Individual Health is Social
February 26th 2007 06:59
The best definition of health that I can come up with is: doing well where you are.
This means that health is not only individual (it depends on where you are) and that it is not only social (it depends on our actions and responses).
Some situations are less healthy than others. For instance, asking children to not move or speak while ‘learning’ stuff that has nothing to do with their lives (yes, I do mean schools) seems quite unhealthy. But because most people, especially children, have great vitality and resilience, they manage to stay healthy in this situation. This is of very great credit to them. Unfortunately these young people could be doing many, many things more enjoyable and healthy, so the situation is unhealthy but we all learn to (mostly) cope with it.
Some people are ‘healthier’ than others – perhaps they were just born this way, perhaps they were lucky where they were born (a peaceful western country rather than a country being bombed by the west for instance). Whatever the reason some people seem to have more vitality than others, and we all vary from day to day in how much vitality we have. We may go along feeling good and fighting off germs for months but then we have a down day. So our health has to do with ourselves as individuals.
Putting together where we are and who we are is what makes up the full story of health. So when we are feeling down, in pain, or sick we can examine both where we are and what we are doing.
It may be that we are in a difficult situation, so that it’s no surprise we aren’t feeling too good. Or it may be that we are stuck in an unhelpful rut or persist with a habit that doesn’t get us what we want.
Health is both personal and social, our own choice made within the place we find ourselves.
This means that health is not only individual (it depends on where you are) and that it is not only social (it depends on our actions and responses).
Some situations are less healthy than others. For instance, asking children to not move or speak while ‘learning’ stuff that has nothing to do with their lives (yes, I do mean schools) seems quite unhealthy. But because most people, especially children, have great vitality and resilience, they manage to stay healthy in this situation. This is of very great credit to them. Unfortunately these young people could be doing many, many things more enjoyable and healthy, so the situation is unhealthy but we all learn to (mostly) cope with it.
Some people are ‘healthier’ than others – perhaps they were just born this way, perhaps they were lucky where they were born (a peaceful western country rather than a country being bombed by the west for instance). Whatever the reason some people seem to have more vitality than others, and we all vary from day to day in how much vitality we have. We may go along feeling good and fighting off germs for months but then we have a down day. So our health has to do with ourselves as individuals.
Putting together where we are and who we are is what makes up the full story of health. So when we are feeling down, in pain, or sick we can examine both where we are and what we are doing.
It may be that we are in a difficult situation, so that it’s no surprise we aren’t feeling too good. Or it may be that we are stuck in an unhelpful rut or persist with a habit that doesn’t get us what we want.
Health is both personal and social, our own choice made within the place we find ourselves.
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