How many of our current social problems are side effects?
As a Christian I believe that the ultimate problem in society is sin. For today lets go in a different direction. Many people reject the idea that the problem is innate in human nature and look at the structures of society for the cause of problems. Today we will pretend that we are on the same page.
How many everyday actions are poisoning our bodies and our minds but we don’t pay any attention? The change may be so slow we don’t notice it. It may effect everyone so we have nothing to compare it to.
How many people go through subtle changes in personality due to medications they are taking? This is more common than we want to admit. If you have lived with someone who has gone through major surgery you may have wondered about it. Yes, it is true. They are not the person they were before. They have been anaesthetized and altered. Their nervous system has been messed with. It makes a difference. How much of it is permanent and how much will return to normal? Add to that over-the-counter meds and herbal supplements.
Education can change behavior. Sometimes it is for the good, sometimes the bad. Broader horizons and greater understanding can make you hard to live with. So can false information and one sided convictions.
How about food additives? I am not a zealous believer on this issue. I think a lot of noise is made by people who have strong opinions and believe they are right even when the evidence is not there. But on one level it makes sense. When you add chemicals to food it changes the composition of the food. It stands to reason that in certain people at certain times it can cause a change.
Perfumes, deodorants and lotions all contain some kinds of chemicals. For that matter, soap changes the natural bacteria levels of the skin. I have had reactions to hair spray. It is too much to assume that this can effect your emotional balance or how you reason? Think of all the gases I breathe each day in my middle school class.
Does the biannual time change cause depression or hyperactivity? Does it cause murders or road rage? It disrupts our daily routine, why not our biological functions?
Once you start looking you can find so many influences on our behavior that it becomes hopeless.
I think I will stay on the theory of original sin.
homo unius libri
LOL - I think both may be correct. Actually, I KNOW the one is.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't agree I might call you indecisive.
DeleteGrace and Peace
I have a buddy who is convinced that pharmakeia (sorceries in Revelation) refers to chemicals and drugs used to change people in much the way you discuss in this post. It certainly bears thinking about.
ReplyDeleteLike your reaction to hair spray, I've found myself in recent years violently reactive to certain artificial perfumes. God made our bodies wonderfully (Ps 139.14). Is it hard to believe that evil men would want to manipulate and harm human bodily functioning for their own ends, or even just for profit?
So maybe it's both.
Thanks for the creative thinking. Glad to have stumbled onto your blog. Will keep reading...
Alec
Welcome, Alec. I was not aware that there was a technical word for my flight of fancy. One of the blessings I see is that in general God designed our bodies to deal with the abuse we ladle out. Being God, He tends to think of things like that, but sometimes we cooperate too much with the sin that even permeates nature.
DeleteGrace and peace