Scratching the Itch

If you’ve got an itch, why not scratch it? But be careful not to scratch it too much or you’ll end up with an irritation.

Itches are stimuli to interact with life, mainly for health. But, with life so full of itches gone wrong—ones that have become irritations—we can see how chronic our itches have become with too much scratching. Something meant for good has been quickly and routinely distorted.

The Anatomy of the Itch

The itch is any natural urge that life brings us—accordingly we scratch it. It’s only appropriate to do so.

Itches include the urge to feed ourselves, to enjoy some merriment and to do our work well. If we didn’t do these things we’d be remiss on our responsibilities to care for ourselves.

And, still, we have a balancing act to maintain. Scratch that itch too much and we’ll end up with a festering and irritated sore.

The Process of Scratching

Scratching the itch is only natural. Try leaving the itch to its own devices. It’s like being tickled. We have to do something about it if we can. But the process of scratching is really about scratching properly in the first instance and then leaving well enough alone.

Hay fever suffers know all too well what it’s like to scratch at their eyes too much—it only tends to makes things worse. It would be better to treat the inflamed eyes with some of those eye-drops with anaesthetic or antihistamine properties in them.

Irritation – the Consequence

For all too many of us we scratch the itch so chronically we overdo the necessary balance we need to strike.

We eat too much and get overfull and our kids learn through observation. Or we drink too much and get inebriated and troublesome or hung-over the next day. Finally, we might also work too hard and, whilst we achieve in the workplace and meet our boss’s needs, we skimp on our family’s needs.

Each of these issues as they overbalance tends to have an impact not only on ourselves but others too. We can readily see how scratching our itches inappropriately, festering them, can make them an irritation now to others too, or worse, to cause them to develop similar irritations.

Treating Irritations

This is really about not only having self-control—as much as we can—but moderation and balance too. That God brings us so many good things to have and do in life, means we’re best to act responsibly, prudently and diligently, caring for our bodies and minds, but that’s all—so far as intake is concerned.

And when we develop chronic ‘irritations’ we ensure we’re honest and that we go and get treatment for them, just like a physical irritation might necessitate a visit to the doctor.

Irritations like these are nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone gets irritations. Responsible people get help when it’s required.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.