Athletics

Our cells and our entire body are constantly in movement. From our first steps, we move. The goal of our movement is not always important. The act itself is always important. After surgery, doctors, nurses, and others implore us to “move!” “Ambulatory,” is the word. Whether you walk 10 steps or more, doctors know that movement helps recovery and stave off other illnesses.

Movement is fundamental to your social life as well. The first time you walked to school with a friend, you noticed how you synchronize your steps. Movement leads to cooperation but at some point, your friend seems to be walking a little bit faster. You quicken your pace to keep up, but then you notice that you pass your friend. Movement leads to competition. Movement among humans is dynamic.

If you have ever walked on a crowded street, you know how dynamic all of us have to be to avoid bumping into each other and to reach our destinations. When we think Athletics most of us conjure an image of a professional basketball player or the United States women’s soccer team, or an Olympian pushing themselves to their limits.  In this book I take a more general view of Athletics. To be human is to move.