We live in a binary world. Popular opinion is that it stems from the top, from a desire to divide and control. But in reality it is We The People who drive these divisions.
We love to have clear delineations in right vs wrong, good vs bad, Rocky vs Drago. It gives us a sense of calm and dignity to know that we are on the side of righteousness. Religion and politics have used these human desires for years to progress their goals and today we can even view these divisions through the lens of nutrition and fitness.
While many of my colleagues bemoan the loss of nuance I would argue that it never truly existed among the masses. We evolved as tribal groups and fear of others helped propagate our survival; overly congenial tribes likely perished from novel disease or famine. So why would it hold true that we suddenly abandoned millennia of evolutionary success just because we started farming and building cities?
This is why it’s important to follow principles rather than dogma. If your training is dictated by 3 letter acronyms and if your nutritional philosophy has a name, you’re probably buying into someone’s marketing rather than a nuanced approach to becoming better. Sure, that identity might help you to feel part of something bigger than yourself and that could be a huge motivational advantage but is that identity worth it? Is your objectivity at risk because of your desire to belong?
As much as I despise the use of us vs them thinking, I also can’t deny that it’s what people want. Therefore, is it ethical to utilize this tactic to sell better practices?
Not for me. I detest dogma and it violates my values to use tactics that I find ethically reprehensible. So I will continue to sell boring. Mostly whole foods cooked at home. Moving more, doing more, eating more. Reframing our view of stress. Protecting sleep and developing deeper relationships. It all matters.
The world is not black and white. We all exist in shades of grey. Attempting to designate everything as such might feel good but it’s just a lie we tell ourselves. Stop placating yourself and do the hard work of finding the in between. Your nutritional or fitness tribe is an invention of someone else. It’s time to start thinking for ourselves.
