This is something I have been thinking about since I started attending secondary school. Namely, following principles we all believe in/promote. I'm about to explain this in more detail...
Some beginnings of my "following principles" contemplating can be found in my early childhood, when I would always listen to my knowledgeable parents talking about the awful disadvantages of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and even staying up late. I remember it like it was yesterday: if you stay up late, you'll be very tired and your brain will not be able to help you think efficiently... etc. So there I was, being all good and following the adults' instructions, always in bed by 8 pm (up to about 10 yrs old of course). Having woken up in the middle of the night once, I marched through the living room, where... my parents were still watching TV. I sort of looked at them and repeated: if you stay up late, you'll be very tired and your brain will not be able to help you think efficiently.... They of course would always reply: oh, we're older and wiser, you're a child and you need a lot of sleep... Which of course was fair enough, but as kids start approaching puberty, most tend to get a bit rebellious, and I remember getting sooo annoyed with my parents doing all these forbidden things! Anyway... The massive question mark first appeared in my head when I tried smoking a cigarette. Being in love with biology and having some medical knowledge (actually even reading labels on cigarette packs), I always knew how "naughty" it is to smoke them. Yet, I still tried... at the age of 18... when I considered myself quite aware of stuff in general, you know what I mean, not a silly teenager anymore, but someone more grown up. I have no idea what it was that pushed my to try, but I guess the majority of us did at some point. Unfortunately I need to admit that I have smoked cigarettes for a few month later on in my early twenties... and until today I just cannot figure out W H Y. Now - lots of my teachers/lecturers/doctors, specialised in certain things, who so passionately promote some principles... did/do not follow them! Such as cardiologist smoking cigarettes or biologist talking about high blood pressure and then admitting he "stuffs" himself with cholesterol (and smokes on top of that as well!)... I find it quite interesting, that people passionately encourage others to do things, but themselves do not really follow these principles they so much believe in. I am sure there are particular reasons for this, maybe... addictive personalities. Very often I heard someone say: yes it is bad, but I've done it for 20 years and got heavily addicted, no you should not do it... Or is it something to do with laziness? Or just simply excitement (adrenaline in some harsh cases)? I am for example well concerned about globalisation, but find it to expensive to buy fair-trade products only and... yes I do drink coke... but I will work on this, because want to follow principles I stand for!!!
xx
ref:
-http://www.cartoonweb.com/images/globalization/globalization1.gif