Slavery, Not Freedom

We have been learning a lot about this marvelous body of ours. We now know that there are basic rules to life and health which, if carefully followed, will assure us happier living. Our body was designed to function smoothly, to keep our feeling comfortable, if we cooperate with these laws.

But these laws do not include harmful chemical and addicting drugs such as are found in tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea, cola drinks or drugs in pill forms.

But we say, "I want freedom to think and do as I please." Is there freedom without law? No, only chaos. We may not believe the law, but that doesn't change it. We may say, "There is no such a law as gravity," but if we jump from the top of a high-rise apartment, the results of our landing will be the same whether we believe the law of gravity or not. Our body runs by a set of rules built in by its great Designer. Observing these laws isn't a question of sacrifice or restriction. It's just good common sense to feel better and live longer.

We are constantly bombarded with advertising and slogans which offer escape from life's monotony and boredom or discomfort. When we can't sleep, we take a drug. When we can't lose weight, we take a drug. When we have a stomachache from overeating or over drinking, we take a drug. When the party slows down, don't reach for conversation, reach for a drug (alcohol).

Doesn't it make more sense to prevent these conditions? Rather than taking a sleeping pill, crawl into a bath of warm water for 30 minutes or more. Isn't better to miss some sleep than to form the habit of taking sedative drugs? Rather than taking a stomach medicine or a headache pill, why not learn to avoid tension and overeating?

Rather than taking a stimulant such as caffeine to keep us awake, which also ruins our nerves and makes us more tired, irritable and prematurely old, isn't it better to get adequate rest and recreation?

To have the kind of total health we are seeking, we must be in full command of our mental and physical powers at all times. Anything that destroys, perverts, or disturbs our mind is health-destroying. When we numb our brain or alter our thinking with the use of drugs, whether they are legal or illegal, what is the effect? We become less sensitive to our surroundings and our body needs, less aware of the rights and moods of your fellowmen. We are dictated to, not so much by reason, as by the toxic substances we have taken into our body. We are no longer free to think, but are a slave to the stimulant or depressant (sedative) that controls us.

This is not freedom, but the worst kind of slavery.

The Voice of Prophecy
The picture is taken from Black History - Black History from an African American Perspective