But man hath perversely continued to serve his lustful appetites, and he would not content himself with simple foods. Rather, he prepared for himself food that was compounded of many ingredients, of substances differing one from the other. With this, and with the perpetrating of vile and ignoble acts, his attention was engrossed, and he abandoned the temperance and moderation of a natural way of life. The result was the engendering of diseases both violent and diverse. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 152-153)
This is a scary quote for me because it means that if I want to have good health, I have to change the way I think about a lot of things: I need to stop serving my lustful appetites (comfort eating, getting lost in social media, every addiction etc).
I need to be content with simple foods with simple ingredients (no packaged food, casseroles, most recipes). I wonder what this means for Bahá’í pot lucks in the future!
And I need to stop perpetrating vile and ignoble acts (shameful, depraved, base, despicable, ugly, unworthy, worthless, wretched, evil, morally bad or wrong, immoral, unethical or perverted).
In addition to the more obvious breaking of Bahá’í law, this means I also need to give up things like telling or listening to tasteless jokes, taking advantage of others, selling shoddy goods, being in a bad mood, having a bad attitude, swearing, lying and backbiting. “Ignoble” also means “common” and “completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose”, so in this age of the decline of the old world order, pretty much everything everyone around us is doing, will endanger our health if we don’t align our behavior with the Bahá’í Writings.
To protect myself from violent and diverse diseases, I need to focus on temperance and moderation as a way of life, and I am grateful to know these steps I can take.
What jumped out for you as you read today’s meditation? I’d love it if you would share so we can all expand our knowledge of the Writings!
If you liked this meditation, you might also like my book Making Friends with Sin and Temptation
In recent months I have made changes in my nutrition which includes eating less and less often – just twice a day in a 6 hour food window. I have learned the meaning of ‘satiety’ which indicates that the body is truly satisfied with nutrient-dense foods that are simple and whole. The word ‘satiation’, on the other hand, refers to a mental/emotional satisfaction that is more anticipatory than real. It leads to overeating and endless snacking. This experience has freed me to spend time on other activities and services without being preoccupied with food every waking hour.
That’s such a great point, Eric, thank you for sharing! It reminds me of some of the stories of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s simple diet at: http://www.bahaistories.com/quotepage.php?Stories%2FDiet
Bless you, Susan. I believe
in the precepts of wise food
combining, and our Central
Figures knew when to rest
our stomachs. Surely the
principle of simplicity and proper associations goes far beyond food: we avoid toxic social interactions
as well.
O yes, this is absolutely true, Steve! Toxic social interactions are just as bad for us as toxic food. In the Hidden Words, Baha’u’llah tells us in 3 places to “Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.” (Baha’u’llah, The Persian Hidden Words 3); “The company of the ungodly increaseth sorrow, whilst fellowship with the righteous cleanseth the rust from off the heart. (Baha’u’llah, The Persian Hidden Words 56) and “Walk not with the ungodly and seek not fellowship with him, for such companionship turneth the radiance of the heart into infernal fire. (Baha’u’llah, The Persian Hidden Words 57)
As we get older (Yikes) we realize that we really need less and want less. This has a problem or two. How do we get rid of all the things we no longer need and what is there to look forward to? I am sure we eat less as our resources dwindle and travel less as insurance rates rise and resources lower.
Contentment and good health really come from relationships with others, spouses and friends as well as rest and activities. Do not forget the friendship of your pets, petting a dog really lowers your blood pressure. Prayer also yields contentment and health.
Well said, Alan! I’m also grateful for the healing power of cat purrs!
Thank you Susan for being in my facebook lineup. It is very educational to come across your take on things according to the writings. It took severe chronic illness to force me to eat little and simply. All sweets are eliminated and now my body is in the shape it should be. I can live like this till I die.
Congratulations Gina! Thanks so much for sharing this inspiration with us. I’m sorry for your chronic illnesses and happy you were able to use them for the benefit of others as well as yourself!
Thank you for this meditation. I have been taking greater care over the past few years of having simpler foods and this has been of great benefit to my health. I also realise that I need to be equally as cautious with what nutrition I ingest for my mind and soul. Information that causes anger, depression or sadness is prevalent in the media but I do not have to ingest it. I can be more discerning about what I choose to watch, read and hear. There are those things that involuntarily are ingested and I have to take time to process and eliminate them. Taking time regularly to read the writings, say prayers, meditate and offer service is what nourishes my soul and my mind. As I think about and have elevated conversations my thoughts are more positive and I am grateful. It is daily practice…
These are such important reminders, Oonagh! Thanks for joining in the conversation!
Do you have any thoughts as to what is meant by differing foods? The Tablet to the Physician mentions this as well, and I have never understood it. For example, we wouldn’t be likely to sit down to a meal of a bowl of rice, a plate of carrots, etc.
Any insights are welcome!
The wonderful thing about this Faith is that Baha’u’llah has told us that every word has 70 and 1 meanings, so I too would LOVE to hear what others have to say! I’ve always understood it to mean that we should find an alternative to pot lucks! There are some wonderful stories of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s simple diet that might give us a glimpse. http://www.bahaistories.com/quotepage.php?Stories%2FDiet
Interesting stories. It seems that the meals the Master ate definitely consisted of more than one substance.
Yes, but they weren’t mixed (as in lasagne for example).
Hello, Amanda. Many believe
in food compatibility theory,
which I thing is real fact. You
can easily look up charts for
healthy food combining. Now
we know some historic pairings like tomato sauce on
pasta are not good! The blood-type and lectin
avoidance diets also take a
closer look at these specifics.
Thanks for the reminder about food combining Steve! That’s definitely an excellent place to start. There are many charts showing what combines well but this is my favorite: https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthy-weight-loss-help.com%2Fimages%2Ffoodchart.png&f=1
Thank you, Susan, for these insights. After looking at the combination chart that Susan has included after Steve’s comments, I don’t see any evidence not to combine wheat (which is pasta) with tomatoes (which is the base of most pasta sauces). Nor do I see ‘poor’ as a connection between cheese and tomatoes, or cheese and wheat. I have no difficulty in ‘combining’ these foods into a casserole, as they are equally combined in one’s stomach if they had been consumed separately. Pot lucks often feature simple foods–they are offered to others as they would have been at home. I think there is definitely room for pot-luck bread-breaking in our social lives–only choose to consume those items that one feels is healthy to one’s diet. Moderation in all things, even pot-lucks!
Good points Kathie! Thanks for adding to the discussion. I think where I get into trouble with food combining is mixing pasta with meat. And I find it hard to cut out sandwiches, for the same reason! It’s definitely a discipline that will get easier when more people around us are doing it.
This has been thought provoking to me. After ruminating (forgive the pun) for a few days, I would take it to mean that we can eliminate foods that have complex additives. Look at the ingredients on a loaf of bread . . . as opposed to home made bread that has flour, yeast, oil, salt, sugar and sometimes milk. In addition, a home made loaf of bread costs about a dollar to make (compared to three or four times that amount to purchase). The same goes with other baked goods – from scratch is a fraction of the cost and no additives.
As with all things, I think we need moderation. My guilty pleasure is a hot dog from Costco (I would never buy a package of hot dogs). Whatever we eat, however, I think your Blog reminded me of the need to be mindful of what we consume (and as others have pointed out – that’s not limited to food!).
Wonderful contribution to our discussion, Susan. Thank you!