By Samir Becic
As a little boy, I always had lots of energy. I needed an outlet for all this energy, so my parents enrolled me in sports programs and pushed me to study more- the combination of the two seemed to calm me down. I was able to focus my nervous energy into two very productive fields- exercise and education. To this day, at the age of 37, I still feel a sense of peace when I exercise and lose myself in a good book. For the past 50 years, the two components- fitness and education- were largely separated and considered different entities. Athletes were considered physically strong but intellectually weak and intellectuals considered mentally performant, but physically lacking.
In today’s America, we still see a separation between the mind and the body. However, I see this separation as being counterproductive in every segment of society from the corporate world, to politics, religion, education, and specifically the medical world. We are currently experiencing a turbulent time in America- competition from China and many other parts of the world are becoming stronger. We are realizing that we need to use all our potential in order to cope with the challenges of the modern day world. One of the key components of this is to connect our physical and intellectual strengths in order to improve our creativity, self-esteem, discipline, and peace of mind.
Imagine if Albert Einstein lived a decade longer, which could have easily happened with a healthy lifestyle- society as we know it today may be completely different. Also imagine how much more creative and productive he could have been throughout his life had he lived a physically active lifestyle. With the challenges within this modern world, we are obligated to put forth our full potential in order to create stability for the future of our children.
Sad statistics are showing us that the obesity rate in this country has grown past 34% which is both alarming and devastating not only for our health, but also the health of our nation. Obesity is destroying our potential to continue being the leading nation in the world- similar to a black hole that destroys everything in it’s path. Stephen Hawkins has a theory on multiverse, in which not every universe has black holes. I am metaphorically comparing obesity to black holes because it destroys all human potential. I choose to live in a universe that doesn’t have it’s “black holes” i.e. obesity- which is easily achievable. In less than 12 months, obesity could be mostly eradicated and human potential could return to our great nation.
Imagine a world in which your kids have both a healthy lifestyle and a great school education. They can then grow up to be both physically strong and intellectually capable. Not strong and uneducated, not educated but physically weak. Not strong with no idea on how to use their strength. Not smart without the necessary energy or discipline to perform. Rather, they can grow up to be the perfect combination of both physical strength AND intellect.
Now picture this situation: a person that has both the brilliance of Albert Einstein, and the physical genius of Michael Phelps. I am not saying that every human being has the potential to be a combination of Einstein and Phelps- what I am saying is that every human being has the potential to be the epitome of what God had intended them to be. With this being said, I hope to live in a universe without “black holes.” I also hope to live in an America where obesity and it’s health issues are not a constant threat to our nation’s security, health, financial wellbeing, creativity, and happiness. Every morning when I wake up, I am fully excited about the role I can play to improve healthy lifestyle in the US- LET’S ALL REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL!
