You Are Not Obliged to Be Healthy

 

Recently, I read a poetry 'zine, "The Wisdom of the Punk Buddha" by Sam Marsh. It was, in general, a good collection of reflections, which I agreed with overall. But, like so many "radical positions"...Sam had a fixation on the "obligation" to "be a healthy punk". Everywhere you look, those who proudly prance around shouting about how counter-culture they are align themselves very strongly with the dominant culture when it comes to "You must be healthy! Being healthy is completely within your control! If you aren't healthy, you don't have the necessary self-control to succeed in our fight!" And that is ableism. Yes, yes - "Oh my god, is everything an 'ism, these days?!" No, everything isn't. But insisting on health in order for people to be seen as "committed enough", "capable enough", insisting on "being healthy" as a pre-requisite to being seen as a valuable and valid human being, absolutely is. Equally, however, we should never have listened to the social media clout chasers who made anti-recovery and lack of responsibility their brand, who told us "You might just always be ill, and that's okay! You don't have to waste your valuable and limited energy doing any of this "wellness" bs!" Wellness is bs. "Being healthy" is bs for a significant number of people who are otherwise highly capable, and deeply committed to their positions and causes. "Being healthy" will become bs for many more people, who are very actively engaged with wellness and healthfulness currently. But "you're chronically ill, and that means you never have to think about ways you could improve your health, because this state is you, and that's valid!" is also bs. You are not obliged to be healthy - you are obliged to be mindful. Mindfulness, in relation to health, looks like: . "I am very conscious that I am choosing to smoke this cigarette, because it is the only way I am currently able to avoid saying something HR will make me regret, or punching someone out. It is better for me to have one cigarette than to become unemployed, or be arrested for assault." . "I am aware that there are other choices for meeting my body's need for sugar, but this chocolate bar does not come with the potential for digestive issues with fibre, I do not have to work around texture sensory challenges, and it also gives me a small uplift in my mood, which other sources of sugar do not; that improvement in my mood, combined with the energy from sugar, allows me to engage with a task I need to complete, or to feel up to socialising." . "I am not able to do a physical workout today, because I am aware that would take all of my available energy slots, and I have other things to do; it may also injure me, or trigger a flare. However, I can do a psychological workout: I can look at the other side of a position I hold. I can read a blog, book, or article, or listen to a podcast or documentary, about an issue I'm unfamiliar with. I can make realistic plans for the future, including some which will be challenging, but which are still within the range of what I am physically able to do. I can journal about complex feelings I'm having, either physically in writing, or through voice notes. I am registered blind. I was born with a structural musculoskeletal fault, which means that my left ankle doesn't have any ligaments around the Achilles tendon; that means I can't jump, and I have a very slight limp; if I walk for long distances, or over uneven terrain, or if I have to carry a heavy bag for a long period, the lack of 'shock absorption' in my ankle will cause pain in my hip. I do not do strength and cardio training "to ensure I don't have to rely on carers or a wheelchair when I'm 80!", as social media darlings constantly declaim as their motivation - furthering the isolationist and hyper-independence narrative that's brought us to the current situation we're facing globally. If I live to be 80, which is 50/50 going by family history, I very likely will be dependent, on disability aids at the very least. Currently, I am already dependent on my guide cane in busy or unfamiliar situations, on an app which scans food ingredients for soya, which I'm seriously allergic to, and sometimes on other people to provide guiding assistance. I am dependent on my wife to pick up tasks which involve a lot of moving around when my ankle or hip are giving me more pain than usual. I do strength and cardio training because I am physically able to, for the most part, and because I am mindful of the fact that they are the best ways to give your body a regular "tune up", the same way you would routinely check and clean the oil in your car, tighten the chain on your bike, or get your shoes resoled. Some people are not physically able to do strength and cardio training. They are already dependent on carers and/or a wheelchair - and that doesn't mean they are less valuable and valid as human beings. It doesn't mean they're incapable of commitment, engagement, or leadership. You are not obliged to be healthy. You are obliged to be mindful. You are obliged to do the most accessible right thing for your body and mind that you can. You are obliged to recognise when the "exercise" your body needs is actually rest. And insisting that "people do need to be healthy!" is ableist bs. If you persist in believing that: I wish you the day you believe carer-dependent wheelchair users have.