Are our mental or physical attributes more prevalent in everyday life? Which reflects more on our social image?
By Matthew MacDonald
Every day, we show people what we are capable of, mentally and physically, whether it be in school, the gym, or even just places where we hang out with friends. That being said, only one is used more. While our physical attributes and abilities are steadily being seen, our mental side is overwhelmingly present all the time. Whenever we make decisions, we are thinking. Everything we say is pre-thought out in our heads. However, this is not always good. Mental things can get you in very deep holes that sometimes require physical things to bail you out. Take, for say, prison. Make a bad choice, and you can find yourself locked up for 5-10 years in the slammer. Physical possesions, such as money, are like gold here. A good lawyer goes a long way. Both can get you in and out of trouble; which leads me to my next point.
In today’s society, especially among teens, image is key. Everything hangs in the balance of how attractive you are, or how many followers you have on a social networking website. Humor and personality just aren’t what they used to be. For growing up today, physical looks and possessions are the doorway to success. You see examples of it everyday: People trying to lose weight. People undergoing plastic surgery to alter their image, when really, nobody looks at that. When you meet somebody new, what are you looking for? Looks, money? Or are you looking for a person who has the same interests as you, who has a great personality, and is rather intelligent, no matter what they look like? Our mental persona will always come first, but, in some ways, humans today are still the Neanderthals they were thousands of years ago.
By: Officer Austin, SRO
My daily life is affected more by my mental health than my physical body. The body cannot follow where the mind does not lead. Case in point, physical fitness training in the military. When you read this, it may appear to be a contradiction.
Consider Hollywood and TV highlighting people enduring physical struggles in conjunction with military indoctrination and/or training. A good example of this is the Discovery Channel’s documentary of US Navy SEALS BUDS training. What an outsider does not see or understand is this; people in the military are made to push themselves physically in order to train their minds to push beyond accepted physical limits. They are put in situations where they must continue to think in order to train their mind fatigue discipline. Therefore, it is a soldier’s mental strength that determines success more so than their physical body.
Another reason my mental health is more important is this… I choose what each day is going to be. I am the one who decides if something makes me angry, sad, happy, etc. It is also my choice to treat others with compassion, kindness, aggression, etc. There is a saying that states, “The decisions we make determine the lives we live.”
My social image just isn’t that important anymore because today’s society is always changing what it considers “popular”, and those opinions are fickle. Trying to worry about my social image is like chasing the wind. That being said, my social image is more determined by my mental health due to the choices I decide to make. I choose to contribute to my society as best as I can. I choose to be a husband, a dad, a protector. I choose to do the things which are part of my values, and because my physical body is a result of my decisions, I believe it is my mental health that determines my social image.
