Everything is X for You

I remember seeing an ad for milk not too long ago that purported that those that drank at least a glass of milk a day would live longer than those who didn't. With that, I wondered what four glasses a day would do for me.

In a previous blog post "Correlative Causes", I call out claims of sugar and the (dis)credit that politicians will claim because of events that are correlated - but not caused - by things around us. People tend to see that if A happened when B was happening then B caused A. As part of my next writing foray, I've been looking into causes by proving there are direct links between events.

It turns out, for example, that those that drink a glass of milk a day tend to have healthier diets and habits than those that do not. The glass of milk a day is a minor contributor to living longer because it does have healthy nutrients.

Married people tend to live longer. With that, I wondered how one's life could be extended if one married ten people at the same time. Married people take fewer risks, sleep on better schedules, and are usually around to help with severe health problems or a slip & fall. In other words, being married doesn't cause longevity; rather, the environment of marriage causes it.

So everything is GOOD for you. Conversely, everything is BAD for you.

Most people can't even digest milk (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/story?id=8450036). Being married can have terrible health consequences if your partner isn't supportive (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/22/health/good-and-bad-marriage-boon-and-bane-to-health.html).

The chain of events that lead cause to effect can sometimes be staggeringly long. If you've ever spent time around a four-year-old, you will see that they will ask "Why?" to just about anything you say. There's a weird sense of wisdom to this that should extend into our adult years, but, for some reason, we don't ask "Why?" nearly enough and we certainly don't ask it deep enough.

Before someone or something influences you to change your lifestyle, make sure you ask "Why?" deep enough to know if X = GOOD or X = BAD.

Susan