Recently, mothers of students from all four years have devoted their time and effort to baking cookies and other delectable goodies for Saint Ignatius students. Obviously, this has been a delight for most students who possess a fondness for sugar-enriched sustenance. However, some students have been seen taking an incomprehensible amount of delicacies from the bookstore. Taking free food from the bookstore is morally acceptable, as long as it is within reason.
Saint Ignatius students will, or have already learned the evils of the seven deadly sins. One of these sins, gluttony, is defined as the excessive consumption of food or drink. According to the Christian faith, because of this over-indulgence, the needy are withheld food necessary for their well-being. Therefore, if students concern themselves with their own desire for sweets above others’ necessities, they are sinning against God.
In addition, it has long been held that eating such treats can be detrimental to one’s long-term health. People who overindulge on sweets are put at risk for a variety of hypokinetic diseases, such as heart disease, type II diabetes, and obesity. According to NationMaster.com, the United States has by far the highest rate of obesity, which is definitely due to our nation’s proclivity for consuming popular foods such as donuts, hamburgers, and cookies, all of which are teeming with glucose. Also, livestrong.com notes that junk food diets that lead to obesity can also cause depression and adulthood diseases, such as cancer and osteoporosis, as well as stunted growth for all you aspiring basketball players out there.
As Ignatians, from Day One we are instructed on how to become true men for others. When the mothers of your fellow students (or even the students themselves, if baking is their thing) make tasty snacks, they are intended to serve the general Ignatian population, not only your own taste buds. Imagine that one of your classmates were being hand-fed by your own mother, because that is essentially what is occurring when someone makes multiple trips to the bookstore each day.
Thus, because over-indulging on the daily cookies in the bookstore is a sin, damages health, and does not best represent our “men for others”
