Have you ever read something so inspirational that you were sure it would make a permanent change in your life? Only to find that within a few weeks you were back in the same old rut? Why do those wonderful inspirational teachings fade away so fast? It reminds you of that joking remark about Chinese dinners; "They fill you up, but you're hungry by the time you get back home from the restaurant"
Perhaps there's a clue in that remark. Our physical bodies need nourishment to provide the energies for daily activities. Hunger is the signal that tells us it is time to eat so we can re-supply ourselves with needed energies. Yet we do not expect a single meal to last forever! We set aside regular mealtimes, and, to the extent that we can do so, we try to select different foods that are appealing as well as nourishing. We go through cycles of preference for one kind of food over another, tiring of some, while developing a new taste for others. This happens naturally, all to the purpose of satisfying our physical needs.
So too, one sitting with an exciting new idea, no matter how inspirational it seems to be at the time, cannot satisfy our mental and spiritual needs. It would be unnatural to expect that one feeding of thoughts or new ideas is sufficient to nourish our minds for the rest of our lives. New thoughts provide the energies that sustain our mental life and help in its growth. As our mental stomachs grow, they need to be continually furnished with fresh energies. Dissatisfaction is the signal that tells us it is time to forage for new ideas.
To be spiritually nourishing, a book of inspirational writings or poems has to be read again and again. Religious prayer books were designed with that in mind. When these lose their taste (as they will), it is time to try a fresh diet, returning later to regain the inspirational flavor enjoyed on their first reading. Rather than resent the fading flavor on repeated readings, recognize the similarity of patterns in meeting your "energy" needs, whether physical or spiritual.
Then too, one has to learn to recognize his/her own tastes. If you are a meat and potatoes person, don't feel overwhelmed by the gourmet who tells you what foods you should be enjoying. You are the only one who can decide what's good for you. Regardless of your tastes, learn to interpret your periodic dissatisfactions as a signal of the need for more (or different) food for thought.
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