Of Machines and Men

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

I find myself weary of my peers who see their bodies as machines.  In fact, within the past few years, this viewpoint has moved from irritating to my red flag list. As a general rule, I don’t date people who smoke, litter or treat their bodies as you would treat a refrigerator (ignore it until it stops working and then freak out).

Perhaps it’s simply the ignorance of youth.  However, I have begun to see it as a deeper, cultural issue.  Because even though my mind knows for myself that my body is a wise and perfectly imperfect vessel, I still catch myself trying to push through pain, putting myself down for having awareness of my physical limitations, fatigue, illness.

Many people blame  Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, for the mind body dichotomy.  And indeed, he did bring about the discussion of the body as a machine of the mind.  However, this perspective is all over Western culture — from School House Rock to the questions raised in Doctor Who episodes presenting cybermen.  In Doctor Who, the cybermen are half men, half machine; humans stripped of their emotional output, outfitted with metal and a brain to steer the metal shell around, assimilating all other lesser, normal humans.

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We are not meant to be machines.  Science fiction and School House Rock aside, we require maintenance.  Like a car needs regular tune ups, we have check ups and check ins.  But on top of the internal structures of a vehicle, we have our emotional well-being, which contributes in no small part to our working order.  Our physical health and our emotional well-being are intrinsically linked.   We feel.  Moreover, we’re supposed to feel.  It’s hardwired into our mind-body connection.

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”  – Buddha

All you can do is your best.  But a realistic approach is helpful.  If you see your body as a machine that should be able to do this physical feat or activity, you’re unlikely to listen when your physical body is giving you a single for rest.  Especially as chronic, you have to know that fatigue is real.  If you ignore this sign too long, the sheer exhaustion of pushing through will knock you on your ass for days.

Developing a symbiotic relationship between body and mind can be hard in our Western culture.  Do you have tricks to remind yourself to be kind to your body?