We are surrounded by evidence of our progress in technology/industry/civilization. Every aspect of our modern lives is inundated by our technological achievements. With each step we take in the direction of technological evolution, we move further away from ourselves and our bodies. We’ve abandoned the most basic aspects of our nature. Modern life is devoid of movement, of physical tasks and challenges. We’ve lost ourselves in our pursuit of absolute convenience.
Some are calling widespread obesity an “epidemic.” The proliferation of heart disease, physical dysfunction and the increasing number of overweight and sedentary children is symptomatic of a larger cultural dysfunction. We no longer control our bodies. We look to pills and creams, machines and programs to fix us, instead of looking inside ourselves.
- Self-sufficiency
- Self-awareness
- Introspection
- Accountability
These are the core tenets of true fitness. The cultural focus on fitness as an aesthetic end leads us astray from its true purpose – quality of life. If we can’t run, climb, dance, walk, lift, throw and move – what’s the point? A vain obsession with unreal body representations discourages us from pursuing true success. At the same time, self-sabotaging behaviors encourage our indulgences and discourage breaking away from the pack…Trapped between mediocrity and plastic unrealities, we must break out and see fitness as it truly is. Second Nature is fitness, de-evolved. Fitness isn’t a luxury or a burden, it’s a need and a responsibility.
