Changing - First What We Do - Then What We Are

FTLComm - Tisdale - February 9, 1999

When people, just ordinary folks, not just some kids training for a sports day or some young guy trying to show off for the girl next door, no, when just ordinary people first started jogging and making a thing of exercise, it was a definite and significant indication that something had changed to the way of life for people who immigrated to this land. Exercise is hardly a twentieth century phenomena, it has always been around for the ideal, the wealthy who have nothing better to do. For working class people it was a puzzle and for Protestants it smacked of a form of egotistical pride, vanity was not considered an admirable quality. Of course we know and the statistics are pretty clear that personal fitness is on the decline and we as a society are loosing the battle with obesity. The work of today does not, for most people involve physical activity, machinery and electronic devices have intruded into everyone's lives as the rush for efficiency and productivity has altered life considerably. I can remember after my first year of college, my uncles poking fun at my soft blistering hands and that roll of flab around my waist, for no matter what sort of thing I was training to become, I was to them, leaving behind the pure and honest condition of physical labour. Unembarrassed public exercise is as common as the consumption of birth control pills and equal on its affect on what our society has become and is becoming This past year a public gym opened Editor's note: Yesterday I began once again using voice recognition software for commands to open and close, files and applications. I had used it when if first became available in 1993 but thought I would use it again as I was looking for some improvements in efficiency. It works just great, I saved about two or three minutes work in a day, but the down side is it took a little over an hour to repair the damage from the computer making some independent decisions as I forgot to deactive the software while talking on the phone. in town and seems to have plenty of patrons who sweat with machines and inanimate weights as they forge their bodies or seek a shape that will fit into the clothes they want to wear. But there are other changes on the way, as life styles change, awareness produces enlightenment at various levels of consciousness and alternative goals dictate alternative means to achieve those desires that become needs. As a paper boy I never saw anyone jogging unless they were late for work or a date and their bicycle had a flat now we drive by walkers and joggers without thinking assuming all pedestrians are getting a little exercise. Slip on your virtual image headset and let's do a little downhill snow boarding, batteries not included.