Disconnected.
That’s what most people are these days.
Disconnect from their minds and from their bodies, from nature and from their environment, from one another and from themselves.
Depression, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, sedentariness, listlessness, alienation, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, suicide, self-harm, body dysmorphia, mental illness, screen addiction, porn addiction, sex addiction, alcohol addiction, drug addiction, pill addiction, dopamine addiction of any and all sorts; a radical collapse of community, identity, and purpose; and a growing sense of unreality, unmooring and untethering us from any and all remaining reference points constituting the familiar, the solid, or the real.
Something has to change.
To remedy such society-wide malaise, we must return to the classical ideal of ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ or ‘a sound mind in a sound body.’
This philosophy of the human person used to be the ideal and standard for the ancient world man, soldier, and citizen. It was the ethic and spirit which built ancient Greece and ancient Rome, which birthed Western Civilization, and which founded America.
It is the ethic by which we may liberate ourselves from our modern-day spiritual sickness, the means by which we may mend our internal fissures and myriad points of disconnectedness, and the method by which we may uplift both ourselves and one another.
It is the gateway and pathway back towards mental, physical, and civic harmony, strength, and unity, both as individuals and as a nation.
What then do we mean by soundness in mind, body, and nation?
A Sound Mind
A sound mind is one comprised of reason, will, and habit of thought virtuously and appropriately ordered towards the natural end of human flourishing; an unsound mind, the opposite.
Attention, discipline, self-reliance, patience, self-control, rational management of emotions and of appetites, perseverance, fortitude, humility, self-reflection, generosity, gratitude, creativity, initiative, resourcefulness, the ability to observe, remember, learn, and adapt in the face of resistance, obstacles, and uncertainty, and the overall capacity to rationally apprehend the short and long-term implications and consequences of one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.
These are some of the hallmarks and attributes of soundness of mind.
A Sound Body
A sound body is the physical expression of a sound mind.
For man is not a mind alone. Rather, he is a union of mind and body, a mind-body union that demands the healthy, concrete, physical actualization of latent potentials within. Such physical actualization therefore requires the subordination of emotion, appetite, habit, and immediate impulse toward one’s higher-order rational will so to bring about the long-term expression of in-born capacities, aptitudes, and abilities.
Such realization further requires a physical crucible, obstacle, and point of resistance, natural or manmade, that one may repeatedly focus his or her mind, body, and will against so to bring about the maximal expression and healthy realization of mental and physical excellence.
In so doing, and over time, such a process of constant and repeated physical trial, challenge, and exertion of mind, body, and spirit generates an overall character of resourcefulness, resilience, and robustness; one that is able to help both one’s self as well others in times of extreme or unexpected emergency, crisis, or hardship.
Lastly, such a process demonstrates itself to be a continued and ever-replenishing wellspring and font for the cultivation and renewal of agency, dignity, and self-respect, the true sources for long-term mental and physical health, happiness, and well-being.
A Sound Nation
A sound nation is the natural consequence of sound minds and sound bodies expressed at the collective level.
For no man is an island, and at the end of the day, each human being possesses, deep within his or her psyche, a felt and natural longing to be part of something greater than one’s self.
That said, the increased integration of mind and body, appropriately and rationally directed towards practical expression on the individual level in the space of sport, exercise, art, dance, scouting, outdoorsmanship, and other forms of physical and athletic exertion, cannot help but necessarily spill outward into direct contact with other athletes, teammates, and competitors, as well as local community, environment, and beyond, inspiring a natural ethic of camaraderie, stewardship, and patriotism as well as a natural love for one’s own home, heritage, and country.
Conclusion
Physical and mental well-being is both a right and a duty of all persons and citizens regardless of age, ability, background, income, etc.
For modern life, with all of its overly-stimulating, overly-distracting, overly-convenient trappings, has robbed the average person of their God-given gift of realizing their own true mental and physical potentials, resulting, in essence, in a fundamental lie; a lie about what one is, what one can be, what ought to be.
Despite this lie, however, and beneath layers of shallow mediocrity, mandatory consumerism, and therapeutic docility, aches a voice in the mind, body, and soul, longing once again to be heard; one of health, vitality, and civic uprightness.
If we listen to this voice, then there is a chance our country, society, and ourselves might be saved.
If not, then we will surely perish.
So very comprehensive. I don’t think you left anything out. Truth in every line. Very reminiscent of the speeches I’m hearing coming out of the ARC convention. Your voice is one of the chorus of influencers now paving the path to a better future. Inspiring! Thank you and God bless you!