My friend Frank Forencich of Exuberant Animal just wrote a brilliant blog post about a recent Newsweek cover story. You should ready what he had to say... right now. I'll wait.
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You back? Pretty great, ya? You should read his books.
I am a big fan of Ray Kurtzweil and I think he is right - the singularity is near. But even when we have fully merged with our technology and have medicine that would seem like magic to us today - even then, true health will not be purchasable.
That's because health is about much more than your blood chemistry and muscle tone. It's about your relationship to the environment and the cultivation of your spirit. Frank addressed the former in his post and I'll take a shot at the latter now.
Here's a business question to get things started: What is the relationship between risk and reward?
The answer, as we all know, is that the two are directly related - an increased reward must come at an increased risk. The trick is to understand and intelligently manage risks to maximize the chance of a favorable outcome.
The same holds true for vibrant health. You must push yourself beyond where you were. You must confront obstacles and do your best to overcome them. You can only really value something you've worked for - if everything is simply handed to you the instant you desire it, you will always want more.
This is not the same as "no pain, no gain." Push too hard and you will injure yourself. Push an injury too far and you will be crippled. On a related note, do not force yourself to do an activity you hate. If you cannot stand swimming, don't swim. The challenge - and the joy - should come from testing your limits, not forcing yourself out the door.
Arnulfo Quimare and Scott Jurek. Look at the joy on their faces.
Parkour is a great example of the risk/reward relationship. To the general public, parkour is high-risk, even dangerous. What they don't see are the hours of training and preparation that go into each big jump. The risk is certainly there and, to a large extent, is the whole point. There cannot be growth (and therefore health) without it. But a good traceur is never reckless. I would write a lot more on the subject but I found the following video from Michigan Parkour that sums it all up nicely:
You cannot buy this kind of health from the doctor, a diet book, or a pill. Technology may be able to some day grant you a beautiful body on demand and you may be able to "download" parkour abilities faster than you can say "I know kung fu," but you will never be healthy until you get out there and test your mettle. If you honestly push your limits I think you'll be surprised at what you are capable of.
Colin Pistell