So what do I mean by “alignment?”

If we’re not talking about your car’s alignment, then what are we talking about?

All of us are born into a variety of contexts. Our families and our socioeconomic conditions might come to mind first. But those are far from the only contexts.

Another one is our evolutionary history. We didn’t just appear out of thin air. Each of us is the culmination, to this point, of 50 million years or so of evolution, if we use the arrival of the primates as the starting point.

Another context is the Universe itself. Evolution didn’t and doesn’t occur in a vacuum. We live among the stars and we’re made of stardust.

This is where alignment comes into play.

Human beings have a proclivity for making lifestyle and public-policy choices that don’t align with our evolutionary history nor with the Universe.

Some examples:

• We’re able to stomach an occasional meat-based meal, but look at our closest evolutionary cousins: the primates. They eat little or no meat, depending on theparticular species. When we eat meat regularly, we often experience elevated cholesterol and blood-pressure levels and other diet-related health problems.

• Our bodies were designed to move, lift and bend, yet we spend most of our lives sitting or lying down. For some people, that might mean as many as 23 hours a day.

• Our evolutionary history enables us to withstand a wide range of temperatures with little or no discomfort, with just a little regular exposure in the form of cold showers or other interventions. Yet, we live in air-conditioned homes, drive in air-conditioned cars, and work in air-conditioned buildings, staying within a narrow temperature range and often suffering when outdoors.

I could go on; there are many more examples. But you get the point. We’re selling ourselves short, and in many cases harming ourselves, by living out of alignment.

The good news is, we can align ourselves in ways that are achievable, practical and even enjoyable.

I’ve created The Alignment to empower you to enjoy greater health – psychologically, physically and spiritually.

Your knowledge and experience will be a welcome contribution to this community as we journey together toward a healthier tomorrow.

Please consider pledging a subscription to The Alignment. You won’t be charged anything unless and until I activate payments. But your pledge will mean a lot to me and inspire me to provide more helpful information and thoughts through this platform.