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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

A Few Excellent Wellness Questions And What I Hope Are Pretty Good Wellness Answers

Monday January 7, 2008

I get a lot of questions at SeekWellness.com about wellness in general and aging, sex, politics and religion in particular. Not as many people realize how compelling and relevant wellness can be until fitness issues, diet matters and other quality of life-enhancing skill areas are linked to sex, politics or especially religion. Sometimes these links are a bit of a stretch, but most of the time the connections are for real.

I answer almost all questions, unless they appear to be from spammers, lunatics or hostile Republicans with an attitude. As to who falls into which category, well, call me Potter Stewart, who in 1964 tried to explain "hard-core" pornography or what is obscene by saying, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . but I know it when I see it." My sentiments, exactly, about deciding which writers belong in which categories. I'm kidding, of course: I'm happy to answers questions from everybody, especially if they interest me. Here are a few of my interest-level favorites.

Question: Do you think there is intelligent life somewhere out in space?

My Response: I do, though I take this view as a non-astronomer, non-physicist, non-astronaut and non-scientist. I claim no special insight on the matter but I'm impressed with the probabilities for life in the infinite cosmos, given that there are billions of suns in our galaxy and hundreds of billions of galaxies. Stars in unimaginably vast numbers of galaxies are likely to have planetary systems. Surely some if not many are also candidates for harboring planetary systems similar to our own. Furthermore, the above description refers only to those galaxies and stars we know about -- there are countless more beyond the beyond, light years removed and difficult to even begin to comprehend. Thus, I would bet on the probability of life out there, including life that is likely to be very, very intelligent by our standards. What's more, Carl Sagan thought intelligent life was likely enough to set up a program (SETI) to look for it, despite little hope for success in his time or ours. This fact also causes me to lean toward an affirmative response to the question. Finally, I'm impressed that whoever "they" are out there, they seem to have had the good sense not to contact us, and I respect that.

Bottom line: We can't know, for sure. This was a fine "meaning of life" question, in my opinion. I suspect it's one that has been on human minds for as long as our species has been on this planet. Unfortunately, I don't think any civilization from deep space is going to appear in time to help us solve the great problems that vex us (for examples, how to get along, treat the environment properly, reduce poverty and disease, and create opportunities for everyone to live well and find meaning and happiness, to some appreciable degree).

Question: Are there reliable indicators of middle age?

My Response: In fact, there is no such thing as middle age. It is a state of mind, and a health hazard if you assume that you should "slow down" or expect less of yourself because you have reached a certain age. If you want to become an expert on middle age indicators, well, a good starting point is my book Aging Beyond Belief: 69 Tips For Real Wellness. (My publisher would want me to mention that.)

I enjoy collecting wisecracks about middle age. Here are a few of my favorites. You are middle age if:

During a hostage situation you are released first.
Nobody takes sexual harassment charges against you seriously.
People call at 9 p.m. and ask, "Did I wake you?"
Things you buy now won't wear out.
You can live without sex but not without glasses.
You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
You sing along with the elevator music.
You talk about "good grass" and you're referring to someone's lawn.
Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them, either.

Question: Do you think politically correct (PC) thinking is out of control on university campuses?

My Response: Yes, I do. A book by Alan Kors and Harvey Silvergate (The Shadow University) lays out a case that PC has taken over Americans campuses. It's an excellent work with plenty of evidence for the perspective that freedom of speech does not exist on most college campuses. This is due to the power of both left and right-wing oriented extremists who enforce political correctness and block dissent from certain PC points of view. Kors and Silvergate suggest that binge drinking, for example, is not nearly the top college worry -- the loss of free speech is! Universities, dominated by 1960's radicals grown up and in control of higher education, have made affirmative action, feminism, homosexual rights and sensitivities, Black studies, ethnic diversity and other topics semi-religious, sacred matters not to be discussed without reverence and deference. They write about speech codes, star-chamber proceedings and severe actions to punish such offenses as "lack of gender sensitivities." Did you make a member of a protected class feel uncomfortable and thus create a hostile climate? If so you're guilty of sexual or some other form of harassment. Not a happy picture.

Question: Do you think wellness might be a fad?

My Response: That question is hardly ever asked any longer, but it used to be a common query in the early days of the wellness movement (circa mid-seventies). In the beginning when wellness was less understood, many wondered if the movement would endure. Today, few if any still have such doubts. In short, nobody really thinks that personal responsibility, exceptional fitness, sound diet practices, artful management of stress, the development of critical thinking skills, the expansion and practice of one's sense of humor, the quest for meaning at work and in life and the other dimensions of wellness are here today, gone tomorrow-type of commitments. These qualities of the wellness philosophy seem quite remote from hula-hoops, pet rocks, tattoos and the like. (Well, at least I HOPE tattoos are a fad!)

If you have a question, please consider sending it along, even if it has nothing to do with sex, politics or religion. Of course if it does relate to one of these three terrific wellness topical areas, then send it in right away, pretty please.

Be well. Always look on the bright side of life.

This essay is similar but not the same as an earlier one that appeared here on March 9, 2001.

Domain: mental
Subdomain: factual knowledge

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