It has been a couple weeks of semi-consistent gym sessions and even though the workouts are light, quite short and pretty disorganized, I am feeling a bit better physically. And as expected, it has also affected my eating habits slightly - though there is a long way to go in that regard.
But it is also kind of funny, as while I am 44 years of age and feel like I am seventy (I suppose), many people my age would be pretty content with my body from a looks perspective. As they say though, looks are deceiving and it doesn't really matter about looks per se, it does matter how one feels though.
Yet, looks do tell something, even if what they tell might not be the truth, as they give rise to our evaluative mind. All of our senses play a role, because when we hear something we build an image in our head. When we touch something, we get an understanding of what it is. When we smell or taste something, our body reacts based on what it experiences.
Sight however is most of our sensory experience, at least when our eyes are open. And, it is probably the one that creates the most impact on our awareness without having to put too much effort into focusing. This means that it is our biggest source of information when we are evaluating someone, especially for the first time.
Let's say you have to assign someone a value based on their appearance only, and pick between two people.
who is the richest?
who is the laziest?
who smells the best?
who can you trust?
Perhaps.
But, it is also natural, because this is the way the brain works. Whether we are right or wrong, we are designed to make snap judgements based on our senses in order to work out how we are going to act in the next moment. In our history, it was vital to make these calls very fast and was likely literally life or death a lot of the time. However, our wiring doesn't evolve very fast, so we keep making these fast decisions, even when we have the time to slow down our thinking and even query our senses.
Maybe, maybe not.
But since it is natural, it is a good indicator that nature doesn't give a crap about social constructs or what we think of as right or wrong - it does what the hell it wants. We can influence the outcomes with reflection and practice, but because we tend to think we are right in our judgements, we probably don't spend that much time proving ourselves wrong.
Some people claim that they don't care what they look like or how people judge them, yet I am actually yet to meet anyone who truly seems to believe this - at least by their behavior. But, people believe what they want to believe about themselves and, believe silly sayings like looks don't matter. Now, it is not that they are the only thing, but if they influence outcomes in any way whatsoever, then they matter, right?
But, for the individual, for me, there is more to my experience than what I look like or how people treat me, because I want to feel good in my own skin also. And part of that is in how I look, because I have preconceived ideas and I have to see myself in the mirror daily also. I also have to bend down and tie up my shoelaces from time to time, walk a flight of stairs and of course, interact with people who are going to influence my outcomes and affect my own opportunity.
So, doing something to look after myself so I feel a bit better, also includes doing something that will change my impression somehow on others. It doesn't mean that it will fundamentally shift their judgements, but for at least some people, it will have an effect and, no one knows how important that difference might be.
Look, smell, and act like trash...
If we aren't looking after ourselves, why would anyone else care to help us?
But, it is up to each of us how we choose to approach this life and there might be people who truly don't care about how they look or what people think of them. Good luck to them. But if you saw that person,
what would you think of them?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
