A sort of continuation of this.
My mother, and many of my relatives, have an obsession with health. They’re into the entire natural foods/the FDA is evil/big-companies-are-out-to-get-us sort of thing. And, they claim that they’re happier and more healthy following X diet or N exercise program. (And that I should do the same.)
It’s not just them. The media bombards us with health products. The government and a million doctors and health clinics tell us how to eat and how much to exercise. According to just about everyone, we’re in an obesity epidemic. What is it now – 65%, 75% percent of adults? Or something like that. And we’re all too stressed, and we have too much unsafe sex, etc.,etc.
Now, some very smart people have good, rational things to say about fat acceptance, legalization of drugs, and other issues. All of this is good. I think it goes farther than that, though.
Think about this for a second:
Exhibit A: We all die eventually.
Exhibit B: Life expectancy in western society is longer than any in recorded history.
Even if you eat crap, drive like an idiot, have sex with everyone you can, are stressed about your family’s disapproval, and are high on drugs the entire time, you will probably live as long (30s) as the average person in many societies, both historical and modern. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that living like that is a good. (As far as I’m concerned, hurting other people is always wrong – the above lifestyle is pretty hard on the rest of society). But while most people would say that such a person is unhappy, that they need help, that there’s something wrong with them.
I’m certain that there were and are plenty of people who knew they would likely die in their thirties who, live perfectly happy, fulfilled lives. So why does it bother us, that some people simply aren’t afraid of death?
I’m simplifying, of course. Something might feel good now, but worse later, it’s a trade-off, blah, blah. But let’s apply this idea to something small. Like eating unhealthily. Or not exercising. Or having sex with a large number of partners. Is it really wrong because it’s potentially unhealthy? It’s wrong if it hurts someone, to be sure. But who’s to say that someone can’t prefer being unhealthy, especially if we’re only considering one unhealthy activity, with minimal impact?
Back to the fat acceptance argument, for a moment. Kate Harding goes into great detail as to why being fat isn’t always unhealthy, and why some people can’t help it. So, let’s say she’s wrong. Being fat really is unhealthy. If you’re fat, you’re going to die sooner. Does that make you a bad person? Really? Even if it makes you happier?
And who defines happiness, anyway? More on that some other time.
(My goodness – I’m in a weird mood at the moment. Oh, well!)
