Is cleanliness a virtue?

reply to post by seagrass


Depression most definitely can cause peoples' hygiene to fall by the wayside. Apathy about hygiene is a classic and common symptom of severe depression. People stop taking showers, stop combing their hair, wear the same clothes for days at a time. It can be disgusting. I won't even say some of the things I've seen people do in this condition.

in Yoga's 10 commandments:

Shauca
Translations of Shauca are “purity” and “cleanliness”. This Niyama relates to the English cliché “cleanliness is next to godliness” and the idea of treating the human body as a temple. For the yogi, the body truly is the temple used to worship the divine. It follows that this temple should be treated with respect and kindness, kept clean, fed only healthy and fresh food, surrounded by a clean and uncluttered home.

Lucid cleanliness

If you want to find obvious cleanliness in my home...call before coming over. My home is used...really used...every bit of it. I like it to be clean...as in no slimy things growing in toilets or in the refrigerator. I don't mind it being kinda messy. I LOVE (sometimes, NEED) to have a reason to clean...so, call first and I'll treat you to CLEAN.
Nice Thread Seagrass!

Originally posted by seagrass

Originally posted by jpm1602
I wait by the dryer like a hungry dog waiting to hang up my clothers so I don't have to iron. I see that as the worst drudgery in life. If you watch 'cops' you see some of the absolute squalor some people live in. Abhorrent. But I'm afraid to sneeze in some of the most tidiest homes that smell of cinnnamon glade candles.

Did you know that if you use a fine mist spray bottle of water on your clothes while they are hanging on a hanger and let them dry, that they sort of iron themselves? Hey J!
I hate ironing too. My ex had to iron his own clothes because I didn't do it good enough. Fine by me.. I don't buy clothes that need ironing.

Did you know you can buy a STEAM washer and dryer and NEVER have to iron again? My neighbor did...it's changed her life...then, she left town and left her garage door open (brand new corvette was there as a diversion)...no tricking me, the real prize was inside...but, no I did not move her w/d to my laundry room where they rightfully belong. SIGH.

no? I'll go hack into mine so I need a new one.... is it a front loader? stacking?
nevermind. Mine works good for now. My home is never clean. Occasionally for parties, but I live in the woods. That's my excuse.

Front load...storage drawers beneath...SO cute...and quiet! Mine need to last a while longer...until I grow up and decide where I want to live...check that...until I grow up and convince my dear husband we should not live here. : )~ Think of how wonderful your down comforters will be after steaming...bet that kills off those pesky little dust mites! OOOhh...and pillows! Talk about clean...!!

They say that "cleanliness is next to godliness", as people have already mentioned this could refer to spiritual or symbolic cleanliness. I do however thing that we should look after ourselves and the places we live, this does also extend to the planet as a whole also.

For the yogi, the body truly is the temple used to worship the divine. It follows that this temple should be treated with respect and kindness, kept clean, fed only healthy and fresh food, surrounded by a clean and uncluttered home.

Lucid cleanliness

I would like to say that this does not only apply to your home but again the planet as a whole. They say to fix the problems in the world one must start by looking in the mirror, its a matter of respect as far as I see it.

I have to say though that I have seen cleanliness become a vice and a hindrance to a persons life. My Grandmother's catch phrase is "cleanliness is next to godliness" and due to perusing this idea in the extreme both my Aunt and my Father were very sickly children, they caught everything that was going around, I have read that to be healthy a little dirt is necessary.

Increased hygiene and a lack of exposure to various microorganisms may be affecting the immune systems of many populations - particularly in highly developed countries like the US - to the degree that individuals are losing their bodily ability to fight off certain diseases.

Hygiene Hypothesis: Are We Too "Clean" for Our Own Good?

[edit on 23/8/2008 by CuriosityStrikes]

I heard once that children that are kept too clean are more likely to get leukemia.. but I have never looked into it, or researched it.

If people want to spend so much of their lives keeping their apartment perfectly clean, let them do it. I guess they feel good doing it.

But I will spend my time in more enjoyable ways.

Besides, I think its actually good for the immune system to have dirt around. All I know is that I dust my place only when its really needed, and I very rarely get sick. Maybe once every 2 years or so. And I go on the public transportation every single day, with people being sick around me.


[edit on 23-8-2008 by Copernicus]

My daughter was never sick until she went to kindergarten.. I was sick all winter from what she brought home. She grew up in the dirt and mud.