”. But perhaps I have made a “religion” of the “fitness” lifestyle. But the security of dogma comes with a cost. Perhaps I am learning to prepare for classes—to prepare before the commencement of fall and winter to socialize more than usual during this time of year and to allow some otherwise “forbidden” grains (barley and hops, mind you) into my diet. Perhaps this is obvious to many—a revelation only to myself. If that is the case, I suppose I am just a visionary idiot. Again, I can only laugh at myself. And one final thought…is it possible that the milk is a metaphor for infancy and general nourishment? Do I crave the security of childhood? If this is the case, what might the abstinence from alcohol symbolize? The running? Fear? Yes, I suppose all behaviors can be couched in terms of fear. But is the fear detrimental or advantageous to the evolution of the human being…or should I say the “spiritual being”? These are questions that can only be answered by the “individual”.
posted by Todd Reinhard at 3:52 AM
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