You didn't miss it until it was gone--Kayla Gill
Extra-Credit Post: 10/15/18
Can you recall the kinds of things men say when they are sick?
What things?
That nothing, after all, is more precious than health. But until they became ill they had no idea that health is the greatest of all the pleasures.
There is an old saying that says, "You do not appreciate what you have until it is gone." This is discussed in chapter nine of the Republic. We tend to get caught up in pointless troubles and do not appreciate things in life that matter. The speakers in this chapter (again I can never figure out who is talking) recognize this. They openly say that no one even notices the pleasure of good health until it is taken away from them. This should encourage everyone to thank God daily for the things you have. You never know who is struggling with something that you do not even notice. There is a small story about gratefulness I remember as a kid. It talks about a man who sees a guy driving a car and is jealous because he only has a bike. Then a man sees the man on the bike and complains because he has to walk. Then a man in a wheelchair sees the man walking and complains because he has to sit in a wheelchair all the time. Then, lastly, a man in his deathbed sees the man in the wheel chair and is sad because he can not even see the outside world anymore. This simple parable reminds us that someone else always has it worse. Appreciate what you have. You never know when it'll be taken away from you.
Can you recall the kinds of things men say when they are sick?
What things?
That nothing, after all, is more precious than health. But until they became ill they had no idea that health is the greatest of all the pleasures.
There is an old saying that says, "You do not appreciate what you have until it is gone." This is discussed in chapter nine of the Republic. We tend to get caught up in pointless troubles and do not appreciate things in life that matter. The speakers in this chapter (again I can never figure out who is talking) recognize this. They openly say that no one even notices the pleasure of good health until it is taken away from them. This should encourage everyone to thank God daily for the things you have. You never know who is struggling with something that you do not even notice. There is a small story about gratefulness I remember as a kid. It talks about a man who sees a guy driving a car and is jealous because he only has a bike. Then a man sees the man on the bike and complains because he has to walk. Then a man in a wheelchair sees the man walking and complains because he has to sit in a wheelchair all the time. Then, lastly, a man in his deathbed sees the man in the wheel chair and is sad because he can not even see the outside world anymore. This simple parable reminds us that someone else always has it worse. Appreciate what you have. You never know when it'll be taken away from you.
Countless times in life I have taken many things, and even a few people, for granted. Only hindsight revealed to me what I truly lost. Many of us, me at the very least, take the basic necessities of life as something we deserve. God is gracious to allow us another breath, and yet we assume we have years to shape our lives. I've been blessed with a relatively healthy life, avoiding cancer, illnesses, and many disabilities. Socrates described the importance of health, and I'm sitting at my desk while consuming substantial doses of caffeine to keep me awake. If I take anything from this reading, I hope it is thanking God for everything He has done in my life.
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