As bad as our health as a country is today, the future looks even worse. The rates of obesity and diabetes amidst adolescents and teens are at epidemic proportions and rising rapidly. Other health conditions such as asthma, ADD, and depression are skyrocketing, and have been linked to poor diet and inadequate exercise. The incidences of heart disease and most forms of cancer are also going up. Concomitant with the projected continued increase in the rates of these diseases, health care costs will continue to go up as well. This will directly consume vast financial resources, while at the same time insidiously undermining economic production.

A sick population cannot support a vibrant economy. The last century saw greater technological and industrial progress than did the previous millennium. America led the world through this phenomenal era. Everything our country achieved during this time was built on the back of the resilience and vitality of our people. A physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy people are the core of any nation’s success. Today, our health is under siege from every direction. As we become progressively sicker and sicker, we become less and less productive. Of course, technology keeps advancing, so on paper, our productivity as a country continues to increase, but the fact of the matter is that in the long run our economy still depends on the health of our people. An unhealthy nation simply cannot be as productive as a healthy one.

When we neglect our personal health the effects aren’t limited to our own lives. They invariably spill over into the economic sphere. If this nation wants to enjoy as much progress and prosperity in the next century as it did in the last, we will have to begin thinking differently about our health. A cultural movement towards wellness is the only way that the health of this country is going to turn around.

Health is not just an end in and of itself. It is a means to every end. The healthier we are, the better we are at everything. This applies to individuals, cultures, and nations. We have reached the point where deteriorating health is beginning to have a substantial impact on our national economy. What we’ve seen so far is the tip of the iceberg. Current trends in both the increased incidence of lifestyle related disease and the linked yearly increases in health care expenditures are simply not sustainable. If America is to have an economic future as bright as it’s past, things have to change. If our country is to become healthier, it will require a major change in our culture. Changes in culture start with changes in thinking. Our mission at ReEvolution is to change the way people think about health. As part of this, we endeavor to illustrate the way in which almost everything that we value, as individuals and as a nation, is ultimately built on the foundation of health.  Economic prosperity is no exception. This change in thinking can form the nucleus of a powerful cultural change that can improve virtually every aspect of our quality of life.