don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will themselves not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die.
Daniel Burnham, architect (1846-1912)

All administrations promise big plans in the hope of stirring men's blood. The "New Deal," "The New Frontier" and the "The Great Society" all contained big plans, and parts of these bold plans were realized. It seems to me the administration in office at present could benefit from some big plans of a sensible nature. Mired down in Iraq and Afghanistan, embarrassed by prevarications about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and faced with growing resistance to its "faith-based" assault on the historic separation of church and state, not to mention tax cuts for the rich that have contributed to the largest deficit in the nation's history, the Bush administration needs a big plan about now, one that would "aim high in hope and work" and be seen as a "noble, logical diagram."

Well, I'm pleased to do my patriotic duty and come to the aid, not of this particular party, but of my country at its hour of need. I did not play a part in electing this character, but he IS the president for a while longer, and I must help the nation, if possible. I will be pleased if the Bush folks adopt my idea, even if they don't give me credit or a high post in government. However, I confess to hoping that the idea is not TOO successful -- I would not want my bold plan to contribute to the president's reelection. I think Bush is the worst president we've ever had. If he wins again, I'm emigrating to Australia -- if they'll have me! (Maybe you would like to write a letter of recommendation to speed me on my way!)

Because America needs what I'm about to offer, I'll take a chance that it won't propel Bush into four more years, for then he would ruin the country more than he already has.

My not-so-little plan is for a domestic Wellness Corps!

There is no compulsory military draft at the present time. However, current policies have created new demands for the deployment of troops and thus sparked much discussion about the matter. Just last week, a New York Times column by Maureen Dowd (August 20) contained this: "Some United Nations experts have been saying that we have only half the number of troops we need to subdue Iraq, and Senator John McCain and others agreed yesterday that we need more reinforcements."

A good argument could be made that compulsory military or other service is always a bad idea, inasmuch as it is, in effect, a form of discriminatory slavery that forces young citizens to serve the state under harsh conditions attended by danger and abridged civil rights. Even voluntary military service, with educational and other inducements, is unfair in the absence of attractive alternative service options, for the poor and undereducated with few choices are the citizens most likely to be recruited. A Wellness Corp would be an attractive option for some citizens. In addition, just think of the constructive contributions that a trained corps of self-management advisers, counselors and facilitators might render to varied population groups, and the benefits the Wellness Corpspersons themselves would gain from immersion in healthy lifestyle practices.

Instead of a service geared primarily to underprivileged, heterosexual Christian and mostly minority males, as seems to be the case with the modern US military, the alternative services (including the Wellness Corps) would appeal to women (even pregnant women), the physically challenged, married people, gays and lesbians, free-thinkers and maybe even a few Republicans, young and old! In short, EVERYBODY would have an opportunity to serve for a couple years, if he/she wished to do so. If they did so, the same educational and other benefits offered at present for military service would be available to all, under my Wellness Corps proposal. These benefits would include good pay, learning opportunities, advancements and possibilities for prestige, satisfaction, college credits and so on. In short, both military service and Wellness Corps service would afford citizens the chance to "be all that you can be," whether in the Army, the Navy, Coast Guard, Marines or Wellness Corps.

The very idea of anybody being 4F for the Wellness Corps is out of the question. If you can chew gum and walk straight, you're eligible. The Wellness Corp administrator's attitude must be something like, "Hey, no problem, partner. If you care about self-management for yourself and others, we'll work with you."

I could go on but this is just a concept at the present time. More details will follow -- if I am given a long-term government grant to continue work on this brilliant idea. Don't feel badly that YOU did not think of this -- there's still a need for a lot of additional good ideas by this administration. To quote actor and US Senator Fred Thompson, "After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood."

Why, if the world's only remaining superpower is to do what recent administrations think we must do, namely, secure peace, democratic governments and prosperity everywhere without overstretching our defenses, annoying half the world as the global cop while creating ruinous deficits, we're going to need lots of good ideas! Ideas are also in order for a national health and medical care system, fairer elections, better politicians, more secure borders, rebuilding the infrastructure, controlling pollution, reducing smoking and much more. So, don't despair -- the Bush Administration needs all the good ideas it can get, including yours. Call or write the White House with your good ideas, or send them to me at Seekwellness. I'll even embellish them for you.

Isn't it great that we still have freedom of speech and can petition the government to do good things? I think it is. Be well, have fun and look on the bright side.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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