Blog #61--The Body's Simplicity Underlying Its Complexity, Part 2

I provided a brief introduction to the nature of our bodies in part 1 of this blog, just enough to show a simplicity based on an interplay between opposite energies. But we need not study the internal functioning of our body to see opposites at play in our behavior. Those who are willing to observe themselves and others cannot help but see these opposites.

For instance, some people have spines with a pronounced arch in the area of their lower thoracic and sacral vertebrae, while others have minimal arch. Those with a pronounced arch tend to be more athletic, although there are exceptions. They can maintain a balance standing either on their feet or their hands that is difficult for those with straight backs.

I have a relatively straight lower back, so I can't do a cartwheel or stand on my hands or head without losing my balance and falling over. When I swing a golf club, I tend to lean forward through the swing, preventing clean hits on the middle sweet spot of the club. Those with arched backs can maintain their weight evenly through the swing, giving them a decided advantage. For that matter, they can produce faster swing speeds for things like hitting golf balls, baseballs, softballs and the like, creating more powerful results.

The same is true for offensive linemen in football. Some line coaches call the difference “knee benders” vs. “waist benders.” I am a waist bender, meaning that when I squat into a proper blocking position, I tend to lean forward. A defensive lineman can knock me off balance with relative ease. Knee benders have arched backs, allowing them to maintain a straight-up position as they bend their knees. Their buttocks extend backward to balance as much weight behind their spines as in front. They can maintain that balance even as they move laterally to intercept hard-charging defensive linemen.

The simple act of swimming is much easier for most of those with arched backs because their lower halves stay near the surface of the water as they move forward. Those like me with straight backs have more problems propelling ourselves forward because our feet are kicking below the water instead of on the surface. The extra friction produced when trying to navigate under the surface slows us down. Some with straight backs start to sink simply because they can’t gain momentum with arm movements alone. And strokes like the butterfly are practically impossible for them.

A majority of women and some men have ankles that are free to extend in a straight line, allowing them a freedom to perform certain athletic movements. For instance, ballet dancers must be able to stand on their toes. Those whose ankles tend to keep their feet at close to a 90 degree angle from their legs are unlikely to become ballet dancers. Even something simple like pointing one’s toes straight up while doing a head stand is practically impossible for those with locked ankles.

I’ve seen young children shortly after learning to walk preferring to stand and walk on the balls of their feet, with their heels barely if ever touching the ground. These children often excel at sports because they tend to have a mechanical advantage compared to those like myself who first touch our heels to the ground when we walk or run. My shoes always wear out on the outside back corner of the heels, and I’ve always been a slow runner. I’ve tried to learn to run on the balls of my feet, but my heels are attracted to the ground, and my toes, especially my big toes, are repelled from it.

Those who are comfortable wearing high-heeled and even stiletto-heeled shoes have loose ankles that provide a comfort level that is unnatural for those who have difficulty wearing them. Many people, mostly women, try to wear high-heeled shoes as a fashion statement, a lure for sexually driven partners and a variety of other reasons, but some suffer great pain and potential foot deformations in an attempt to copy those who are naturally gifted at wearing them.

The list of opposite behaviors people use in their lives is practically limitless. For instance, back when many people smoked, it was easy to observe two opposite ways people hold their cigarettes. Many women and a few men hold a cigarette near their mouths by keeping their arm flexed. Many men and a few women prefer to keep their arms down by their sides until time to take another puff.

Some people are morning people. They feel most energized in the morning and go to bed relatively early at night. Others are night people. They have trouble waking up in the morning but get a second wind later in the evening. Some people are always in a hurry, while others tend to slow down even more than normal when someone tries to rush them. Some people feel uncomfortable when another person tries to read over their shoulders, while others don’t mind this behavior.

Some people have a dominant right eye, while the left eye is dominant for others. If we place a finger in front of our eyes and then close one eye at a time, the eye that sees the finger in the exact same location as when both eyes are open is the dominant eye. This plays an important role in many situations. For instance, right-handed batters in baseball and softball see the flight of the pitched ball better if they are left eye dominant, and vice versa for left-handed batters.

When crossing arms, some people do so with their right hand exposed on top of their left upper arm and left hand underneath their right arm, while others feel more comfortable with their left hand resting above their right upper arm and right hand underneath their left arm. When interlocking fingers, some find it more comfortable to place their left thumb on top and right pinkie finger on the bottom, and some prefer their right thumb on top and left pinkie finger on the bottom. In both situations, few people are equally comfortable doing it both ways.

I have only touched the surface of the subject in this blog, but we can find many more examples of opposites in our behavior and others. Of course, it requires an inquisitive mind and a willingness to break free from the limits of assuming behavior cannot be predicted or understood. That is an ego trick that has lost much of its credibility over the centuries, but it is still prevalent in many of us.

There is nothing to fear in finding out the truth. I encourage you to keep your minds open to all possibilities, even if the resulting conclusions go against previous assumptions. Observe what you do, then compare it with others. Consider both the advantages and disadvantages of relatively opposite behaviors. That’s how we learn and grow, and that is how we begin to accept and forgive ourselves and others.

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