“We must cultivate our garden.”
– Candide by Voltaire, 1759
The Importance of Good Form
It continues to be a rough time for communities as we remain separated. Luckily, COVID rates continue to drop in our local community, and I haven’t personally treated any patients with it in months. Hopefully that trend continues as we attempt to get back outside and to some semblance of normalcy. Along those lines, between the riots, destruction of public spaces, and constant shaming of people for nearly everything under the sun, one continuum has been the importance of our own behaviors and health – i.e. the importance of good form.
Whether we are talking about arete, Ikigai, fare bella figura, or many of the other historic and cultural terms that simply mean striving to be good to ourselves and others, the current state of affairs sums up why our society as a whole is less than healthy (and why we need to stop using time as an excuse). We simply need to care more, try more, and strive for meaning in our lives (and support our friends and families in their personal journeys). Whether we are talking about our communities, friends and families, or ourselves, we need to thoughtfully grow, build up and not tear down.
Like Voltaire, as he suggested in Candide in 1759, we must take care of our garden. This includes not tearing down our neighbors or relying on someone else to care for ours, but instead focusing on us and our resiliency – becoming healthier, happier, and simply becoming better. The only path to true health is within ourselves – a deep hunger for well-being germinated through our actions. It cannot be gifted or forced upon us, or even bought (a surprise to many in this modern time of consumerism where we have been force-fed that buying = happiness). Health must be earned, respected, and preserved. In other words, health reflects form, and having one without the other is a rarity. Like a garden it takes effort, but great reward accompanies these efforts.
Gardening is often revered as a dated past time that usurps much of our free time on the weekends. Yet whether directly or as an analogy to life, tending our garden and mastering our form, works to make us the healthiest and happiest individuals while avoiding the constant bombardment of negativity that serves more to uproot and destroy our local communities. Focusing on our form will directly benefit ourselves and our communities to provide us the best health possible.
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“Health must be earned, respected, and preserved”. I love this quote, Dr. Champ, and nothing could be more true. I spend quite a bit of time in my garden from Spring through Fall, and I enjoy every minute of it. I just came in from harvesting this year’s garlic crop, as a matter of fact. I’m always excited to get my garden going in the Spring, and even happier to be able to harvest all of the nutritious produce that comes out of it later in the Summer and Fall. There is nothing better in my book than sitting down to a great meal and knowing where everything on your plate came from, and how it was grown/raised. If you don’t really care where your food came from, or how it was grown, you are doing a disservice to your health, in my view (and the health of the planet, as well).
Rob,
You are spot on and I can’t agree more with you! Great to hear this all and keep up the good work!
Colin
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