IX. Hunger vs. Appetite
As we said at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, Hunger and
Appetite are two entirely different attributes
of the human body. Hunger is the normal demand
for food-Appetite the abnormal craving. Hunger is
like the rosy hue upon the cheek of the healthy
child-Appetite is like the rouged face of the woman of
fashion. And yet most people use the terms as if their meaning were identical.
Let us see wherein lies the difference.
It is
quite difficult to explain the respective sensations, or
symptoms, of Hunger and Appetite, to the average
person who has attained the age of maturity, for the majority of persons of
that age have had their natural taste, or hunger-instinct, perverted by Appetite
to such an extent that they have not experienced the sensation of genuine hunger for many years, and have
forgotten just what it felt like. And
it is hard to describe a sensation unless one can call up in the mind of his hearer the recollection of the same, or a similar sensation, experienced at some time in the past. We can describe
a sound to the person of normal hearing by
comparing it with something he has heard- but
imagine the difficulty of conveying an intelligent idea of a sound to a man who was born "stone-deaf;" or
of describing a color to a man born blind; or of giving
an intelligent description of an odor to one born without the sense
of smell.
To one who has emancipated himself from the thrall of
appetite, the respective sensations of Hunger and Appetite are quite different
and readily distinguished one from the other, and the mind of such a one
readily grasps the precise meaning of each term. But to
the ordinary "civilized" man "Hunger" means the source of
appetite and "Appetite" the result of hunger. Both words are misused. We must illustrate this by familiar examples.
Let
us take Thirst, for instance. All of us know the sensation of a good, natural
thirst, which calls for a draught of cool water. It is felt
in the mouth and throat, and can be satisfied
only with that which Nature intended for it-cool water.
Now, this natural thirst is akin to natural Hunger.
How different is this natural thirst from the craving which
one acquires for sweetened, flavored soda-water, ice-cream soda, ginger ale, "pop," "soft drinks,"
etc., etc And how different from the thirst ( ?) which one feels for beer, alcoholic liquors, etc., after the taste has once been acquired. Do you begin to see what we mean?
We hear people say that they are "so thirsty" for a glass of soda-water; or others say that they are "thirsty" for a drink of whisky. Now, if these people were
really thirsty, or, in other words, if Nature was really calling for fluids, pure water would be just what they
would first seek for, and pure water would be just what
they would first seek for, and pure water would be
the tiling which would best gratify the thirst. But, no!
water will not satisfy this soda-water or whisky
thirst. Why? Simply because it is a craving of an
appetite which is not a natural thirst, but which is, on
the contrary, an abnormal appetite-a perverted taste. The
appetite has been created-the habit acquired-and it is asserting the mastery.
You will notice that the victims of these abnormal "thirsts" will occasionally
experience a realthirst, at which time water alone will be sought, and the tipple of the appetite not
thought of. Just think a moment-is not this so with
you? This is not a lecture directed against the fancy
drink habit, or a temperance sermon, but just an illustration of the difference
between a natural instinct and an acquired habit, or
appetite. Appetite is an acquired habit of eating or
drinking, and has but little to do with real hunger or thirst.
A man
acquires an appetite for tobacco in any of its forms;
or for liquor, or for chewing-gum, or for opium, morphine,
cocaine, or similar drugs. And an
appetite once acquired becomes, if anything, stronger
than that natural demand for food or drink, for men have
been known to die of starvation because they had
spent all of their money for drink or narcotics. Men have sold their babies' stockings for drink-have stolen and even murdered
in order to gratify their appetite for narcotics. And yet who would think of calling this terrible craving of appetite by the name of Hunger? And yet we continue to speak of, and think of, every craving for something
to put into the stomach as Hunger, while
many of these cravings are as much a symptom of
Appetite as is the craving or desire for alcohol or narcotics.
The lower animal has a natural hunger until it is spoiled by contact with man (or woman) who tempts it
with candies and similar articles, miscalled food. The
young child has a natural hunger until it is spoiled in the same way. In the child,
natural hunger is more or less
replaced by acquired appetites, the degree depending largely upon the amount
of wealth its parents possess-the
greater the wealth, the greater the acquirement of false appetite. And
as it grows older, it loses all recollection of what real Hunger means. In
fact, people speak of Hunger as a
distressing thing, rather than as a natural instinct. Sometimes men go
out camping, and the open air, exercise,
and natural life gives them again a taste of real hunger, and they eat like school boys and with a relish they have not
known for years. They feel
"hungry" in earnest, and eat because they have to, not from
mere habit, as they do when they are home
and are overloading their stomachs continually.
We
recently read of a party of wealthy people who were
shipwrecked while on a yachting pleasure trip. They were
compelled to live on the most meager fare for
about ten days. When rescued they looked the picture of
health-rosy, bright-eyed, and possessed of the precious
gift of a good, natural Hunger. Some of the party
had been dyspeptics for years, but the ten days' experience with food scarce
and at a premium, had completely cured them of their dyspepsia and other troubles. They had
obtained sufficient to properly nourish
them, and had gotten rid of the waste products of the system which had
been poisoning them. Whether or not they "staid cured" depended upon whether they again exchanged Hunger for Appetite.
Natural hunger-like natural Thirst-expresses itself through the nerves
of the mouth and throat. When one is hungry, the thought or mention of food
causes a
peculiar sensation in the mouth, throat and salivary glands. The nerves of
those parts manifest a peculiar sensation,
the saliva begins to flow, and the whole of the
region manifests a desire to get to work. The stomach
gives no symptoms whatever, and is not at all in
evidence at such times. One feels that the "taste" of
good wholesome food would be most pleasurable. There is
none of those feelings of faintness, emptiness, gnawing,
"all-goneness," etc., in the region of the stomach.
These last mentioned symptoms are all characteristic
of the Appetite habit, which is insisting that the
habit must be continued. Did you ever notice that the
drink habit calls forth just such symptoms? The
craving and "all-gone" feeling is characteristic of both forms of abnormal appetite. The man who is craving a smoke, or a chew of tobacco feels the same way.
A man often wonders why he cannot
get a dinner such as "mother used to cook." Do you know why he cannot get it ? Simply
because he has replaced his natural Hunger by an abnormal appetite, and he does
not feel satisfied unless he gratifies that Appetite,
which renders the homely fare of the past an
impossibility. If the man were to cultivate a
natural hunger, by a return to first principles, he would have restored to him
the meals of his youth-be would find many cooks just
as good as "mother" was, for he would be a boy again. You
are probably wondering what all this has to do with
Hatha Yoga, are you not ? Well, just
this: The Yogi
has conquered appetite, and allows Hunger to manifest
through him. He enjoys every mouthful
of food, even to the crust of dry bread, and obtains nourishment
and pleasure from it. He eats it in a manner unknown
to most of you, which will be described a little
further on, and so far from being a half-starved anchorite,
he is a well-fed, properly nourished enjoyer of the
feast, for he has possessed himself of that most piquant of all
sauces-Hunger.
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