Good Health Means Playing Well With Others

What’s the Latest Development?

The holidays may be the best time to realize the true meaning of health, which has little to do with avoiding sugary desserts or exercising at every available moment, says Richard Gunderman, M.D. “As everyone is talking of the ‘holiday spirit,’ remember that it means waking up each morning with the conviction that we are on a mission to enrich others’ lives. Isolation, mistrust, resentment, greed, and fear are all bad for us, not primarily because they render us more likely to develop cancer or suffer a heart attack or stroke, but because they undermine our capacity to live.”

What’s the Big Idea?

The miniaturization of medical devices, either as smartphone apps or clever wristwatches, encourages us to see health as a series of numbers which can be effectively controlled through regulating our diet and exercise schedule. ” [But] health is not just what is happening inside the body of any particular person. Instead it is also what is going on collectively. How aware are we of one another? How committed are we to one another? How much of our hope and ambition for every day is bound up in an ongoing commitment to make a difference in the life of another person?”

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