When I was in first grade, I was a slow learner. Watching the other kids in my class grasp concepts quickly while I struggled was painful. At our school, we read Sam and Ann books. I was stuck in book 2 while many of my classmates had advanced to book 10. The smartest kid in the class was already in book 23. I was amazed that anyone could be so far ahead of the rest of us.

Every time a child moved up to the next book level, they were rewarded with a piece of candy. The day finally came when I advanced to book 3. I was thrilled! My teacher was proud of me, too. She reached into her desk to give me a piece of candy but found that she didn’t have any left. After searching, she found a stick of gum instead. She handed it to me and said, “Leonard, I’ll give you this gum if you promise not to chew it until you get home.” I eagerly agreed.

But temptation got the better of me during recess. I thought, No one will know if I chew it now. I unwrapped the gum and began chewing. When we lined up to come back inside, a teacher spotted me. My crime was obvious. I was immediately asked to spit out the gum and, as punishment, spend my next recess writing, “I will not chew gum in school.”

My connection to gum—and trouble—didn’t end there. Later that same year, I came home from the store with my dad, happily chewing gum. My dad immediately realized something was off; gum was a rare treat in our house. He put two and two together, knowing we had just come from the store. Once again, I was guilty of a gum-related offense. I had taken a pack of gum without paying for it.

My dad insisted that I make things right. He marched me back to the store, where I had to admit my mistake to the manager and pay for what I had taken. The experience left a strong impression on me. I’m grateful to have had a dad who taught me the importance of owning up to my mistakes and making better choices.

Years later, I spent much of my career as a custodian at a school. It was a rewarding job, and I loved seeing the students grow and learn. I’m now retired, but I remember one thing that surprised me before I left: the students were given gum before taking their big year-end tests. I couldn’t believe it. Don’t they know gum is against the rules? I thought. When I asked, I was told about a study showing that peppermint gum helps students stay alert and improves memory recall. The gum was meant to boost test scores.

This memory of gum got me thinking about double standards. As a child, gum was “bad”—don’t chew it at school, and definitely don’t take gum without paying for it. As an adult, gum was “good”—it helped students focus and succeed. I realized that double standards are everywhere.

Even my own family wasn’t immune. My grandparents experienced a heartbreaking tragedy when their oldest child, my uncle, died of a drug overdose at just seven years old. He had been given an adult prescription that proved fatal. That loss led my grandfather to become a pharmacist. Yet he had a double standard: “Drugs are to sell, not to take,” he would often say.

This philosophy shaped my upbringing. I was taught to view drugs with caution. Yet today, I see a similar double standard with prescription drugs. Many parents are baffled when their children turn to illegal drugs, not realizing that the habit may have started with a reliance on legal drugs for every little ailment.

There’s no denying the great advances in medicine and science. Prescription drugs save countless lives. But on the flip side, how many of us reach for medicine like it’s candy—popping pills for every ache and pain without considering the long-term effects? Society has conditioned us to seek quick fixes, often at the expense of our health.

When I get a headache, my first step is to drink a tall glass of water. If that doesn’t work, I use an essential oil to rub on my forehead. About 95% of the time, this is enough. My last resort is taking an over-the-counter pain reliever.

If given the choice between a convenient pill and a healthier alternative, let’s choose health over convenience. By removing double standards, we can take charge of our well-being and start living more intentionally.

When I was in 1st grade I was a slow learner. It was very painful for me to see all of the other kids learn and understand things much more quickly than myself. This is the way I saw it. At our school we read Sam, and Ann books. I was reading in book 2 and many students were in book 10. The smartest kid in the class was in book 23, I was totally amazed someone could be that far a head of the rest of the class. Every time a child would move up to the next book level they would be rewarded with a piece of candy.

The day came when I finally moved up to book 3. I was thrilled. My teacher was happy that I finally moved up to a new level. She wanted to give me a piece of candy but she didn’t have anymore. She looked in her desk, and found a piece of gum. She said “Leonard I will give you this stick of gum if you will not chew it until you get home.” I agreed. Soon it was recess and I thought no one will know I am chewing gum. I did the deed, I opened the stick of gum, and started chewing it. When I was in line to come in from recess a teacher spotted my crime, chewing gum. I was asked immediately to spit it out, and write “I will not chew gum in school.” I wrote this during my next recess.

My connection with gum, and trouble continued this same year. I came home from the store with my dad when he discovered I had taken a pack of gum. It was very obvious when he saw me chewing gum. We rarely had gum at our house. My dad put two and two together knowing we were just at the store. Once again I was guilty of a crime involving gum. My punishment was I had to talk to the store manager, and pay him for what I had taken. When you correct mistakes it leaves a very strong impression on you. I am very thankful for a dad that made sure it is important to make good choices.

Now, fast forward 45, years I am working in a school. When the students are given gum before they take the big year end test to see how much they learned. I am thinking to myself “What are the teachers thinking, don’t they know this is against the rules.” I was told there was a study showing that peppermint helps keep students alert with better memory recall. The gum was to help boost the test scores

My memory of gum got me thinking about double standards. On one hand gum was bad don’t chew gum at school, and don’t take gum without paying for it. On the other hand gum was good, it helped students be more alert, and have better recall during a big test. I think we are all guilty of double standards at one time or another.

My grandpa and grandma lost their oldest child to a drug overdose when he was seven. My uncle was given an adult prescription that killed him. As a result of this experience my grandpa became a pharmacist. My grandpa had a double standard. He said “drugs are to sell not to take. I grew up with this philosophy. I think many people have a double standard with prescription drugs as well. Some people wonder why their children are using illegal drugs when they had lots of practice taking legal drugs in the early years of their life.

I think we have many great advances with drugs, and science. Many people are alive today because of prescription drugs. On the other hand, how many of us take medicine like candy because our back hurts or we have a headache. Our society has conditioned us to use this double standard, and quick fixes in our lives.

When I get a headache I will first drink a tall glass of water. If that does not work I will find an essential oil to rub on my forehead. About 95% of the time this works for me. My last resort is taking an over the counter drug. Many people take prescriptions, and over the counter drugs, not even realizing the negative effects they can have on our bodies. If you have a choice between a convenient pill and a healthy alternative, lets choose healthy over convenience. Let’s start being more proactive with our health by removing double standards and start living again.