America…. I’ve been watching you very closely these last couple of years.
I’ve seen your daily habits change. I saw you go from talking on a phone TO texting emoticons.
I saw you go from reading TV guides to plan your TV watching TO streaming 24/7.
I’ve seen the media put fear into your minds daily. I’ve seen the news not talk about the good things in this world, but only the bad.
It’s made you scared, America.
That negative talking has fed into all of your insecurities. That fear started to control your daily routines.
It has begun to make you afraid of your home, neighbor, and strangers. They have convinced you that no good could come of this world.
They knew exactly what to say to you to keep you from making your own logical choices. That’s how the great divide in life commenced.
Think For Yourself
At what age did you start to agree that we should be separated by politics?
When was your religious belief the only defining characterization of you as a human being?
Why are we even divided by the simply act of ordering a pizza?
Ah yes, that’s a debate in itself.
How come in this great country we can’t even agree with the best pizza topping combination. Is it pepperoni and mushroom? Bacon and spinach? Or sausage and peppers?
But let’s talk about an even bigger American debate. The choice to be healthy or unhealthy.
You see it truly is a choice. But like all things we have decided to divide the issue.
Only Two Choices?
You can either:
Be Ripped
OR
Be Fat
Be at the gym pumping weights
OR
Be on your couch pumping beers
Be the woman on the cardio machine for three hours and eating salads all day
OR
Be the woman eating a whole cake with the lights off, alone in her apartment.
Drink three kale shakes
OR
Drink three 2-liter cokes
Eat Bland Boiled Chicken Breast
OR
Eat Chicken Fingers
Attempt 100 Push Ups A Day
OR
Attempt to eat 100 M&M’s A Day
You do have a choice America. It doesn’t have to be on two extremes all the time when it comes to your health!
American Privilege
I believe all men (and women) are created equal. We all have the same rights and privileges when it comes towards being healthy.
I’ll leave the universal healthy care debate up for another discussion but when should the amount of your income dictate whether or not you deserve to be healthy?
Like all things in life, hard work truly does pay off but what exactly is YOUR RIGHT?
Just because you’re born in America, does that mean you are entitled to everything this country has to offer?
Are you saying you are a better human being than a person born in a country stricken with poverty?
Are you saying that if that person works twice as hard as you and wishes to better their life they don’t’ deserve the opportunity because you’re the American and they are not?
As great as a country America is, isn’t it ironic that we’re the most obese?
Think about that. That hard worker in that foreign country may not have been blessed with all the breaks we have in America, but their chances at having a healthy body is definitely better.
Who’s envying whom now?
Which is more valuable, the amount of money in your pocket, or the ability to walk around life being happy and healthy?
What exactly is the answer?
As you celebrate this 4th of July holiday weekend, please make sure to keep this all in mind. I believe America is a great country. You have so many options as to what you can do with your life here.
You can binge watch Orange is The New Black while eating chocolate donuts or you can go to the gym and walk on a treadmill while streaming music on your iPhone using cellular technology that downloads information faster than your Wi-Fi at home.
Hard Work
America was the original nation of thinkers. Our forefathers put up with a lot of hard work. As a black American, I have nothing but respect for my ancestors because I know just how hard a life they had it. In an awful situation they put in the work to keep pushing themselves.
Are you still pushing yourself to your potential?
Did you go to the gym to socialize or to workout?
Does the fact that you don’t like broccoli means that you shouldn’t be eating more vegetables to help with your diabetes?
Hard work is what we like to preach in America but few actually do it.
Somebody (WHO I REFUSE TO NAME) mentions Make America Great Again…
A better slogan would be Make Yourself Great Again!
Image what would happen if a whole bunch of people felt great about themselves and start treating their neighbors with kindness. You would have an unstoppable force! Not a country divided.
You would have whole neighborhoods of positive energy. That positive energy would carry over to all aspects of their lives. They would become role models that others would want to duplicate. Making healthy choices would be so much easier because there’s no negativity keeping you down! Everyone’s health would skyrocket!
On this 4th of July, please be aware of what’s going on in this world. Open you eyes. Take care of your body and help your fellow brother and sister out!
We all want the same things…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!
Happy 4th of July!
