Human Activity, Doses, Abstractions and Useful Tools

Robert Scott Kretchmar addresses several issues in his book, one of them being the dangers of turning human activity into doses, abstractions and useful tools. Human activity entails aspects such as sports and physical activities. The mentioned human activities have numerous health benefits to those who participate in them. However, as the author warns against simply taking part in activity like a uniform pill (Kretchmar, 2005). From the author’s statement, it is clear that he likens human activity to taking different doses of pills. While some pills can have adverse long-term effects, others can be helpful. Similarly, the human body can handle an amount of physical activity for a given duration. People choose to participate in any activity based on the reasons behind the specific activity. Individuals do not get into activities like they are a consistent dose of pills. The reasons can vary from increased activity to weight loss, or even for leisure. People get unlike activities and start having them in usual doses. During such instances, the activity could be harmful and result in adverse health outcomes since some doses have harmful and long-term effects, while others may be temporarily helpful.

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Additionally, individuals need to enjoy human activity. It should not be something they are forced with, but something they adore. Human activity can be a useful tool that allows people to socialize, excel in various sports, and remain active and healthy. However, human activity can also be dangerous. People should ensure that they are useful and happy with their activities. According to the author, being useful is not wrong, but it is wrong to consider ourselves worthwhile only because we are useful (Kretchmar, 2005). The way a person thinks greatly influences the value of their activity and transforms what was initially just a sport into a profession. For instance, people playing sports at a professional level treat the activity as their work. Although they may still do it for fun, they are forced to show up for training sessions, workouts, and other responsibilities, lest they don’t get paid. They have to provide top performance in their sport consistently to stay employed. Playing professional sports is not wrong, but doing it solely for money is wrong.

There are also dangers associated with turning human activity into abstractions. Kretchmar (2005, p. 178) stated that people don’t fall in love with abstract movement. Individuals are deeply embedded in their culture. Culture plays a crucial role in plays, games, sports, and the various forms of exercise. In other words, human activity carries significant cultural meaning. As a result, human beings are more likely to engage in activities that are enjoyable and considered to be embedded in their culture as opposed to those that are not.

Conclusion

People should not participate in activities as if they are a consistent dose of pills. There are dangers associated with this, as some activities may be helpful while others are harmful. Also, rather than forcing human activity, individuals can as well adore these activities. Human activity can be a useful tool in enabling people to maintain good health and socialize, but it can also be an unsafe tool. Lastly, human activity carries a particular cultural meaning.

Reference

Kretchmar, R. S. (2005). Practical philosophy of sport and physical activity. Human Kinetics.