During this month of love — and black history — not long after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we recall King’s words of 1967, in a speech titled “Where Do We Go From Here?”: “And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer.”
In fact, this year gives us a perfect (or perfectly ironic) love lesson. Feb. 14 is both St. Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. At the root of our annual commercial romance fest is the love of a martyr, an appropriate start for the season of Lent, a period for many of prayer and penance.
In this Georgetowner, we make the case for wellness, in the broadest sense and in its eight dimensions: social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, financial, intellectual and physical. The key to a better life through wellness, it turns out, is maintaining one’s balance.
This balance feels hard to achieve these days. Times seemed simpler a while back, even 10 years ago. (Maybe even a year and a half ago.) Part of this comes from the saturation bombing we all endure, willingly and addictively, from our screens. And part of it comes from an environment that has become increasingly accusatory.
Our message? It’s time for balance. We can advocate for what we believe; we can work to uncover corruption, racism, sexual harassment, you name it; we can build a better country and a better world, step by determined step, without dehumanizing others and, ultimately, ourselves.
Perhaps 2018 will wind up like 2017, only more so. More argumentative, more chaotic. But we hope, starting now, by making sure that love is in the mix, that it will be more creative, more rewarding.
Let’s all let ourselves breathe freely again. Let’s learn new exercises, physical or otherwise. And let’s remember that others, and our complicated interactions with them, teach us about ourselves. We suspect that’s what love is all about. This month, and this year, let’s stick with it.
