Be Healthy for Others

colinchamp November 21, 2020 9 Comments

In this current self-serving world, mental and physical health has taken center stage via the barrage of biohackers, self-improvement experts, and other self-help gurus constantly tell us the importance of improving ourselves. I am not trying to diminish this message, as many of the underpinnings can and will help us personally and as a community – and that is important. However, we are constantly told that our number one priority should be ourselves, and when we look around and see our society unraveling, we are advised to write about it in our reflection journals, meditate some more, buy more junk that will help us overcome our anxieties that are fueled by buying junk, point fingers on social media to put down others, but just keep on focusing on ourselves. Even our supposedly liberating products focus solely on us: ipad, ipod, iphone, and the istore. I, I, I, and I.

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As one of my past teammates used to say: “There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there is ‘me’.” Many people may feel this way, but no matter how many times we are told that we are the center of the world – be it our families, group of friends, or local communities – we are all part of a bigger team.
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Improve yourself. Fix yourself. Be your best. Grow. Progress. Become one. Read more. Learn new things. Decry everything in the past that did not include you. Become smarter (sometimes even judge or criticize those who aren’t as smart and woke as you). Do more and more. When it all starts to drive you mad, repeat and meditate some more. Some philosopher/psychologists have now begun to seriously question the self-improvement craze, and Svend Brinkmann has gone as far as telling us to Stand Firm and “reject the self-help mantra” since “the secret to a happier life lies not in finding your inner self but in coming to terms with yourself in order to coexist peacefully with others.”

The list of this self-serving, ego centric, Western Buddhism on steroids, the world revolves around me mindset goes on and on. Consumerism and the push for improved health has only fueled this “self-growth” epidemic. I have certainly played my part in this latter part, and it is time for me to push health for a completely different reason. Be healthy for other people, not just yourself.

Be Healthy for Others

• Be healthy to help reduce the anxieties of those closest to you who are worried about you.
• Be healthy so that you remain resilient as you age gracefully and your children don’t have to spend energy, worry, and their finances caring for you.
• Be healthy so that you feel better, providing happiness to those around you who see you happier and healthier.
• Be healthy to use less resources and instead free up time where you can help others and benefit society.
• Be healthier so society can spend less money taking care of you and more money in places where it is needed.
• Be healthy so you can be more active, be part of your communities, and engage others to be healthier and happier.
• Be healthy by being active, displaying arete and fare bella figura, and having good form so others can follow your beautiful example.
• Be healthy so you can spend more time being active and giving back to your community.
• Be healthy so your local community sees the importance of playing the infinite game.
• Be healthy so you’re less reliant on vehicles, so you can walk places and benefit the environment.
• Be healthy so you can be instrumental in impacting the next generation.
• Be healthy so your children realize how important it is to be healthy and can grow old helping to make the world a better place.
• Be healthy to practice what you preach and in doing so motivate those around you to follow your lead.

Be healthy because you being healthy helps you, but it also helps everyone around you and your local community. Don’t fall victim to the “there is not enough time to be healthy” mantra. Nearly all of us are likely to encounter some health issues no matter how hard we try or how proactively we are in maintaining our overall health. Being healthy helps to reduce these issues. And if you need more guidance and motivation to be healthy, turn to those around you for help, motivation, and responsibility.

And then be healthy to help them.

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