26. Inertia
- Noun: a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged
- Physics: a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force
o Oxford dictionary online
Health habits and lifestyle changes usually come when an external force disrupts our inertia. For me, that force was the COVID 19 pandemic + having a baby, my 3rd.
It wasn’t that I got sick from the COVID19 virus, in fact no one closest to me did. My work as a hospital-based psychiatrist went along as normally as could be expected, aside from obvious logistical adaptations. Still, I continued driving to work each day, while others were stranded at home. My kids were too young for public school, and our childcare provider generously came to our house every day as usual.
What struck me about the pandemic was our collective willingness to and commitment to accept our unnatural relationship with the animals we raise for food. Regardless of the exact origin of the COVID 19 vines, we know it is a zoonotic disease, meaning it jumped from non-human animal to humans.
Most of the animals we eat or derive various products from (milk, eggs, leather, cosmetics, etc.) are raised in cramped, dirty, unnatural conditions. This is an uncomfortable truth. These animals also meet violent deaths. Agriculture has not always been this dramatic, but the growing number of humans on Earth and our increasing demand for animal-based products at low cost have pushed animal agriculture to the brink.
After opening my mind to these realities and learning that we do not need to consume animals, rather that it is better not to, for our own health, I was pushed into the world of plant-based eating and eventually living as free from animal exploitation as possible. As a result, I am healthier and live with peace of mind, having reduced one form of violence from my life.
Inertia is powerful. If we know better and want to live better, it will require applying force to our habits. Like gravity bringing a ball thrown in a straight line to the ground, shifting the balance of human consumption away from animal products toward plant-based products will take time and effort. Exerting effort doesn’t have to feel like work. It is gratifying to make small changes and reflect on long-term results.
Do you want to make a change, but you’re not sure how to start? Any force will do something. Imagine making a tiny change now and projecting a few years out to your future self. How might a tiny force applied now change your future?