Dr. Dodge: Passion for Health

This month’s newsletter focuses on an issue that can be thought of in many ways. It can be approached from philosophical, political, educational, social, religious, or wellness points of view. It is an issue that affects you and me.  

What kind of issue has such a broad range? It is the issue of living in the gap, the gap between what is and what could be. Please follow as I explore this matter. It’s something I have thought about off and on through the years, but I’m indebted to Parker J. Palmer for help in defining this issue.  

In the March/April 2009 issue of Weavings, Palmer writes about the problem of living in the gap, one that all of us inevitably and inescapably fall into. All of us fall short of living up to our ideals. Politics and the entertainment media have reputations of compromising high ideals for mediocrity.  

Those are organizational kinds of examples, but is the gap a problem for individuals? Yes, most of us have a gap problem. Think about New Year’s resolutions, diets, and exercise plans. People often begin, and then fall away.  

One of my ideals is be as kind to Planet Earth and its inhabitants as possible. I am convinced that we must learn to apply new ways of living if we hope to have a livable future as a species. Likewise, my subsidiary goal is to leave as small a consumption footprint on our planet as possible.  

Yet, when I look at my lifestyle, I am keenly aware that I do not live up to my own ideals. I am a prime example of someone living in the gap between the status quo and my ideals. I’m not profligate in the use of earth’s resources, but neither do I live in Spartan simplicity. So what is the answer?  

Our move to San Antonio has made me consider this more specifically than ever before. We moved a lot of things from our home in Florida to a small apartment in San Antonio, and it became obvious that we simply have too much stuff for our new home. We put much of it in storage, and we’re living more simply than before. (Spartan-like, we slept on the carpet for a week until we got new twin beds. When we got them, they felt heavenly!)

What overall impact is this move having on us? Our attachment to our stuff has been loosened, and we will dispose of some of it, but we will also get things more appropriate for the apartment. To sum up, although we’re being watchful and judicious in our decisions and actions, I’m still in the gap.  

Living in the gap is common. Consider all the arenas in which personal and    globally beneficial ideals are possible: educational, cultural, religious, political, wellness, and ecological, to name a few. Then think about the actual world situation for these same arenas today. Falling short of ideals somewhere along the line is a universal human trait. All of us live in the gap.  

Palmer writes about the tension of being in the gap. If we can live with the tension of striving toward an ideal in spite of failing to reach it, we remain in a life-affirming mode. In continuing to reach for the ideal, we show it’s potential. The tragedy comes in throwing ideals out the window completely.  

Those who consciously or subconsciously decide their ideals are impossible and, in effect, trash them, are giving up on themselves. They may become cynical about all goodness in life, and instead of reaching for the stars, they may settle for scavenging in the mud. If that happens, it truly is tragic.  

My reason for writing this letter is to emphasize the value of holding on to a vision of one’s ideals, no matter how distant they seem to be. Even if they seem impossibly challenging, keeping them in sight is infinitely worthwhile.  

Sending this letter on Easter weekend was not pre-planned, but this timing is most appropriate. The one person in history who never compromised or gave up on his ideals was Jesus. Having faith and hope, even in the depths of darkness, is a major ingredient of wellness.  

Be Well!

Ed Dodge, MD