As I write this I’ve just returned to my motel room after sharing a meal with a lovely, French speaking, African family, in Canada! The meal was a mix of traditional African foods and included what looked like a harmless finely diced tomato salsa. However, not all is always as it appears.
Yes, you’re right! After loading a generous amount to the back of my fork, to go with the roasted chicken I was only starting to enjoy, I quickly discovered the harmless looking tomato was, in fact, freshly made chilli sauce, cleverly disguised to catch out the naive tourist.
Most of us would subscribe (at least in principle) to the wisdom of “all things in moderation”. Yet in practice we often don’t follow this and it’s not always because we’re ignorant of the consequences.
This isn’t a new topic. Over 2000 years ago Jesus is recorded as saying “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?” Even way back then people could be driven to extremes.
So what causes people to pursue anything to an extreme, even when the proverbial chilli starts to burn? All things in moderation except… beer… or shopping… or exercise… or pornography… or my career advancement… or… fill in the blank.
What causes people to pursue anything to an extreme? The answer is found in another question. What is the unmet need for which the person is trying to compensate?
If there is a compulsion driving you, it is the master and you are the slave.
Or if you’ve been feeling like you need to sort some stuff out so you can get back in control, perhaps it’s time to dig a little deeper and discover the root causes behind the choices you are living to regret.
Maybe you can have your chilli and enjoy it too. Or maybe your life is spicy enough without it but you just haven’t noticed yet.
Email talk@counsellingservices.net.au if there is chilli in your life you’d like to talk about.