Allow me to disagree with Plato...

Some of the girls from my youth group and I are starting a body image Bible study. Since this issue had been so prevalent in my youth group I thought I'd share with you some of my thoughts on it. (And don't worry, I will explain how Plato and body image are related.) Now, I'm not for a second claiming I have all the answers or that I don't battle with the issue. But I DO know that among teen girls, the struggles and issues connected with body image are treacherous and complicated, so I'll try and tread softly.
First I want you to think about this quote from Plato:







"The three wishes of
every man:
To be healthy,
To be rich by honest
means,
And to be beautiful."








To start, answer this statement in your mind, is this true of you? (be honest.)
At first glance this philosophy sounds perfectly acceptable doesn't it? In fact, it reminds me of the, "Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness..." clause we love so much.
But when you look closer you'll see that there are some downsides in Plato's statement.
For one, you only have so much control over the first one. For instance, despite all my efforts this year to prepare for vacation, I wound up arriving sleep deprived, ended up sick, and I felt wimpy and weak the entire week. My body just gave out on me. And, of course, there are many other situation in which we have no control or say over how we feel physically. So yeah, go ahead and wish for it, but you may be disappointed.
Wish number two is a bummer too, because you don't get to pick the outcome of that either. When you work hard, you can provide for yourself, but you're never guaranteed to be RICH.
And, of course, wish number three you have the least control of. Yeah, you can loose weight, wear make up, dye your hair, and have surgery, but at the end of the day, you are who you are.
The biggest flaw in this philosophy though, is that each wish revolves solely around self. And sadly, almost every girl gets hung up on Plato's wish number three at one time or another.

What about you? Dare to disagree with Plato?

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