Physical fitness can be a form of spiritual practice toward enlightenment.

Strength, power, and control of your muscles allow you to move effectively. Suppleness gives you an optimal range of motion and flexibility. Stamina gives you endurance. And Sensitivity gives you coordination, reflects, speed, balance, timing, and rhythm.

It takes an effort to attempt to mold students and some people into civilized members of the community. It only sometimes works. Among adults, I liked to use a joke as an example of that effort. A little girl was out with her grandmother when they saw two dogs mating. “What are they doing, Grandma?” asked the girl. The grandmother was embarrassed and said, “The dog on top hurt his paw, and the one underneath is carrying him to a doctor.”

“They’re just like people, aren’t they, Grandma?” said the little one. 

“How do you mean?” asked Grandma.

“Offer someone a helping hand,” said the little girl, “and they fuck you every time.” 

Agent Orange and the be-speckled, super straight troll are directly responsible for killing hundreds of Ukrainians because of their “leadership.” This is more than a snafu. This is not normal. These men are sick. They are incredibly self-centered, do not take responsibility for their actions, anal retentive, do not care about the consequences of their acts, but are into power and control. I am familiar with this personality because of some of my cooperative Board of Directors. My grandmother used to say, “Give a little man a little power, and you see how little he is. Give a big man a little power. You see how big he is.” America has been given a national IQ test, and fully a quarter of the nation is failing. Vote these assholes out.

Satoru

I live in a neighborhood where rude drivers blow their horns incessantly. The cops rarely enforce the law protecting pedestrians, and real estate interests take priority over living standards. Politicians and city planners do not seem to understand that the built environment influences a community’s physical and mental health. Neighborhoods with markers of urban development like sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes are linked to reductions in obesity and high blood pressure, declines in deaths from stroke and cardiovascular disease, and improvements in overall mortality rates. Similarly, more road signs and street lights correlated with lower prevalence of high cholesterol and even cancer, as well as reduced depression and smoking. Pedestrian-friendly quiet neighborhoods tend to be associated with better community health and active lifestyles, which lowers risks for chronic disease and improves mental health. At the same time, noisy environments with little green space are linked to stress and anxiety. Designers and urban planners can help put health at the center of future development and zoning policy changes, but politics and money interests seem to trump citizens’ health and rights. (pun intended.)

On a trip to Israel with some Buddhist monk friends, we heard about and were going to meet a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray twice a day, every day, for a long, long time. We went to the Western Wall, where he strolled to the holy site.

We watched him pray, and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, moving very slowly, we approached him.        

“Pardon me, sir, I’m Mel Hantz. What’s your name?” “Morris Fishbein,” he replied. 

“Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?” “For about 50 years.” 

“50 years! That’s amazing! What do you pray for?” “I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews, and the Muslims. I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop. I pray for a more enlightened government to respect individual differences. I pray that all our children grow up safely as responsible adults and love their fellow man.” 

“How do you feel after doing this for 50 years?” 

“Like I’m talking to a fuckin’ wall.”