live through the present moment by holding onto anorexia
because living in the present moment w/o an exteriorization of the psychological and emotional anguish/turmoil inside is too unbearable—physical pain is cathartic in that way?
also, if restriction is moralized and thinness is valorized as the ideal aesthetic for health and desirability, positive affect may result from the embodied practice of ED-related beliefs —> positive reinforcement as it ameliorates cognitive and emotional hardship
normal
But how is 'normal' defined? Statistically and socially?
It is certainly great if we set up better systems in the future to reduce misery and have the right carrots and sticks in place to get people to behave better. But I am unenthusiastic about a humanity which requires these to behave well.
Isn't this partially the basis of the EA movement? That is, don't EAs compel people to do good even if those people do not feel, at an emotional level, as though these neglected global problems are particularly urgent?