From the Editor's Computer
Just because someone is afraid to die, does not mean they have the will or desire to live.
Just because someone is tired of being sick, does not mean that they want to be healthy.
We could go on and on, coming up with endless examples. The bottom line is the motivation behind the behaviour. What is motivating you in your life? The desire to avoid something? Or the desire for something?
While on the surface, those two questions may seem to be the same, they aren't as the initial sentences show.
Being afraid of death just means that you are afraid to die (which incidentally, we're all going to do at some point, no exemptions). Fear of death does not lead to any quality of life. In fact, it often leads to the opposite - a living death as the person is frequently too scared to do anything with their life. They end up consumed by fear in all areas of their life.
On the other hand, the will to live - and thus live a full life - causes you to make completely different decisions. Decisions that are life-affirming and life-enhancing. The decisions will also tend to benefit those around us, not just ourselves.
Being tired of being sick just means you are tired of feeling the way you do. It really doesn't provide any incentive to be healthy. You can feel sick of being sick and produce a different illness so you don't feel the way you did. You haven't cured or healed anything, you've merely transferred it to another part of your body.
If your motivation is health, not only will you make healthy food, exercise and lifestyle choices, you will be motivated by whatever it is that is important in your life and gives you a reason to get up in the morning and greet the day.
Basing your choices on a desire to avoid something limits your growth and potential. On the other hand, basing choices on a desire for something leads to a great quality of life.
Beth
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