Perhaps you’ve seen the latest pictures online of the lingerie
wearing new mom Caroline Berg Erickson who took a “selfie” just four days
after supposedly giving birth to her child.
Or maybe you can remember from a few months ago the “what’s
your excuse” “fit mom” Maria Kang who
posed with her three young children in skimpy work-out attire to show off her
well-toned body. While Erickson has claimed that her picture wasn’t meant to
shame women, and Kang has strongly resisted claims of being a bully because of
her pictures, I think the message stands out loud and clear.
Perhaps you’ve heard it said that we can be anything we want
to be in life. That sounds great and all, but at 5-11/185, I’ve got no shot at
making an NBA roster. Some say that anyone can be anything they put their mind
to—baloney I say. It doesn’t matter how hard I work, I don’t and won’t ever
have the size, strength, or quickness required to compete in a professional
sports league like the NBA. My point is
that these two women, who I am sure maintain rigorous physical fitness
regimens, are also winners of the genetic lottery.
LeBron James is an incredible basketball talent who works
very hard at his craft. He also happens to be 6-8, 250, built like an ox, and
able to jump out of the gym. LeBron
could say all he wants about his “hard work and dedication” getting him to where
he is today, but let’s be honest, his “God-given” physicality and talents had a
LOT to do with it. Heck, LeBron is such an athletic freak of nature that he has
expressed desire to play
an NFL game one day, with many thinking that he certainly could compete. NFL
stars such as Antonio
Gates and Jimmy Graham,
who played little or no college football, also demonstrate this reality. So much for “hard work and dedication” being the
keys to success.
Here’s the thing, like the ancient Greeks, our society has
given preeminence to those with incredible physical attributes like James and
Erickson while conversely critiquing everyone else for not being able to meet those
same standards. It’s basically an
aristocracy of physicality. At least
ancient Greece seemingly recognized what they were doing —our society is messed
up enough to believe it’s simply “hard work” and “dedication” that gets you a body
like Erickson or a jump-shot like LeBron.
Here’s a reality check, all humans are not “created” equal—not
all have the same gifts, talents, strengths, or abilities. Neither do we all
start off with the same basic “tools” to work with. I am a runner. I have run a marathon, something 99.5% of
the population hasn’t done. I ‘d like to think that makes me pretty special.
But here’s the thing, my dad was a very good runner, far better than me in
fact. He has qualified
for and ran the Boston
Marathon 3 times (the top marathon in the country) and ran a hundred mile
race! By that standard, my single marathon doesn’t look that fantastic
anymore. I’m not a scientist, but I’d
say chances are pretty good that my dad passed along some genes that predisposed
me to being good at endurance sports, not to mention passing along an
environment and culture of running!
Being I’m a self-proclaimed theologian, I of course
recognize a religious dimension to all of this. According to author
Luc Ferry, one of the defining
things that separated early Christianity from Greek thought was its insistence
on the value of humans no matter their differences or “weaknesses.” Christianity continues to affirm the
intrinsic value of each and every human being as created in the “image of God”
(theologians have argued for centuries on what that actually means). So
then, I find it troubling that in a culture that claims to be overwhelmingly “Christian”
people are not valued simply by virtue of their humanity but rather by their physical
appearance, their earning potential, or their abilities.
Worse even, our culture shames people for not living up to
these impossible standards. I’m sure many women wish they could look like Kang,
but they don’t have the same body size, structure, genetics, etc. Or perhaps they
don’t have the time or motivation to work out like Kang. Yes, physical health
is important, but there are many people who simply find other things to enrich
and enhance their lives in other places than the gym. That’s not a bad thing. There isn’t some
eternal law that says we must all have a certain BMI or body fat percentage—our
culture defines such.
What I’m saying is, first of all, be you. Don’t try to be
someone you aren’t. I can’t be LeBron
James, and I’d be fooling myself if I thought I could be. Second of all, take
care of yourself—however that works for you. We all know the things we should
cut back on and we all know the thing we need to do to improve our health. But third,
and most important, don’t freak out about it. I’m never going to be an elite
runner, to me I’d have to give up too much to make that even a possibility,
and despite what Maria Kang might think, all woman aren’t supposed to look like
her, and that’s ok. Because you know what? In the end, I think we’re all
winners of the genetic lottery! We’re the only us that exists in the world! And
when recognize that fact and start truly being ourselves, we’ll be the richest
people in the world!
So be you!
Take care of yourself!
Don’t worry about what others think!
Go us!
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