Enjoy That Cup of Tea
These days it seems that so many of the things I like eating are bad for me. Since I enjoy several cups of tea a day, I was encouraged to read a recent study that found that people who drink tea regularly may be helping to prevent certain cancers.
Researchers at the University of Southern California found direct evidence that certain chemicals in tea may protect us against stomach and esophagus cancers. In a study conducted in Shanghai, China, habitual tea drinkers were found to be about half as likely to develop stomach and esophagus cancer as participants who rarely drank tea.
Although there are always many variables in these studies, it seems that the antioxidants present in tea, substances like catechines, have a powerful effect in protecting proteins and DNA from oxidative damage. In a number of studies, catechines have been shown to halt tumour growth, as well as protect healthy cells from damage.
The human body constantly produces oxidants which steal electrons from other molecules in the cell, and in the process damage critical genetic material. To protect itself, the body makes and uses antioxidants, which scavenge and disarm the rogue oxidants. Green tea contains the most antioxidants, followed by Oolong, and then Black tea.
So next time you enjoy a cup of tea, remember it may be doing more than just relaxing you.
Here I am, at my computer, drinking a cup of - you guessed it - green tea. As I was considering the subject matter for the day, I wandered into the kitchen and decided to do my health a favour by brewing some antioxidants in the form of green tea.
Why choose this tea? Admittedly, green tea was foremost in my mind. I was getting this news flash across my mental screen “Green tea is good for you.” So green tea was not only prominent, but was also motivating. I was motivated by my thirst. I was motivated by concern for my health. Besides, I like the taste - it brings me simple pleasure.
This brings us to the question “What makes a motivator motivating?” Why are people motivated by praise or money or fame? Moreover, why do some people seem indifferent or immune to such motivators? As well, some things seem to lose their motivating power with use and over time. Why does this happen?
Psychologists have wrestled with this question. And it’s not as simple as it may first appear. A motivator may be a valued thing or an opportunity to do a preferred thing. Sometimes its motivating value may be relative to the context at any given time. But that only answers the question “What is it?” The ‘why’ of a motivator has to do with its assigned meaning or value to the individual. This explains why motivators can gain or lose their effectiveness over time and situations. This also explains why motivators are highly personal.
Consider today the what and the why of the motivators in your life.
Now that we’ve considered our personal motivators, we get a clearer picture of what drives us in life. We find that we make choices according to their ability to bring us closer to the desires of our heart, or to provide more of those desires.
We need to make sure though that those motivators are indeed worthwhile to be held as orienting values. We don’t want to realize down the road that we’ve been misguided, mismotivated, mistaken. When spiritual values become motivators in our lives, we won’t always find ourselves changing activities as much as changing the motive for these activities.
David Humphreys and Debbie Hughes
© August 2004
