I knew I'd run into this reaction. Here's the secret: an individual can be fully dedicated to a cause, but the weight of surrounding circumstances defeats them. See, e.g., food deserts. No, it is not more fun to go through live believing you have enough mental fortitude only to have context tap you on the shoulder the moment you take that first step.
I don't, for the record, disagree with much OP's point, though I do have some misgivings about "food addiction" being explanation for everyone's struggle with weight (I don't think that's his point, really, but it's clearly what his experience has been and it's the focus of the piece). His approach mirrors my own (successful) approach with any of a number of challenges. I just question the effectiveness as a complete solution.
> No, it is not more fun to go through live believing you have enough mental fortitude only to have context tap you on the shoulder the moment you take that first step.
It is also possible to have enough mental fortitude to read beyond the first item in a list that you yourself wrote about an hour ago.
Yes, you can’t mental fortitude yourself out of every situation. But you can be committed to change and figure things out.
Or you can just say “Nah, I’ll let somebody else fix things for me. I’m sure I’m high on their list of priorities.”
I'd invite you to point out where I said that we should all expect others to fix our problems, but you won't be able to. I said, and I'm correct, that there is a larger context than simply one's mental approach to a problem that can the problem more difficult to solve than it should be, even when it is an already difficult problem, and, in some cases, makes it impossible. For some, the external context is a less significant factor and they are able to find a path; for others, the external factors are insurmountable (food deserts again spring to mind). But absolutely nowhere did I say, or even imply, that the solution rests solely outside the individual.
> Much like fighting climate change, placing all the responsibility on the end user without changing some of the social conditions is a flawed approach, even if there are some things individuals can do to help
Who is changing some of the societal conditions here? You or someone else?
You also started your comment with a list of individual excuses.
You may not have said “4” but you said “2+2” and it’s not that big of a leap to make.
I don't, for the record, disagree with much OP's point, though I do have some misgivings about "food addiction" being explanation for everyone's struggle with weight (I don't think that's his point, really, but it's clearly what his experience has been and it's the focus of the piece). His approach mirrors my own (successful) approach with any of a number of challenges. I just question the effectiveness as a complete solution.