How do you spell that mental cleansing word again?

Katharsis is a word derived from Greek, so it doesn't look much like other English words derived from Anglo-Saxon or Latin. It's a word that represents how one continues having good behavior. We macho Americans don't like the idea of a catalyst for good behavior because we think we are much too strong for cleansing our corrupted behaviors. Sometimes we think that we live on a higher plane than to have the need for reflection which is required by katharsis.

Let's make a comparison here. As we go through life eating what we want without regard for calorie intake, cholesterol level, sodium amounts, sugar amounts, family history, ad infinitum (ad nauseum), we began to show the ravages of these in our bodies. If we make no adjustments, then we end up looking rather sloven from overeating or appear shaky, dizzy, or faint from glucose shock, or become irate from hypertension, or show ourselves to be haggard and lethargic from living the sedentary life. And what if we go through life reacting to life without regard to what happens to our value system, our spouse's actions, our children's behavior, our friends' snubs, etc. (ad nauseum)? If we make no adjustments, then we end up killing ourselves, "going off on someone," opting to withdraw, changing values, raging against the machine in general (becoming negative, irritable, complaining).

In both our body's case and our reactions to life we need cleansings every so often. This cleansing is referred to as katharsis in the case of our reactions to life. We all need someone to speak to about the "stuff" in our lives that build up. Just that conversation to another person does wonders for our minds. It frees us after it's over to build plans, to dream again, to get past an obstacle, to love again, and many other wondrous activities. Cleansing is as necessary to longevity of the mental state as it is to the body or physical state.

We would do well to pay attention to an age-old idea captured by an ancient word. It would help with melt-downs. It would keep us fresher and healthier. It would prevent us from being jaded and bitter. It would help us forgive and love. It would allow us to give a cup of water to a traveler, to say an encouraging word to an orphan, to hold our tongues when we would rather shout "Fool" to someone else. In the accumulation of vocabulary words for our conscious mind to use, we should make sure that our mechanism for cleansing is there: k-a-t-h-a-r-s-i-s.