Keeping in mind lately that if a lesser action takes the place of a greater action,1 we are, in the end, depriving ourselves of meaningful or healthful experience. I think I prefer to avoid statements like this because they have a kind of moralizing tone. But the truth is, our decisions have a moral dimension, and it falls upon each of us to determine what constitutes a greater or lesser act.
- e.g. checking a friend’s Facebook feed takes the place of contacting a friend directly; stress-eating cookies takes the place of a meal. ↩