I often get push back for focusing so much on health as a priority – especially from more “spiritually” minded people. They remind me that “we are not our bodies” and that “there is more to life than the physical”.
And I agree.
We are not our bodies and there is SO much more to life than our physical bodies.
BUT, we are currently on this planet in physical form for a reason. A fundamental aspect of our purpose, I believe, is growth & development through service to our fellow human beings, and in order to be able to do this to the fullest extent possible, and with as much energy as possible, I believe we need to be in the most vibrant state of health we can be in.
Think about the last time you had a bad cold. Or injured a part of your body. Or even just had a tooth-ache. OR just felt overweight and sluggish. Did you feel able to go out and perform acts of service and radiate love and joy to your fellow man? Probably not so much. You would have been pretty pre-occupied with wanting to feel better or, at least, felt lacking in any real energy or inspiration to get out and be the vibrant person your inner being wishes you to be.
Now imagine this extrapolated over years of slowly neglecting your health – years of eating poorly, not exercising enough, skimping on sleep… imagine how this eventually starts to break down the body over time. You start feeling little aches and pains, less energy, possibly some chronic illness, and you chalk it up to “getting older” as if that is all inevitable. It is not.
It is perfectly possible to live a healthy, vibrant life withOUT all those aches and pains well into very old age. But ONLY if we carefully take care of our bodies starting now. Today.
What we do today hugely impacts our health tomorrow. Sure, you can “get away” with being slack with these things in your twenties. Maybe even throughout your thirties. But eventually those choices catch up with each of us.
If we truly want to serve humanity, take care of our planet, experience GIVING and spreading positivity, we have to fill our own cups first. And that starts with our health.
So no, I don’t believe it is a selfish thing to prioritize our health. I believe it is our first duty as occupants of this precious body to honor it with all the respect it deserves as the vehicle our souls.
How will you start to care for your health today?