Most people who like to read can name a writer that has made a profound impact on them.  I'd like to hear about yours.  

One that comes to mind for me, who I have quoted quite a bit, is Roger Scruton.  

He has had a significant influence on me because for years I tried to fit together the pieces of the puzzle on some seemingly contradictory things:

• The US and UK are two of the wealthiest countries in the world.
• The US and UK are billed as the most "modern" and "progressive" in the world.
• The US and UK have the highest rates of mental illness in the world.
• The US and UK are the most individualistic, alienating, and atomized modern places in the world.
• There is a connection between culture and mental health.
• Scruton writes about love of home and about making a place in the world, and how this is necessary for a healthy society, including mental health.
• His work invokes many themes- art, science, music, architecture, sports, religion, sex, family, agriculture, philosophy, friendship, and politics.  
• All of these subjects are connected, just as all subjects are connected.

These are some quotes I wrote down from a series of essays I read of his, in a book format called "The Roger Scruton Reader." Enjoy:

10 Quotes from One of My Favorite Writers, Roger Scruton
 
“Without tradition, originality cannot exist: for it is only against a tradition that it becomes perceivable.  Tradition and originality are 2 components of a single process, whereby the individual makes himself known through his membership in the historical group.”
 
“There is an iron law of domination. Society requires organization and organization breeds control.”
 
(On modernity) “We are emphasizing the contract, but disregarding the membership.”
 
“We can, at any moment, turn away from desecration and ask ourselves instead what inspires us and what we should revere…We can turn our attention to things we love- the woods and streams of our native country, friends, and family, the ‘starry heavens above’ – and ask ourselves what they tell us about our lives on earth, and how that life should be lived.  And then we can look on the world of art, poetry, and music and know that there is a real difference between the sacrireligious, with which we are alone and troubled, and the beautiful with which we are in company and at home.”
 
“Aesthetic judgement matters, that it is not merely a subjective opinion…And, so it seemed to me, the aesthetics of modernism, with its denial of the past, its vandalization of the landscape and townscape, and its attempt to purge the world of history, was also a denial of community, home, and settlement.  Modernism in architecture was an attempt to remake the world as though it contained nothing save atomic individuals, disinfected of the past, and living like ants within their metallic and functional shells.”
 
“Real freedom, concrete freedom, the freedom that can actually be defined, claimed, and granted, was not the opposite of obedience but its other side.  The abstract, unreal freedom of the liberal intellect was really nothing more than childish disobedience, amplified into anarchy.” (commenting on the French riots of 1968 of which he was an observer)
 
“It was to observe, to know, to understand. And so I acquired the consciousness of death and dying, without which the world cannon be loved for what it is.”
 
“We should aim, not for a world without power, but for a world where power is peacefully exercised and where conflicts are resolved according to a conception of justice acceptable to those engaged in them.”
 
“Freedom consists, not in the absence of domination, but in the presence of a domination congenial to those contained by it.”
 
“To speak of coercion where there is need is to render freedom unobtainable.”
 
Philosophy isn't for everyone, but if you like reading about the intersection of everything, I recommend his work.

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Read Next: Walking is Meditation 
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* This is part of a year-long series called "52 Weeks to Eating better than Ever". Click on the side bar for more information and to read the previous essays.
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This one is going to make me a lot of enemies, I’m sure.  Everyone loves to go out to eat, including me, and some people even do it multiple times per day. The problems are many with this habit when it comes to healthy eating:

• Addiction- Restaurants serve a large dose of convenience (or laziness), fat, salt, and sugar, because that’s what stimulates your survival instincts and is addictive in food and what keeps you coming back for more.  

 

• Expense- Eating out is expensive! $10 per meal, 1 meal per day, is $3650 per year, which most people don’t have, and most meals cost much more than that. 

 

• Calories - Restaurant food is much higher in calories than eating at home, because you have control over portion sizes at home. 

All this considered….

Eating out is definitely for special occasions.  

Just following this one rule would allow many people to lose 10-20 pounds in one year and save thousands of dollars. The first restaurant in the world supposedly opened in Paris in 1765, and since then the business of eating has slowly expanded, and now exploded into an everyday thing.  But humans managed to survive for millions of years without eating out!  It’s become rare for families to eat dinner together every night at home, which is not good for our health, or our culture.  

Some have compared the devolution of cooking at home to the disappearance of sewing. Many people used to sew their own clothing, but once clothing became so inexpensive, people stopped sewing.  The problem with this theory is that eating out has not become inexpensive.  If anything, food prices and restaurant prices keep outpacing the inflation rate. Plus, there is nothing like hand made goods, or home-cooked foods. 

The average restaurant serves portions sizes 2-3 times the recommended amount.  As Americans, if we don’t get huge portions we feel cheated.  Trust me, I know, because I’ve felt this way!  Eating at home can correct our skewed ideas of what a healthy portion size is. Many people also falsely believe that eating out is faster.  Eating at home is much faster if you consider wait times, driving times, and factor in the time saved by preparing foods in bulk ahead of time.  

Let’s start a revolution.  Like many things which have declined in our culture, and been degraded, the great meal at home is one of them.  What happened to setting the table?  The dinner party? The blessing?  Taking the time to sit down and eat a home-cooked meal is one of the greatest pleasures of life, and it also helps us to slow down and reconnect with each other. The is a joyous occasion to commune, and to think about the things we are grateful for.

In the culture of “me”, where all “I” want and believe is all that really matters (in my own mind at least), we have been brainwashed into feeling guilty or “oppressed” about cooking for others, or even for ourselves.  Heaven forbid, we should serve others or something larger than ourselves!  Let’s change all that.  Let’s pick the ingredients, plan, execute, set the table, and serve.  Let’s linger at the table and enjoy.  We’ll be saving money, eating less, eating healthier, and enjoying each other’s company.
And on special occasions, we will go out to eat.  

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​Read Next: Why I Don't Discuss Politics, in General

* This is part of a year-long series called "52 Weeks to Eating better than Ever". Click on the side bar for more information and to read the previous essays.
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I recently had to have a tooth extraction, one which was dead from a sports injury which occurred years ago.  As a result, my dentist prescribed an antibiotic to prevent infection of the surgical area.  What was amazing to me was how many side effects I experienced because of this medication.  I know it was more than likely necessary, in the case of a major oral surgery, to take the antibiotic, but it wreaked havoc on my immune system. I’ll spare you the details but there were many!
 
The gut is populated by healthy bacteria which are instrumental in a strong immune system. A strong immune system is needed to fight off infectious diseases, things like cold viruses and the flu, as well as to control inflammation and repair injury, which has implications for things like cancer, heart disease, and other major diseases, as well as soft tissue injuries.  When we kill the good bacteria, along with the bad, in the case of some antibiotics, it can weaken our digestive balance and immunity.  I rarely get colds but had a nasty one because of taking this antibiotic.  
 
The bottom line: Every system of the body is connected to another, and we need healthy bacteria to stay healthy and in balance.  Eating foods which are high in probiotics can benefit us in many ways. 
 

• Probiotics balance the levels of microorganisms in the intestines.
• They provide healthy bacteria to counter the “bad” bacteria.
• They help boost the immune system.
• They prevent and treat diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, and treat the side effects of antibiotics.  
• They may also help prevent certain types of cancers, ulcers, dental disease, allergies, and liver disease, as well as help your skin and mental state.  

 
You may or may not want to use supplementation.  Whether you do or not, try to increase probiotic foods in your diet.  Here are some good options:
 

• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut 
• Miso Soup
• Fermented Cheeses
• Kefir
• Sourdough Bread 
• Buttermilk (traditional, not cultured)
• Pickles (without vinegar)
• Tempeh
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Prebiotics are helpful too, aiding the already present bacteria in your gut
  • Onions, leeks, apples, bananas, oats, garlic, asparagus, wheat bran
• *Not Beer- unfortunately, the acid in beer prevents the growth of probiotics, a tragedy!

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Read next: Quietism 

I am co-hosting an event symposium at the Sports Rehab Center Sandy Springs this Saturday from 11-1 on child & youth sports, focusing on injury prevention. I'll be giving a talk on the psychology of youth sports. My session will be entitled:

"How Sports & Exercise Can Change the Life of Your Child For the Better, Forever"

This could be a life-changing lecture for your kids. Please feel free to attend as my special guest. Just RSVP with me privately so we get a head count if you’d like to come.

​Space is limited.
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