ABSTRACT: A scientific appreciation of traditions as recorded in the Judaeo-Christian sacred writings (the Bible) joined with insights from the social sciences, particularly medical anthropology, can develop wellness into a holistic spirituality. Like every spirituality, wellness is a way of life based on an experience of God or of transcendence and shaped in response to that experience. The resulting life-style is an ever-expanding experience of purposive and pleasurable living that searches for and embraces life-sustaining and life- enriching options to be chosen freely at every opportunity. Such a person sinks deep roots into spiritual values and/or distinctive yet congenial religious beliefs. It can be explored and evaluated along five aspects of human experience: free choices; purpose in life; satisfaction in life; degree of self-esteem and consciously held values; and change. This understanding is inspired by the Franciscan tradition of the Christian heritage.
Wellness is not a synonym for health or fitness. In my understanding, a person can be terminally ill, mentally retarded, or physically disabled yet still possess a deep wellness spirituality. Conversely, a person can be physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight yet abuse a spouse, beat up children, and be a colossal pain in the neck to everyone else. Certifiably healthy? certainly! Well? hardly!
I have various definitions of Wellness. The short and simple one with which I generally begin is that wellness is one way of making sense out of life. When a person makes sense out of life on the basis of spiritual values or religious beliefs, wellness can be a spirituality.
More specifically, I believe that wellness spirituality is a way of life, based on an experience of God or of transcendence AND shaped in response to that experience.
The key ingredient of wellness spirituality, then,
is a response to an experience of God or of transcendence. In the Christian
tradition, Jesus promises: "I came that you would have life, and have it
in abundance" (John 15:10). In the Jewish tradition, Moses declared in
the name of God: "I set before you life and death. Choose life!" (Deuteronomy
30:15). And Auntie Mame in the play by that name advises her nephew: "Life
is a banquet, but so many poor souls are starving to death!" Anyone who
draws inspiration with any one of this trinity of wellness promoters (Christian,
Jewish, humanistic) is capable of designing and implementing a personal
wellness spirituality.
Jesus advised a rich young man that keeping God's commandments would deepen his relationship with God and guarantee him a high level of wellness spirituality. When the man said he wanted to do more, and Jesus next encouraged him to sell his possessions, distribute them to the poor, and become a disciple, the man demurred. Again--like God the Father--Jesus does not scold the man, force him to obey this "superior" wisdom, or dismiss him out of hand. He notes quite simply that life and fulfillment will be difficult for such a person but not impossible (see Matthew 19: 16-30).
The powerful lesson for all wellness promoters in
these events is to avoid arrogance by claiming there is only "one true
wellness, outside of which there can be no wellness." The founding father,
Halbert Dunn, would never have claimed such a position! Indeed, when a
physician--like Dunn--gives up the practice of medicine to embark on an
entirely new career, "wellness promotion," it is important to realize that
wellness encompasses much more than physical or even mental health and
fitness.
Throughout his reflection, he repeats a refrain that could be summarized thus: "So eat, drink, and be merry." He has been variously accused of being a pessimist, a hedonist, a wastrel and worse. No one who reads his conclusion, however, could agree with such judgments: "The last word, when all is heard: Fear God and keep his commandments..." (Ecclesiastes 12:13), and it would be fitting to add: "and have a ball!"
Jesus offers similar advice to his followers when
he cautions them not to be excessively concerned with food, clothing, and
shelter, for God knows we need them. Seek first "the reign of God and its
righteousness, and all these things will be given you [by God] over and
above" (Matthew 6: 25- 34).
Similar statements can be found in the literature of the ancient Greeks as well as in the Hebrew scriptures. The point of such teaching is to cause "reorientation through disorientation." The advice is so contrary to human conviction that any thinking person is forced to review a life-time of accumulated wisdom to make sense out of apparent nonsense.
But individual who suffer from cancer and other life-
threatening diseases admit that this "disorienting" experience has helped
them "reorient" their lives like nothing else ever has. Indeed, medical
anthropologists would call this "healing," that is, an ability to make
sense out of life even if a person is aware of imminent death. Healing
is a restoration to purposeful living, a discovery of fresh meaning in
life, even when the actual physical or psychological condition cannot be
cured. Life's fulfillment, thus, is found not so much in laughing all the
way to the bank as it is in discovering how to make the best of bad situations.
I am convinced of the correctness of research conclusions which identify two powerful motivating factors: a strong sense of self-esteem, and a critical assessment and appreciation of one's values whether they are consistent or not. The chief tax-collector Zacchaeus was viewed by other citizens as a sinner, one whose occupational hazards would make it impossible for him to please God (see Luke 19:1-10). In contrast, Jesus did not make the mistake of confusing Zacchaeus' occupation with his personal identity. While others considered him an evil person because of his occupation, Jesus preferred to identify him as "this son of Abraham," a compliment indeed.
Keep in mind that "self-esteem" depends as much upon the judgment of others (e.g., Jesus) as it does upon an honest self-assessment and perception (Zacchaeus). I remember being impressed with the rabbinic teaching which insisted upon the basic obligation of always holding others in good esteem. Rabbi Eliezer [ben Hyrcanus, second generation Tanna, about 90-130 Common Era] said: "Let the honor of your fellow-man be as dear to you as your own" (Sayings of the Fathers, II: 15).
The second key motivating factor, personal values, is quite likely familiar to most readers from the process known as "value clarification." To determine whether something you strongly believe in or cherish is a value ask seven questions. Only a positive answer to all seven questions determines a value. Is the item (1) freely chosen (2) from alternatives (3) with full knowledge of the consequences? (4) Do you prize your choice and (5) publicly proclaim it? (6) Do you act upon it (7) and adopt it as part of your on-going life style? By this scale, precious few elements in human life can be called values.
And even the list of values one might come up with
would be a surprise. In 1984, Rabbi Barry Silberg of Congregation Emanu-El
B'Ne Jeshurun, Milwaukee, reported the results of a survey of 2,300 Milwaukeeans
who were invited to list in order of preference ten intrinsic values. The
1,000 Milwaukee respondents' list is: life, freedom, truth, happiness,
peace, security, goodness, prosperity, approval and beauty (Milwaukee Journal,
November 3, 1984). Items one might have expected, like health, are as surprising
by their absence as the actual list. Yet long ago, the biblical sage Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes
observed: "a live dog is better off than a dead lion" (9:4). Even when
health is lacking, life is still highly valued.
This is an important element of wellness spirituality because wellness is more a process than a state. One never really "fully arrives" at wellness. No sooner does a person achieve a wellness goal or objective than an entire new horizon of choices and possibilities explodes into view.
The challenge here is captured eloquently in Luke's gospel. One story tells of Lazarus the beggar sitting daily at the rich man's gate. If Lazarus is not being taken care of, he is a fool to sit there and not move elsewhere to greener pastures. Yet in the story it is only after both die that their fortunes are reversed, and the rich man "wises up" but now it is too late (Luke 16: 19-31).
Shortly before this story, Luke the evangelist presents its foil. A rich man's steward is discovered to be irresponsible in his management duties. The rich man decides to release the steward, and the steward sensing that his end is near calls in the debtors to reduce their debts. In actuality, the steward is not depriving the master of anything owed. Rather, he shrewdly forgoes his commission thus putting every grateful debtor of the master into his own debt. That steward will be able to live on these chips for life, calling them in as the need arises. Jesus notes this outlook on life with approval: the steward--like his master--"wised up before it got too late" (Luke 16: 1-8).
Wellness spirituality, which can be explored or tested
along the lines proposed above (free choices, personal meaning in life,
finding fulfillment and satisfaction in life, maintaining a keen sense
of self-esteem and knowing well the values one has freely embraced) involves
an endless process. The nineteenth century thinker Cardinal Newman unwittingly
expressed the idea of wellness spirituality as a process when he noted:
"Here below to be human is to change. And to be perfect, is to have changed
often."
Wellness spirituality, then, is a way of living, a life-style that views and lives life as purposeful and pleasurable, that seeks out life-sustaining and life-enriching options to be chosen freely at every opportunity, and that sinks its roots deeply into spiritual values and/or specific religious beliefs. Any aspect of a spiritual or religious tradition can serve as the underpinning of Wellness Spirituality (e.g., Marian devotion, see Pilch 1990)
Anyone familiar with the centuries-long and richly diverse Roman Catholic tradition of Christianity will recognize that the constitutive elements of this definition are derived from the thirteenth century Saint Francis of Assisi and are developed along the lines of evolution the Franciscan movement has followed in its more than eight hundred year old history. This tradition has long championed respect for free will and touted love, a product of the will, as primary in human life. This tradition has staunchly defended the uniqueness of human beings, and its own history of contrasting saints and famous heroes and heroines witness eloquently to that.
In 1981 when this great Order celebrated the 800th anniversary of the birth of Francis of Assisi, the leaders encouraged his modern day devotees and followers to continue--like him--to bring to bear on every situation a sensitive creativity and a healthy inventiveness. It is in this spirit that in 1975, I drew inspiration from Halbert Dunn's 1959 edition of High Level Wellness and have over these years developed a Franciscan model of Wellness spirituality. If you like it, I'm glad. If you have discovered another way, I'm even happier. My wish for you is: Stay well! Be free! Choose life!
Eisenberg, Leon, and Arthur Kleinman, editors, The Relevance of Social Science for Medicine. (Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1981).
Englehardt, H. Tristram, Jr., "The Concepts of Health and Disease," in Arthur L. Caplan, H. Tristram Englehardt, Jr., James J. McCartney, editors, Concepts of Health and Disease: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. (Reading, MA.: Addison-Wesley, 1981). Pp. 30-45.
Kleinman, Arthur, Patients and Healers in the Context of Culture. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980).
Pilch, John J., The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, February, 1999). See the articles on HEALING, SICKNESS, and SHEEP AND GOATS.
__________. Healing in the New Testament: Insights from Medical and Mediterranean Anthropology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000.
__________. "Marian Devotion and Wellness Spirituality: Bridging Cultures," Biblical Theology Bulletin 20 (1990) 85-94.
__________. Wellness Spirituality. (New York: Crossroad, 1985).
__________. "Healing in Mark: A Social Science Analysis," in Biblical Theology Bulletin 1981; 15:142-150.
__________. Wellness: A Holistic Spirituality. (Pittsburgh: Thesis Cassettes, 1982).
__________. Growing in Wisdom, Maturity, and Favor: Wellness for Junior High. A filmstrip program on video- cassette. (Dubuque: W.C. Brown/ROA, 1981).
__________. Wellness: Your Invitation to Full Life. (San Francisco: Harper & Row/Winston imprint, 1981).
__________. St. Francis: Model of Wholeness. (Kansas City, MO.: Credence Cassettes, 1981).
__________. Spirituality and High Level Wellness. (Kansas City,
MO. Credence Cassettes,
1979).
This article is a revised and updated version of "Wellness Spirituality" originally published in Health Values 12.3 (1988):28-31. [Special issue of this health education journal devoted to religion and health care]