It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.
-Greek saying
Health, good, food and rest are treasures which are only valued through their opposites.
Yet, the Buddhadharma helps us to tread the Middle Way between such opposites.
For if we value health too greatly, then we may come to fear sickness unreasonably.
Such a fear may lead to becoming obsessed with health to the point where it is a form of nervous disorder called orthorexia.
If we value good too greatly, then we may come to fear evil unreasonably.
As a result of such a fear, we may have pretensions of being good while unfairly judging others.
If we fear hunger unreasonably, then we may be prone to overeat. We may even start to hoard food.
And when we value rest unreasonably, we may come to sleep our lives away!
Thus, the Buddhadharma urges us to balance sickness and health, good and evil, food and hunger, exertion and rest.
For it is wise to value health, good, food and rest in moderation.
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