CityView Magazine

14 | March 2020 F A I T H The Mind, The Body and The Spirit BY GEORGE HENDRICKS T he full and complete human life involves — I suspect requires — a supportive and creative union of body, mind and spirit. Failure to attend to the needs of any of these three components of the complete and fulfilled human existence will result in limiting the effectiveness of one, or both, of the other two. e analogy of the stool with three legs is certainly appropriate. No matter how strong the other two legs, if one leg is too short, too rotten or too weak, then the stool will be unstable and unworkable, perhaps even dangerous. Totally effective human living requires commitment to body, mind and spirit, the required components of successful human life. In some of my talks I find myself quoting the 18th century British theologian, John Wesley, who led a nation-transforming religious revival in England. He was the author of one of my favorite quotes, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can , in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can as long as ever you can." Wesley was attentive to the components of fruitful (and responsible!) human living. Moreover, he was intellectually inquisitive and read widely in history and science. Wesley was particularly interested in the electrical experiments and discoveries of Benjamin Franklin. He also paid attention to the needs of the human body, including diet and exercise. His 18th-century focus on a vegetarian diet has an almost modern tone. For Wesley, not caring for the body was a fundamental sin. In his theology, the importance of a deep and meaningful spiritual life was nurtured and supported by beginning each day with extensive prayer and Bible reading. Personally, I am a Christian, but like Wesley, I consider it important to be knowledgeable, interested in, and respectful, of all world religions, including Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. e result of Wesley's fruitful union of these three required components of the complete human life not only transformed English society, but also gave rise to a man with full mental and physical energy up to the end of his 88 years. His life, by the way, was a very long one by 18th-century standards. As Gandhi once noted, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." We have a responsibility to leave the world better than we found it. In the week when I was writing this short article, I found myself dealing with the suicide of a friend, the death of an NBA superstar, medical issues with friends, deployed neighbors, mass shootings, homelessness, the coronavirus, individuals suffering in areas related to the mind, the body and the spirit and a coach recovering from injuries sustained by a person suffering from a mental illness. Life is tough and surviving and thriving in our world takes a healthy dose of resiliency sprinkled with the mind, body and spirit approach to wellness. We must remain balanced in all three areas as we deal with a challenging and cruel world. e way we respond to challenges, relationships, jobs and life difficulties makes all the difference in the world.

• Cover