It’s that time of year again. The time when everyone is making or has made a resolution for the New Year. We resolve to do something that either helps ourselves or helps others and almost always we fail to deliver. We hear jokes about our resolutions and about keeping them; jokes we find funny because we can all connect with abandoning a resolution. Our resolutions normally have the life span of a marriage to Britney Spears (and for those of you that don’t get the reference, this means "short").
I’ve always found keeping resolutions is futile. That’s why I’ve never made one (or maybe I’ve never made one because I know I can’t keep it; either way I don’t make resolutions). We never keep our resolutions, so to me, I’d rather not waste my time trying to complete something that I’ll just abandon anyways. Yet every year we resolve to do something out of our norms that will help to better ourselves.
Here are the top 10 New Years Resolutions that I found when I did a quick internet search; (10) get organized, (9) help others more, (8) learn something new, (7) get out of debt, (6) quit drinking, (5) enjoy life more, (4) quit smoking, (3) lose weight, (2) get in better shape, and (1) spend more time with family and friends. Looking at this list, these are things we should constantly be trying to do, not resolving to do in a given year. I’m sure that people reading this can connect with at least one of the resolutions listed here; if not this year’s than in a prior year’s.
I understand the purpose of the resolution. It’s meant to give us the little extra incentive that we need to accomplish a big life goal. The start of the New Year presents an opportunity for new beginnings and subsequently, new behaviors. However, we are all creatures of habit and even with the extra push from a New Years Resolution, we still find ourselves at least coming up short or even giving up altogether. Sometimes we forget or sometimes our goals are just too hard to accomplish.
A very similar practice is found in the Catholic ritual of observing Lent; practicing Catholics will normally abstain from something for the duration of the 40 days of Lent and might also abstain from eating meat on Fridays. Although there are less Catholics that actually partake and follow through in this ritual, there are still some. I’m curious to know how successful they are because, to be honest, I think 40 days of abstaining from something is easier than changing habits for an entire year let alone for life.
I think there are two ways to be successful with your New Years Resolution; (1) do as I do and don’t make one (you can’t fail at something you don’t try) or (2) start small. By starting small and working on a small change in one’s life, it can really build momentum for next year’s resolution. To use an exercise analogy, you can’t just go out and run a marathon because you decide to. You first start by jogging a bit and working your way up to longer distances. Start with a small resolution for a short amount of time and then work your way up to larger goals and longer time frames. By completing the smaller resolutions, you will build synergy to take on larger resolutions and have a better chance of accomplishing them.
So this year, when you’re making your resolutions and trying to follow through, I hope you think about what I’ve written and take baby steps towards your goals in the hopes of accomplishing the big resolutions. You might just find the solution to your resolution.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Sports Obsession
The Sport Obsession
I was pleased when I learned that Bell County High School recently won the Class 4 A football state championship. I was even more surprised to see the overwhelming support of the team, not only from Bobcat fans, but from neighboring schools as well.
I think that sports teach very important life lessons; teamwork, hard work, discipline, and following directions to name a few. However with all the benefits that sports contribute to our society, there are some cases where our fascination with sports can lead to an obsession which can also be very detrimental.
Sports are ingrained into American and world culture. However, sometimes it feels like we can take things a little too far. We can have a tendency to act in an uncivil manner towards fans of opposing teams. I've seen eggs thrown at local high school football games, the cars of opposing players vandalized, and nasty sentiments expressed verbally regarding another team in the presence of children. There have been reports across the world of unruly soccer hooligans or rioting when someone's team wins a national championship, World Series, or Super Bowl. Sports seem to have the ability to bring out the best and worst in us.
I played sports in high school. I remember it being both fun and at the same time a lot of work. I was lucky enough to have a father that wanted me to have fun playing sports and did not force me to play. This was not the case with all of my teammates. I've heard and witnessed horror stories of fathers that force their sons to play sports, or even worse, will take an active role to ensure that their sons get the playing time "they deserve". I think we all at least know, or have seen, one of these fathers at a game.
Sporting events and merchandise are a major part of the economy today. Athletes are paid in the millions of dollars and it always seems to make major news when Scott Boras gets the big contract with all the perks. It creates a larger than life persona that often times lands these big name stars in the news headlines not only for the size of their contract, but also for the criminal charges they collect like trading cards. The merchandise rights, the advertisements, the spokesperson deals, and even the outrageous prices some of us pay to attend these sporting events goes to show you that sports are highly valued in America.
I am guilty of falling victim to at least some parts of the obsession. I myself am a diehard sports fan. I have my favorite teams that I will either watch on television or travel to see in person. It's just something I enjoy. However, at the end of the day, win or lose, I know it's just a game. I told myself that every time I play a game, whether it was varsity football or the occasional game of pick-up basketball. Sports are meant for recreation and enjoyment. It's when you start to take them too seriously that sports lose their meaning and we lose the important life lessons.
When Bell County did win the state championship, there was an online battle between one particular poster and what seemed like everyone else in Bell County. The person who was adamantly opposed to Bell County playing for the state title was an individual that took high school sports a little too seriously. This person was overly critical of the Bell County team and insisted that Bell did not deserve to be playing for the state title(amongst other concerns the person expressed online). This person took the game so seriously as to antagonize an entire county in order to "talk his trash". This is just one particular example of abusing sports to antagonize fights between rivals. In my opinion, let the kids play and enjoy the game. Don’t give your two cents worth if no one wants to give you a penny for your thoughts.
So to the Bobcats of Bell County, congratulations on a fantastic season of perfection! To Coach Hilton, congratulations on what you have accomplished and how you have shaped these young men into champions. Both players and the coaches deserve the credit on this one; the players for first off doing what the coaches tell them and secondly for putting forth all their effort. The coaches deserve some credit for knowing what to do in the first place. Not giving equal credit to both is like thanking the hands for doing a job and not thanking the brain for coordinating the hands. Coach Hilton is doing something right if he keeps winning in different schools (Bourbon and Bell) and goes deep in the playoffs each year. These accomplishments stand alone regardless of any "strength of schedule" concerns I’ve heard. The bottom line is, this team made it to the big dance and won it all. Simply because your team didn’t make the big dance does not give you a right to rain on their parade. Sports should be for recreation, not for obsession.
I was pleased when I learned that Bell County High School recently won the Class 4 A football state championship. I was even more surprised to see the overwhelming support of the team, not only from Bobcat fans, but from neighboring schools as well.
I think that sports teach very important life lessons; teamwork, hard work, discipline, and following directions to name a few. However with all the benefits that sports contribute to our society, there are some cases where our fascination with sports can lead to an obsession which can also be very detrimental.
Sports are ingrained into American and world culture. However, sometimes it feels like we can take things a little too far. We can have a tendency to act in an uncivil manner towards fans of opposing teams. I've seen eggs thrown at local high school football games, the cars of opposing players vandalized, and nasty sentiments expressed verbally regarding another team in the presence of children. There have been reports across the world of unruly soccer hooligans or rioting when someone's team wins a national championship, World Series, or Super Bowl. Sports seem to have the ability to bring out the best and worst in us.
I played sports in high school. I remember it being both fun and at the same time a lot of work. I was lucky enough to have a father that wanted me to have fun playing sports and did not force me to play. This was not the case with all of my teammates. I've heard and witnessed horror stories of fathers that force their sons to play sports, or even worse, will take an active role to ensure that their sons get the playing time "they deserve". I think we all at least know, or have seen, one of these fathers at a game.
Sporting events and merchandise are a major part of the economy today. Athletes are paid in the millions of dollars and it always seems to make major news when Scott Boras gets the big contract with all the perks. It creates a larger than life persona that often times lands these big name stars in the news headlines not only for the size of their contract, but also for the criminal charges they collect like trading cards. The merchandise rights, the advertisements, the spokesperson deals, and even the outrageous prices some of us pay to attend these sporting events goes to show you that sports are highly valued in America.
I am guilty of falling victim to at least some parts of the obsession. I myself am a diehard sports fan. I have my favorite teams that I will either watch on television or travel to see in person. It's just something I enjoy. However, at the end of the day, win or lose, I know it's just a game. I told myself that every time I play a game, whether it was varsity football or the occasional game of pick-up basketball. Sports are meant for recreation and enjoyment. It's when you start to take them too seriously that sports lose their meaning and we lose the important life lessons.
When Bell County did win the state championship, there was an online battle between one particular poster and what seemed like everyone else in Bell County. The person who was adamantly opposed to Bell County playing for the state title was an individual that took high school sports a little too seriously. This person was overly critical of the Bell County team and insisted that Bell did not deserve to be playing for the state title(amongst other concerns the person expressed online). This person took the game so seriously as to antagonize an entire county in order to "talk his trash". This is just one particular example of abusing sports to antagonize fights between rivals. In my opinion, let the kids play and enjoy the game. Don’t give your two cents worth if no one wants to give you a penny for your thoughts.
So to the Bobcats of Bell County, congratulations on a fantastic season of perfection! To Coach Hilton, congratulations on what you have accomplished and how you have shaped these young men into champions. Both players and the coaches deserve the credit on this one; the players for first off doing what the coaches tell them and secondly for putting forth all their effort. The coaches deserve some credit for knowing what to do in the first place. Not giving equal credit to both is like thanking the hands for doing a job and not thanking the brain for coordinating the hands. Coach Hilton is doing something right if he keeps winning in different schools (Bourbon and Bell) and goes deep in the playoffs each year. These accomplishments stand alone regardless of any "strength of schedule" concerns I’ve heard. The bottom line is, this team made it to the big dance and won it all. Simply because your team didn’t make the big dance does not give you a right to rain on their parade. Sports should be for recreation, not for obsession.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Medicalization of America
The Medicalization of America
There seems to be a pill for everything. Attention deficit disorder, acid reflux, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, low fiber, high cholesterol; you name it and it seems there is some kind of pill that can take care of the problem. Sometimes the pill causes more problems than it treats. We are quick to think that these pills are the cure-all for our problems, primarily because we have become a people that look for the solution that requires the least amount of work. We fail to take good care of ourselves and when our bodies breakdown from the inadequate care, rather than correct the bad habits we have managed to accumulate, we ask for the most effective medical solution. Rather than treat the problem, we are looking for a band-aid solution, eventually allowing more and more problems to pile up until finally we have become a slave to the pills we are taking. If only we treated our bodies better, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.
So our society has become one where we look for solutions in pharmaceuticals and medical procedures. We ask for gastro-bypass surgery when all we needed was a little dedication to diet and exercise. We over diagnose attention deficit disorder and ask for Adderall when all we needed was a little self-discipline to focus on our studies or our work. But these are not the only case of shunning our responsibility.
There is a recent tendency to blame our actions on "diseases". An example would be that of alcoholism. We have been taught to believe that this is, in fact, a disease, when really it is a lack of self-control. Addicts of all natures (not just alcohol) are said to have a disease. Gamblers have diseases. Yet, these diseases are non-contagious and have no medicine to treat them. How then are they real diseases? Even AIDS and cancer respond to certain medications. Yet we have created these diseases to remove self-responsibility and replace it with acceptable excuses for inexcusable behavior. Here's an example: if someone trashes your house you are justified in getting mad at them. However, if someone is drunk and then trashes your house, for some reason it is more acceptable than the previous scenario. The reason being that inebriation creates an excuse for the behavior making the action more acceptable. We have created diseases to provide excuses for our behavior, called medicalization, so that we are not held accountable for our actions and our mistakes. We all have the ability to control ourselves; it's called willpower. When we refuse to exercise it, rather than take ownership for our mistakes we find ways to immune ourselves from blame. This is how we have become a medicalized society.
There have been repercussions of our medicalization. We are so quick to say that we have diseases and medical problems that now prescriptions are prescribed and advertised at alarming rates. We have all seen commercials on television or in our magazines that tell us to "ask our doctor about X" when we have no idea what X really does. Additionally, we have doctors in the area that over-prescribe medicine or even frivolously prescribe pills to people that are unnecessary. This has only helped increase the supply of drugs in the area, the same drugs that are being sold and causing law enforcement problems. Additionally, in some areas of the nation teenagers are holding "pharm parties" where participants collect drugs in their parent's medicine cabinets to be mixed and taken; the results are sometimes fatal. The problems are becoming widespread across all areas of society; a lack of personal accountability has indirectly led to increased supply of drugs for illegal sale and contributed to new types of drug experimentation for minors.
I am not saying that all drugs are bad. Some serve real benefits to the health of our society. Some people generally do have legitimate diseases that inhibit their self control mechanisms (being the exception and not the norm). However, there are many cases that if we just took better care of ourselves and exercised good discretion and hard work we would not be in the mess we are. I don't think that all prescriptions are bad and that all doctors over-prescribe, but obviously there are some problems with the status quo.
There seems to be a pill for everything. Attention deficit disorder, acid reflux, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, low fiber, high cholesterol; you name it and it seems there is some kind of pill that can take care of the problem. Sometimes the pill causes more problems than it treats. We are quick to think that these pills are the cure-all for our problems, primarily because we have become a people that look for the solution that requires the least amount of work. We fail to take good care of ourselves and when our bodies breakdown from the inadequate care, rather than correct the bad habits we have managed to accumulate, we ask for the most effective medical solution. Rather than treat the problem, we are looking for a band-aid solution, eventually allowing more and more problems to pile up until finally we have become a slave to the pills we are taking. If only we treated our bodies better, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.
So our society has become one where we look for solutions in pharmaceuticals and medical procedures. We ask for gastro-bypass surgery when all we needed was a little dedication to diet and exercise. We over diagnose attention deficit disorder and ask for Adderall when all we needed was a little self-discipline to focus on our studies or our work. But these are not the only case of shunning our responsibility.
There is a recent tendency to blame our actions on "diseases". An example would be that of alcoholism. We have been taught to believe that this is, in fact, a disease, when really it is a lack of self-control. Addicts of all natures (not just alcohol) are said to have a disease. Gamblers have diseases. Yet, these diseases are non-contagious and have no medicine to treat them. How then are they real diseases? Even AIDS and cancer respond to certain medications. Yet we have created these diseases to remove self-responsibility and replace it with acceptable excuses for inexcusable behavior. Here's an example: if someone trashes your house you are justified in getting mad at them. However, if someone is drunk and then trashes your house, for some reason it is more acceptable than the previous scenario. The reason being that inebriation creates an excuse for the behavior making the action more acceptable. We have created diseases to provide excuses for our behavior, called medicalization, so that we are not held accountable for our actions and our mistakes. We all have the ability to control ourselves; it's called willpower. When we refuse to exercise it, rather than take ownership for our mistakes we find ways to immune ourselves from blame. This is how we have become a medicalized society.
There have been repercussions of our medicalization. We are so quick to say that we have diseases and medical problems that now prescriptions are prescribed and advertised at alarming rates. We have all seen commercials on television or in our magazines that tell us to "ask our doctor about X" when we have no idea what X really does. Additionally, we have doctors in the area that over-prescribe medicine or even frivolously prescribe pills to people that are unnecessary. This has only helped increase the supply of drugs in the area, the same drugs that are being sold and causing law enforcement problems. Additionally, in some areas of the nation teenagers are holding "pharm parties" where participants collect drugs in their parent's medicine cabinets to be mixed and taken; the results are sometimes fatal. The problems are becoming widespread across all areas of society; a lack of personal accountability has indirectly led to increased supply of drugs for illegal sale and contributed to new types of drug experimentation for minors.
I am not saying that all drugs are bad. Some serve real benefits to the health of our society. Some people generally do have legitimate diseases that inhibit their self control mechanisms (being the exception and not the norm). However, there are many cases that if we just took better care of ourselves and exercised good discretion and hard work we would not be in the mess we are. I don't think that all prescriptions are bad and that all doctors over-prescribe, but obviously there are some problems with the status quo.
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