[TAO] Five Flavors! Five Sounds! Five Colors! Now with More Everything!

“Five colors blind the eyes.
Five sounds deafen the ears.
Five flavors numb the mouth.”
— Tao te Ching, Chapter 12

According to the Tao te Ching’s ancient wisdom, too much of anything is a bad thing.

But you didn’t need an ancient Chinese manuscript to tell you that, did you?

Overindulgence in food made me obese. I ate too much. I ate without restraint. I ate without regard for quality or nutrition. Worse, I ate without thinking.

Often, I gobbled things down so quickly I barely tasted them. Even more often, I ate long past the point of satisfaction, packing food in long after my belly felt full. My blood pressure skyrocketed. My legs began swelling. My breath wheezed in my throat. My gall bladder failed. Small wonder.

How much better:

– to eat more good food

– to eat less bad food

– to make better choices

– to savor each bite

– to relish the occasional treat

– to feel more alive.

My drug of choice was food. Yours might be television, or alcohol, or work, or any number of distractions or fears: whatever keeps you from being as awake and aware and alive as you can be.

Here’s an ancient Chinese secret for you, then: A little less of a good thing can make life much richer.