Think About Such Things

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” - Philippians 4:8 NIV

Just wondering ... why is this even a command, and why is it so hard to do? When we think of excellent things, and lovely things, we feel good. When we we focus on what is true, and pure, and admirable, it gives us joy and peace. 

It seems that our tendency to indulge in pleasurable things would make this a normal state. We should be addicted to the way we feel when we put Philippians 4:8 into practice. 

Instead, we focus on fear, and doubt, and the "what-ifs" in life. Our news diet is almost exclusively about what went wrong, or what we should be afraid of. We never experience "good" gossip. 

Why are there no 12-step plans for people who focus on the good, beautiful, and praiseworthy? To turn a phrase, if it feels good, why aren't we doing it?

Is it possible that "the fall" in the Garden really is the best explanation? In Genesis 1 we read of seven "days" of good - "and it was good!" All that was known was good. But when Adam & Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, suddenly they knew both good AND evil. Good AND bad. Good AND heartbreaking. 

Thoughts? What do you think?