Avoiding the Slippery Slope

colinchamp May 5, 2022 3 Comments

Whether it’s circling the parking lot for that closest spot, or replacing our historically physical methods to satisfy our inner need and desire to hunt and gather with the click of a mouse, or the millions of other shortcuts and conveniences modern life presents us, one thing is abundantly clear; slippery slopes are all around us. Everywhere we turn, everywhere we look. Do we test our discipline, our ability to look down these slopes from above and avoid sliding down them, or do we admit defeat to ourselves and steer clear?

I used to think the slippery slopes were more apparent—those large obvious ledges that were easy to avoid. Get to the gym, get adequate sleep, avoid the candy aisle at the grocery store, don’t do drugs, etc. etc. And then things became less obvious. And next thing you know, you can live your entire life without leaving your house, requiring nothing more than a little wrist movement and the ability to click a mouse. Hand-washing dishes? A thing of the past. Mowing your lawn, shoveling your walk, clipping your hedges—not a big deal to outsource that to the kid down the street (or these days a lawn service). Cleaning your house—not a big deal to outsource that as well. Cooking breakfast and lunch is annoying, plus I stayed up late watching TV. The next thing you know, I am getting up late and mixing up a 3-second protein shake in the morning and an overpriced poor quality meal at work should work for lunch.

Actually, dinner is getting a bit annoying too, I’ll just order that out or buy a premade meal at the grocery store and—wait a minute—all of a sudden I am Wall-E. I went from outsourcing a couple things to morphing into a stationary pod-like existence where I am fed my meals through a straw.

OK, that might be a bit far, but not that far. In fact, it is scarily not far for a lot of society. Especially because it teaches us to crave convenience, avoid anything unpleasant, and shriek in front of difficulties and responsibility. And guess what, life is difficult and full of unpleasant aspects and much responsibility. Many very wise people would argue these difficulties are what builds character, makes life internally pleasurable over the long run (versus superficial transient pleasures), and provides us deep gratification and reward. In fact, many wise scholars and philosophers would argue you cannot have one without the other. And with that, the slippery slope becomes apparent.

Embracing the challenges of life, no matter how large or small, is rewarding. Embracing an Intentional Lifestyle is key. Teaching yourself that overcoming difficulties, constant mental and physical challenges, large and even very small, are normal aspects of daily life. Better yet, practicing on the small ones, like washing dishes, caring for the yard, and yes, even cleaning the home, may better prepare us for the larger ones. It may better prepare us to avoid that slippery slope.

I consider myself a very disciplined individual, but I also know my weaknesses and acknowledge how quickly any of us (and certainly myself) can fall off the edge of that slippery slope. As a result, my family embraces the physically and mentally challenging aspects of daily life, even incredible small, annoying, and silly ones. We hand wash our dishes. We do all our own yard work and manage our garden (immeasurably rewarding), we shovel the driveway and walkway, we clean the house, walk everywhere we can, get 8 hours of sleep per night (and more in the winter…well, so long as the kids permit it), cook every meal, and research every purchase we make to avoid slave labor and wasteful practices and instead support local and regional businesses. This may all seem extreme and even overboard to some of you, but it works well for us and keeps that slippery slope out of slight. (And judging from many of your messages to me, you do the same.)

The icing on the cake (that we rarely eat) is that our daughters observe all of this as a normal part of daily life and understand how important work ethic is and that life is an active endeavor where we are the drivers, not the passengers. No Wall-E’s allowed.

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