Sound mind, healthy body

MENS sana in corpore sano. In ancient Greek culture, the virtues of being physically fit, as well as mentally able, were both treasured and cultivated. And so it was that the scholar-athlete became the mould that everyone aspired to become—training their bodies in the physical arts, and their minds in the philosophies and sciences of the masters.

In our highly-specialized world of today, these traits are often compartmentalized.

Notice that we now have categories labeled, often pejoratively, as “nerds” or “jocks.” Of course, the typical representation of the nerd is a scrawny, rather weirdlooking person, who does nothing but spend his time poring over books and typing away at his computer. And of course, the jock is represented as an oversized hunk of a person, oozing with athleticism, but having a pea for a brain.

The ancient Greeks would have had none of these, of course. But the power of suggestion, amplified by the media and repeated over and over again as gospel truth, soon becomes taken for truth itself. And today, we do find that our young people—when they excel—conform to one of the stereotypes: that either they are of the nerd or the jock camp.

But sometimes, there are those who defy convention, and dare to break the mold.

Consider the following:

Student Council President, British School Manila. National Excellence Scholarship, International Leadership Scholarship, William C. Parker Diversity Scholarship, and College of Arts and Sciences Scholarship awardee, The University of Kentucky. Captain, Rugby Team, British School Manila. Representative, Men’s Under-21, Philippine Volcanoes Rugby Team. There are other accolades still, but to go on would just be to belabor the point.

If I told you the above achievements were attained by the same person, you probably would never believe it. After all, we are conditioned to accept today that mediocrity is normal, or that if we excelled at all, we would probably not be able to in more than one category.

But I know that this person is for real, because he is my son, Jacob “Jake” Anthony Arguelles Batuhan.

I would possibly be forgiven if I said that I wrote this to brag about my son. After all, I am the father of such an accomplished young man. But truthfully, I wanted to convey this for another, more lofty purpose—to inspire young men and women of Jacob’s generation to aspire for the heights of achievement that they have been conditioned to believe are unattainable or at least not achievable together.

Filipinos, in general, still harbor these self-limiting beliefs.

For example, it is not uncommon to hear parents counsel their somewhat brainy young kids not to play rough games, lest their brains be “shaken” and they lose some of their intelligence. In the same breath, those who are not too bright are often advised to take up sports, as an alternative career. Witness the likes of Manny Pacquiao, and many of our basketball and football stars—heralded for their athletic exploits, but also sometimes dismissed for their lack of intellectual acumen.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

In fact, in many developed countries today, a rigorous academic and robust sports program go hand-in-hand, such as in Germany, where most young students spend an entire morning hitting their books, and the whole afternoon kicking a ball around. As a result, you see a country that is not only economically advanced, but also very successful in the sporting arena.

So parents, what are you waiting for? Let your kids go faster, higher, stronger; but also explore the Theory of Relativity. It is possible. Trust me, I know.