Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility. ~Albert Einstein.

Jim here with another wonderful edition of Weird Wednesday. Here's something I find a little weird about food (and, I apologize in advance if this comes off a little preachy).

See, I work in an office and sit rather close to the corporate kitchenette. Routinely, people bring in junk food to set out for everyone -- cookies, donuts, cakes, pastries, pies, candy bars, nut rolls, cheesecakes, summer sausages, cheese cubes, fondues, etc. The thought seems to be that, in putting these things out for everyone, you're showing you care for them.Offering large servings of concentrated fats and refined sugar is viewed as a favor, as an altruistic service for your fellow coworkers. But this odd fact isn't even the weird aspect of my post (although, now that I think of it, that is pretty weird).

What I find weird is the universal reaction to these items. Rarely does anyone say, "Oh, man, look at the awesome cinnamon rolls!" or "Hey, this bundt cake is outstanding!"? What they say (usually half-jokingly) is, "Awwww, now who's to blame for this !!!" or "Why'd someone have to bring in this pie ! Now I'm going to have to have a slice" or "I really shouldn't be eating these carbs, but..."

Don't get me wrong: They eagerly devour the junk food. But there's a subtle vibe present in their chronic rationalizations -- a certain resistance to accepting responsibility for their actions, an implied presumption that they have no volition at all, a careless surrendering to anything that crosses their path.

Look, I'm certainly not the healthiest guy in the world (not yet, anyway) -- and I understand that moderation is generally a time-honored approach to relative longevity as it relates to dietary best practices -- so I'm hesitant to get overly preachy. But, IMHO, the question is not, "Who's to blame for bringing in this cheesecake " It's: "Who's to blame for eating the cheesecake "