Irresponsible

So I haven’t been out running with the pups much since the cold got here. It’s gotten me into a crazy state where I don’t even want to exercise anymore. After taking some time off it’s hard to get back into stuff, but not for the dogs, if I utter the word run they jump up and down and head for the door. They love it like crazy and no amount of time away can make them forget that. It seems I need to be a little more like them in so many ways. I talk about personal responsibility but I can’t seem to get myself out the dang door. It’s not just with running but with several things, the cold came in and I turned from a hard charger into a great big procrastinator. Seriously though who would rather be out in the cold working than in front of a nice warm television set? As of today I’m going to take responsibility for my actions a little better. I have a simple philosophy, as a society we are obligated to prevention through education, prevention of what? Well anything really, it all depends on what you educate people about. Education about nutrition and exercise, along with benefits and consequences could save billions in health care. Education about crime statistics and the comparison of life after jail versus life after college could possibly prevent spending millions on prison upkeep. As individuals we have an obligation to do what’s right as best and as often as we can. Basically as individuals we have an obligation to each other to try our best to be our best. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about trying harder. Everybody slips up but you don’t get buried in a piano box by exercising good discipline or self control. The same thing goes for recidivists who end up returning to prison over and over. While part of personal responsibility is self control the other part is owning your actions. After you’ve made a mistake you have to own up to it and try that much harder next time. The national health report that came out last month listed Tennessee as 42^nd in the nation, we’re up two spots from last year thanks to higher immunization rates and lower binge drinking rates. Obesity rates are extremely high, and I don’t mean fat, I mean people who are at least 75lbs overweight. Tennessee teen obesity rates are 36.5%; more than 1 in 3 teens are 50lbs overweight or more. Nearly 33% of adults in Tennessee are 75lbs overweight or more. Mississippi has similar numbers, now I know that fried food is absolutely delicious but I don’t think that’s it. It’s a combination of video games when kids are little turning into desk jobs behind a computer as adults. Too many companies don’t offer a gym in the building or a discounted gym membership somewhere else. Yes I believe that companies should take the initiative to offer health clubs or gyms at or near the office, if you have dozens of employees who sit at a desk all day then you have an obligation to offer them some activity. I didn’t mean to turn this blog into a health issue; I also believe that crime can be extremely reduced by education as well. I believe that the entirety of society has to tackle that one. Everyone has a role to play in educating the people around them on right and wrong. Too many people sit on the sidelines hoping for the best. No war has ever been won by a spectator. You have to get personally involved and change the world around you. It’s not other people who create the world you live in, you decide how you’re section of the world looks.