The Art is Long: Big Health and the New Warrior Activist

Why are we ignoring the basic fact of interdependence? Why are we so relentless in our destruction of the very thing that gives us life?

I am intrigued with the challenge of mismatch, the disconnect between ancient bodies and the modern world.

A 2016 report from the Surgeon General highlights the pain that people are experiencing. Among the findings: “More people use prescription opioids than use tobacco.

For long body advocates, the starting point is interdependence. The burden of proof lies with those who claim that human bodies are individual, independent units. It’s up to them to make their case.

that connect us to the world are invisible in our routine sensory experience. Appearances deceive us. Just as the sun appears to circle the Earth, many of us believe we’re walking through the world as independent individuals, a perception that’s constantly promoted and reinforced by modern culture. Likewise, many of us are reluctant to accept the r

In fact, our bodies are far bigger than they appear. Health is bigger than the welfare of individuals. It’s bigger than most of what goes on inside the doctor’s office or gym. It’s bigger than the vast majority of marketing messages that we hear. In fact, health is as broad as our imagination. It includes the welfare of our cultures, our societies,

Of course, given the screaming, incessant demands of the modern world, authentic rest sounds like a utopian fantasy. Who has time to do nothing? But rest is not nothing; it is essential to who we are and what we can become. Far from being mere “down time” or a boring break in the action, rest is a time of crucial metabolic and psycho-spiritual reor

In fact, getting away from the self may well be an essential part of developing wisdom.

In March 2015, the journal Nature reported on “the myopia boom” and declared that “short-sightedness is reaching epidemic proportions.” As more and more of us spend years and decades glued to electronic displays, our eyeballs actually change shape; the light that enters the eye focuses in front of the retina, causing the image that one sees when lo

We say, “This story is flawed at its core.”