Evolution of Wellness part 1

Evolution

Throughout history it has been very important to select appropriate foods to nourish the body to allow us to do our work, remain healthy and survive.  People in the wilderness were surrounded by a plethora of potential food sources.  However, one wrong choice could mean the end.  Just as the Mayans and many other ancient civilizations used the sky to navigate the world accurately, they also had great awareness and understanding of which foods were nourishing and which foods were potentially toxic or fatal.  Furthermore, most of our ancestors had to work all day everyday just to secure enough food to nourish their bodies just to start the process over the next day.  What a rat race!  

People however were always innovative and desired to have more free time to pursue luxuries outside of meeting the basics of needs.  The pursuit of luxury and developments of technology have left us no longer gazing into the heavens for directives.  We have been left with getting less physical activity needed to sustain our metabolism and strength of our bodies.  We are also placing food substances in our bodies with little or no thought of the purpose of eating or how the food substance may affect our health. 

Over time mankind has progressed to unfathomable height.  We were originally a creature that struggled to survive in the wilderness.  Mankind has evolved, and thanks much to the expedience technology provides, has achieved a higher quality of life.  For many years, technology has provided man with the ability to make life easier and have more luxuries.  

Luxury is defined as something that is inessential but is conducive to providing pleasure and comfort.  Luxury is something that mankind has relentlessly pursued and earned.  Due to our ancestors living a life of great scarcity, we are biologically hard wired to desire abundance.  This hard wiring has not evolved as our culture has evolved.  Mankind currently has an abundance of everything and has limited ability to neither handle the responsibility nor delay gratification. 

It reminds me of the NBA rookie drafted straight from high school.  This child is given an abundance of everything and, more often than not, does not know how to handle the situation.  The NBA and other professional athletic organizations have recognized this problem and now have educational programs to address these concerns and teach these children how to be responsible with the abundance and privileges they acquired so instantaneously.  

The rest of us, less privileged individuals, also have an abundance of choices to make and need just as much guidance to appropriately govern this world.  It was a staple in early times to provide an education to our people to help them make appropriate decisions to ensure the progress and stability of society.  We must revisit practices of the cultures of the past who were entirely focused on survival and maintaining the highest levels of health and daily performance.