Survival Of The FITtest: Part III

Welcome to the third installment of my "Survival of the FITtest" blog entries. Previously I have discussed how unfit for survival the human race is as it has consciously decided to eat and sit its way into obesity and poor health. As if the gluttony induced obesity rates weren't enough to  demonstrate America's de-evolution of the human being, I explored the possibility that my generation and the generations that follow may actually have a shorter life span than the baby boomers. Being unhealthy is one thing, but eating and sitting ourselves to death? Now that's just stupid...

To continue this discussion I'd like to touch on humanity's most valuable tool and it's potential downfall: a conscious mind. Unfortunately, I must use the term "conscious" loosely, given that many of our choices up until this point have led to self-destructive health practices. To be conscious is to be self-aware. Just like everything else in life, there are many levels and layers to this self-awareness. On the most basic and grossest level, we all are aware of ourselves. We recognize our reflection in the mirror, we identify ourselves with an image and personality containing various desires, aversions and interests. We also recognize other basic needs: the need to eat, sleep and poop. Unfortunately for many of us, that is about as far as our "conscious" thinking goes and we have yet to master how to properly nourish ourselves. The inability to nourish oneself, promote well being and extend survival to me sounds like a fundamental flaw in one's "consciousness" or self-awareness.

The scariest part of all this is that each and every day the majority of Americans are choosing life-limiting behaviors over life-expanding behaviors. Forget social, political and economic systems because the same poor attempt at what we call government and politics stems from the same issues that have led to America's obese and overweight society: a limited perspective. Americans want it bigger, better, faster, more of it and we want it NOW. This overindulgent attitude of self-instant gratification with little thought given to the future is exactly what leads people to literally killing themselves with their choices. Who wants to eat a grilled chicken and veggies meal you must cook and prepare for yourself when you can go to McDonalds and grab a big tasty Bic Mac, Large Fries and a 32 oz Coke for less than $5 or $6? Not only that, preparing your healthy meal is going to take at least 45 minutes, why would you want to do that when you can have the Big Mac NOW? Why would you choose the chicken and veggies? Simply because the chicken and veggies are better for your health.  Plain and simple.

There in lies the problem: We just want to be satisfied right now, with little regard to function, how our choices affect our livelihood and the sustainability of our lives. Our "superior" conscious mind has thought us right out of touch with our basic survival instincts and the concepts of necessity, functionality and sustainability. Animals in the animal kingdom understand if they sit in one spot too long, they could fall prey to a predator. Animals understand if they wander into predator territory they will get eaten. So what do they do? The animals avoid the behaviors that will lead to their demise. With all of the technology, medical advancements and things we know about the human body, health and wellness even at the most basic levels, our decision to smoke, drink, eat and sit ourselves to death is probably one of the least intelligent choices any species has ever made on the planet. Other life forms, including plants adapt and find ways to thrive in their environment to best ensure survival. If we are so special because we are "conscious", why the hell can't we make the same decisions?