Early Morning Philosophy

In class on Monday we were discussing "logical positivism". Basically, the idea that a statement is only true (and therefore meaningful) if it can be tested and proven. Also that falsification is the only valuable way to test things- that it is far easier to prove that things are FALSE than that they are true. Say, for example, you are testing whether or not there is a gravitational pull towards the earth. You decide to test it by dropping a ball. You can do this infinite times, and it may well keep dropping- but you NEVER KNOW if the *next* time will be the time it doesn't fall. All it takes is a single time when it DOESN'T fall for your theory about gravity to be completely trashed.

What has this got to do with eating disorders, you ask? Well, it kind of got me thinking about the beliefs I hold, that I am sure other sufferers hold, that WE believe to be true, and if just one trusted person came along and said, "hey... you know that's not exactly accurate" then would our beliefs be dismissed? A little simplistic, perhaps- our beliefs aren't necessarily based on evidence. In fact, I'm willing to bet that they are, for the most part, belief systems built over years on an array of emotions and the way in which we interpret the world/events around us, but NOT based on scientific evidence. If they were scientific, it would be as simple as, "okay- I'm now at such-and-such a weight, I'll now need XXX to maintain this healthy weight", no strings attached. That doesn't work in the case of eating disorders.

So, where do we find this trusted person to challenge our thoughts and beliefs? Maybe initially, a family member, a friend, a therapist, a religious leader. But at some point, we need to find it in ourselves. Deep down, in our cores, we KNOW what is best for us. That inner voice that has been ignored and shot down for all these years- it's still there. Look for it, nurture it, and most importantly- separate it from the eating disorder's voice, and listen to it.

Follow your heart...

Have a good day guys!