One of the more awesome sights you can witness is a salmon run. Your heart will swell with compassion for these determined creatures seeking mightily to return to the place of their birthing.
One part of you will be cheering for their courage and heart as they fight their way upstream-even up and over waterfalls-their skin turning color as they are dying on this one final effort--to reach the place where they were born. Finally, there, to lay the vital eggs that will carry their species on into the future.
But pity will swell in another part of you. Bad as it is that these valiant creatures must fight their way upstream, flesh dying even as they struggle--they are seen as a windfall of good fortune by all manner of vultures and hunters. From birds to bears to humans, all seek to increase their lot at the expense of the salmon caught up in their heroic battle.
This may seem strange to you, but I found myself suddenly seeing a profound similarity between these courageous fish and the modern day dieter.
Like the salmon, the dieter wants to go home--the home of the last good weight. The dieter seeks also to give birth--birth to new respect and dignity. To be in public, free of the glares and stares-to be able to proudly face a mirror-rather than to endure the reflected failure. The dieter's longings are simple: to be able to sit in a moment of true silence--inner silence, free of the constant self badgering and self incrimination.
More than 90% of these struggling dieters fail to reach the blissful fields of home. The stream they fight against is filled with personal monsters. From undesirable hand-me-downs of heredity to the dark psychological demons that lurk in the shadows to commercial chemical pirates who scheme to win by tampering with our food. From aging and slowing metabolisms, weary from the passing of time to war torn metabolisms, bruised and damaged from previous battles upstream in search for home.
The parallel does not stop here. While tens of millions of dieters struggle with the challenge of finding home, they too are seen as easy prey to the human varieties of hunters and vultures. Money-mesmerized drug companies, sleazy marketing companies, infomercial, snake-oil hucksters, wannabe yacht owners from dozens of professions--all jury rigging signposts that proclaim "The Home You Seek is This Way!"
This last fact is the fork in the road for salmon and dieters. The salmon is born with the map to "home" imprinted in its genes. Dieters are not so blessed. And the result is that every money-hungry, morally deficient capitalist on the loose, is out trying to sell bogus maps to hopeful dieters trying to find their way.
And yet, again and again, the courageous dieter will once more enter the stream of battle. Aware, even fearful of the dangers, but yearning even more to find that illusive place called home.
My hat is off to all you dieters out there. For you are all truly unsung heroes. It is my sincerest wish that you one day find home and the sweet peace for which you yearn. - 15255
One part of you will be cheering for their courage and heart as they fight their way upstream-even up and over waterfalls-their skin turning color as they are dying on this one final effort--to reach the place where they were born. Finally, there, to lay the vital eggs that will carry their species on into the future.
But pity will swell in another part of you. Bad as it is that these valiant creatures must fight their way upstream, flesh dying even as they struggle--they are seen as a windfall of good fortune by all manner of vultures and hunters. From birds to bears to humans, all seek to increase their lot at the expense of the salmon caught up in their heroic battle.
This may seem strange to you, but I found myself suddenly seeing a profound similarity between these courageous fish and the modern day dieter.
Like the salmon, the dieter wants to go home--the home of the last good weight. The dieter seeks also to give birth--birth to new respect and dignity. To be in public, free of the glares and stares-to be able to proudly face a mirror-rather than to endure the reflected failure. The dieter's longings are simple: to be able to sit in a moment of true silence--inner silence, free of the constant self badgering and self incrimination.
More than 90% of these struggling dieters fail to reach the blissful fields of home. The stream they fight against is filled with personal monsters. From undesirable hand-me-downs of heredity to the dark psychological demons that lurk in the shadows to commercial chemical pirates who scheme to win by tampering with our food. From aging and slowing metabolisms, weary from the passing of time to war torn metabolisms, bruised and damaged from previous battles upstream in search for home.
The parallel does not stop here. While tens of millions of dieters struggle with the challenge of finding home, they too are seen as easy prey to the human varieties of hunters and vultures. Money-mesmerized drug companies, sleazy marketing companies, infomercial, snake-oil hucksters, wannabe yacht owners from dozens of professions--all jury rigging signposts that proclaim "The Home You Seek is This Way!"
This last fact is the fork in the road for salmon and dieters. The salmon is born with the map to "home" imprinted in its genes. Dieters are not so blessed. And the result is that every money-hungry, morally deficient capitalist on the loose, is out trying to sell bogus maps to hopeful dieters trying to find their way.
And yet, again and again, the courageous dieter will once more enter the stream of battle. Aware, even fearful of the dangers, but yearning even more to find that illusive place called home.
My hat is off to all you dieters out there. For you are all truly unsung heroes. It is my sincerest wish that you one day find home and the sweet peace for which you yearn. - 15255
About the Author:
Stephen Bartlay is a researcher and writer. Plagued by a faulty metabolism from birth, discovering the secrets of effective weight control has become Stephen's passion. He is sharing what he has learned on his website. Stephen, the author of "Binge Busters - Special Report", invites you to visit him at http://WhyWeight.info to discover new insights that will help you in your own efforts at weight control.
