Discipline for the greater common good
The author critiques the modern obsession with individualistic fitness and wellness, contrasting it with the collective discipline required for social activism. They argue that society has prioritized private self-improvement over the invisible, yet essential, labor of public service.
Why it matters
This reflects a growing cultural debate about the value of individual health versus community-oriented social responsibility.
My algorithm on Instagram gives me two completely different sets of stories. One is of Sonam Wangchuk, who has lost weight drastically while on a hunger strike demanding education reforms, and the other is a series of fitness influencers telling me how I can, and need to, lose weight. While one is advocating for collective change, the other focuses on the self. And I think it is symptomatic of what we as a society have become. Self- improvement has completely overtaken collective and community improvement.
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