Earlier this week, I posed this question to my twitter followers: "Does anyone else feel like it's taboo to talk about weight and health in the pagan community?" And judging from the silence I received back, I can conclude one of three things: it really IS taboo, no one in the pagan community gives a shit about health, or my twitter followers are the silent type. Grant me the assumption that it is one of the first two, please?
Whether or not the idea of health is taboo or simply an uninteresting one amounts to the same thing. The two (personal health and paganism) are not often spoken of in conjunction with one another. This is likely due to the importance placed on bodily autonomy in most pagan traditions--we tend to favor the individual over the group, and so we figure that someone's health is their own business. But what if someone else's health BECOMES your business? I'm not talking about some stranger on the street; I'm talking about your parents, your children, your spouse. Let me give you a real world scenario:
My husband is fat. Because he is my husband, our lives are very much entwined, physically, spiritually, and financially. If anything were to happen to him, I would not only be devastated emotionally, but I would be hardpressed to maintain my own financial autonomy without his support. And "if anything were to happen" is not some nebulous fear of the future, either. He suffered a heart attack in November, and let's not bullshit each other, his diet and weight were definitely a factor.
Does he have an ethical obligation to me to get healthier? If he were only supporting me financially, I would say definitely not. No one owes me a living. However, because we do lean so heavily on each other for love, comfort, and companionship, I think he does. We can say that one person's happiness should never be wrapped up entirely in another person, but, in truth, it is relationships that sustain us. I could soldier on if something were to happen to my husband, but I would be walking wounded and always carry that loss with me in my heart.
As a pagan, I feel that we are all interconnected, and every loss, be it human, animal, plant, spirit, or what have you, effects someone, somewhere. And their pain spirals outwards into the world in both a spiritual and physical way--just as our happiness and joy radiates outwards. Anyone who has worked in the context of a coven can attest that the pains and joys of one witch effect the entire circle. If one holds the believe that the Earth is an entity unto herself and we are part of Her, I can't believe that anyone would say that health is not important.
And so I struggle with the idea of anyone deliberately causing themselves harm or exposing themselves to risk, whether it be through smoking, over-eating, under-eating, a sedentary lifestyle, or--shit--not wearing a helmet when they ride a bike. I struggle with this because I also believe in the right of the individual to make decisions for themselves. When I sit and examine my conscience, I usually come to the conclusion that each person is their own master, and it is not for me (or the State, for that matter) to make decisions for anyone but me.
But I feel sad, too, because there are those out there who would deliberately deny themselves the full enjoyment of their own bodies and a long life and who would, even more, deny their loved ones their full presence.
And if you're one of those sorts who lives by the Rede, I would think about that.
Social responsibility is something that effects all of us, whether we like it or not. We can be completely unique individuals, but we are all still only PART of something--a family, a school, a community, an ecosystem. What we do or don't do effects more than just ourselves, and it's not only you that has to deal with the consequences of your behavior. Even if it is something as seemingly nonsensical as planting organite in public places, being conscious of the well-being of those around you is something everybody should work into their spiritual practice.
