Getting things clean occupies a significant amount of time and energy. Food preparation and eating utensils, the clothes we wear, the buildings we use, and our bodies all have the tendency to accumulate "dirt." This seems to be a significant aspect of the law of entropy by which systems move toward a state of inert uniformity.

Unless we actively put energy into the systems we depend on, they deteriorate to the point of uselessness. Actually, some systems become worse than useless. They can become hazardous as they deteriorate. The proliferation of dangerous bacteria in health-care facilities is a good example. Constant vigilance must be maintained by infection control staff to keep hospitals and clinics places that promote health and healing rather than infection and illness.

Maintaining acceptable levels of hygiene is one of those things that is best done regularly in reasonable amounts rather than occasionally in bursts. Whether we’re talking about stains in clothing or the concentration of unhealthy bacteria or parasites in an environment, keeping an acceptable level of cleanliness is easier if we don’t let "the enemy" establish itself.

For Reflection:

• It’s easy to see the benefits of keeping clean in the physical realm. How would you use this to illustrate a point about the moral realm?
• How can we recognize "spiritual dirt" - the attitudes and actions which contaminate our lives?