The Two Non-Negotiables in Life

You know how they say on the airplanes that in the event of a depressurization that you should first put on your oxygen mask before helping others? We think there are two things like that in life that we must first take care of before getting to the rest of life.

In the airplane, the low levels of oxygen can be so severe at high altitude, that without supplemental oxygen, a person can become unconscious within 20-40 seconds rendering them totally unable to help others (and succomb to hypoxic brain injury and death).

We submit that similarly there are two essential things to living a successful life:

1. Spiritual wellness (which leads to emotional and mental health), and

2. Physical wellness

Spiritual wellness of course is of utmost importance as it deals with matters of the soul and our relationship with God and others. Prayer and church community are essential components of being spiritually well which then leads to emotional and mental wellness.

But physical wellness is often overlooked or played down. If you have been ill at some point (as we all have), you know how the illness becomes foundational to our daily experience and limits our ability to do anything in life.

Putting a strong emphasis on a healthy lifestyle does not guarantee we will not get sick or develop a chronic illness, but it drastically decreases the chance of these things happening. That's why we believe, as much as it is reasonably in our power, that we should commit to living a healthy lifestyle. For thousands of years, humans were always very mobile and active. Manual work and labor was the norm, and consumed food was often close to the source. Modern life in the USA has all but erased these two fundamentals of a healthy life.

When looking at the Blue Zones, we see that these villages and communities still have these two tenets of life very much alive and well: physical work and whole minimally processed foods.

We believe that too many modern jobs have extremely long hours that limit our time and energy for physical exercise. Yes the Amish farmers probably work more hours than we do. But they are being physical and doing it with their family and neighbors. They are getting community, family bonds, and physical work all done at the same time.

If you find yourself working too long, or working strange hours on a rotation that is not compatible with long-term health, we implore you to prayerfully seek a way out and live on less so that you can have your physical health, and live life to the fullest. So many today live with too much stress, and not enough health. For many of us, if we are willing to part with some money, square feet in our homes, and material goods, we could live a slower, healthier and more meaningful life.