Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The bibliographic citation for this definition is: Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19 June - 22 July 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. The definition has not been amended since 1948.
I post that definition today because, as is my custom from time to time, I want to address well being and taking care of oneself outside of the usual prevention of disease talk that I engage in (i.e. health screenings, nutrition, physical activity).
Today on the radio show Weekend Edition, one of the hosts was speaking of commencement speeches. He himself was not making one, but he offered a little advice none the less. I don't recall his exact phrasing, but it was profound enough to lead me into some self reflection and perhaps I can stimulate the same in you.
He said that life would be different and things would change as we got older and that we should embrace this change. He suggested that for life to have been truly lived, one should not have the same convictions at age 40 that they did at 20. I had to think about that a while. I find that too many people do not grow and that is a sad thing. I am not someone who is the same. I was 20 in 1985 and I can assure you that I looked at the world through a very different lens. I believed different things and I acted according to those beliefs.
In May of 1985 I was finishing up my second year at a 4 yr college. I had begun as a dance major, lost myself a little, college was hard for me. I was so very shy. I spent so much time in my dorm room the first year and in the second year I spent time lifting weights and over eating with one of my best friends who was also my eating buddy. I recall that my dance instructors told me to back off on the weight lifting. I was bulking up - not toning. I am far from bulky now and in some ways physically stronger!
Then I quit the 4 yr college and enrolled in a community college - I began to study child development. At the time and for some years, I was a "punk rocker." I also became a vegetarian - except not really - I ate ALL kinds of baked goods and starchy foods. I decided to become a social worker and save the world (switched to another college). I moved to NY. I wore T shirts that said meat is murder and only man hunts for sport and I was 100% pro life. I cared about people in other countries more than those in this country because I was oblivious to the social ills of America. I do remember that in my classes we discussed the doomsday clock - so many minutes from midnight.
But outside of the classroom, I got involved with people who actually needed a social worker and soon dropped out of school altogether. I spent most of the decade of my 20s striving to be a wife and mother. I experienced/witnessed domestic violence and alcoholism. At the same time, I had no concept of society's machinations and did not give voice to my concerns in ways that would be taken seriously.
At 40 - well, that person from the 1980s is not in this body (it would seem). I eat well, but with restraint, and exercise is the key to my vitality. I have numerous certifications, several degrees, and a history of productive careers. I do not think my country should be helping so many people outside of its borders and I am often concerned that our borders are not more secure. I am a true vegetarian (who eats fish) and I am still an introvert, but self confident and outgoing. In fact, in the last month I have been called ambitious, tenacious and assertive enough to go far!
I am politically, socially, financially, environmentally and physically(health) conscious. I expect that I will continue to challenge and embrace new ideas and that at age 60 my beliefs and actions will be impacted by my experiential and academic knowledge so that I will once again be different.
Another popular concept regarding human functioning, is Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. I will post the graphic here - it can be found in many publications, this clip is from Wikipedia and you can read about the theory at that site. One belief that has stayed with me since my 20s is the quest for the top of the pyramid - self-actualization.
An interpretation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at
the bottom.
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