By Ian Tartt
Despite its many benefits, fitness is seldom brought up in libertarian circles. Let’s take a look at a few ways it relates to freedom and can help all of us achieve greater personal freedom in our own lives.
1. Fitness is a Reflection of Self-Ownership
One of the core values of libertarianism is self-ownership. When you work out, you’re demonstrating self-ownership: you’re using your body to manipulate itself or external objects, or both depending on the exercise, and only you get to decide what exercises to do. Working out further proves self-ownership because only you gain the benefits of exercise; your neighbor doesn’t get strong because you lifted weights. Further, pursuing fitness shows respect for yourself as well as a desire to be the best that you can be. This is similar to the type of motivation that many people, especially businessmen, get out of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. While Rand didn’t consider herself a libertarian and was actually very critical of libertarianism, such elements of her philosophy as individualism, self-ownership, limited government, and laissez-faire economics are certainly compatible with libertarianism. In any event, pursuing fitness both demonstrates and proves the fundamental libertarian concept of self-ownership.
2. Fitness Builds Independence
In addition to strengthening your cardiovascular system, working out builds up your strength and coordination. This means that you’re less likely to get sick, less likely to fall or be injured from a fall (something that becomes increasingly more likely as you age), and overall healthier than you’d be if you didn’t exercise. As such, you’re less likely to need to deal with a doctor, a lawyer (in case you fall down), worker’s compensation, or insurance agents. By being fit, you’re reducing your dependence on other people. Independence is a core value of libertarianism, and fitness is a great way to bring about greater independence in your life.
3. Build Ability to Defend Yourself
Self-defense is another important value of libertarianism. While there may be some libertarians who wouldn’t use force to defend themselves, virtually all libertarians support the use of force in defensive scenarios. And while the best way to defend yourself may be with a gun or another type of weapon, being fit can still help. If you need to run away from a threat, having strong legs and a strong cardiovascular system gives you a good chance of getting to safety. If you need to fight someone, having strong arms, shoulders, hips, and core will help you hit harder and absorb attacks more easily. This makes it easy to see how being fit can help you protect yourself and your property.
4.Survivability
Some libertarians choose to live a simpler life. They hunt and grow a lot of their own food, use very little technology, and often live alone. And many people, most of whom aren’t libertarians, may be forced into that type of life once hyperinflation ruins their economy and they can no longer easily get food or basic services. In either scenario, being fit provides an advantage (although when food is scarce, it’s best to not have very low body fat). Strength allows you to more easily do the labor involved in growing food, and it certainly helps drag large animals around and prepare them for consumption. And, as mentioned in the last point, being strong will help if someone tries to steal your food or raid your shelter. The additional muscle mass could also help sustain you if you have to go for an extended period of time without eating. Because fitness also involves eating less processed food, you’ll have an easier time adapting to the types of food you’ll be able to find or grow when you do have opportunities to eat. Whether you choose the simple life or have to live it in a time of crisis, being fit gives you a huge advantage.
5. Fit Equals More Time For Freedom
Yes, our freedoms are being taken away every day at every level of government. But, with the growing liberty movement, we may very well see the tables turn in our favor within our lifetimes. And we still enjoy greater freedom of speech than countries like China and North Korea, as well as greater respect for gun rights than most other Western nations. In any event, it’s in our interest to live long, prosperous lives so we can enjoy our freedoms. Fitness is the best way to make this happen. As mentioned in previous points, being fit makes you less likely to get sick or injured and more likely to allow you to effectively defend yourself from an attacker or survive in a crisis situation. Eating a healthy diet and working out regularly will increase your chances of living a long, healthy life so that you can do what you love even in your senior years.