i'm sure you heard it on the news, or read it on the net. it was the top story on google's news page yesterday. i'm talking about the magic little discovery dubbed "the excercise pill". if you happen to live in a cave in the desert.... well, then you're probably not reading this blog either, but if you've got access to technology and still mysteriously managed to miss the story, you can check out the new york times article here.
basically the idea is that the pill "tricks" your muscles into believing they've excercised and they then produce a certain type of protein to "remodel the muscles". they've already done a number of experiments and created super-lab-mice. in the words of one of the leading doctors in the research on possible human application, "you are using a drug to move your own genetics to a more activated metabolic state."
hmm, using a drug to mess with your genetics to turn yourself instantly from couch potato to superman. sure, that sounds harmless. i recently watched a movie called i am legend starring will smith. the basic plot line is: smart doctor comes up with dna-altering drug to cure cancer, the whole world takes it, 3 years later 90% of the world population is dead and most of those who survived have turned into psychotic zombies. the movie is all about dr. neville (smith) trying to find a cure for the zombies and being the only human left alive in nyc. i won't tell you the end, just watch it (i really liked it, btw).
the point being, it seemed like the miracle drug everyone had been waiting for. it wasn't. now, i'm not saying that people who take the excercise pill will turn into zombies (well... probably not :), but the point is that when something seems like its too good to be true, unless its the grace of Christ, it probably is. especially when it involves messing with you own genetics.
besides what seems to me to be the inherent stupidity in this concept, i find that it also demonstrates a fascinating trend in modern society. "we don't want to excercise, so let's create a magic pill that we can swallow after our big mac and wash down with our diet soda that will trick our bodies into thinking we already have excercised!" if that's not the epitome of self-deception, i don't know what is. the pill is being toted as the potential wonder-drug to cure obesity and diabetes. now, please don't misunderstand me. i do feel very bad for those with such conditions (i was nearly obese as a pre-teen) and realize that there are truly cases where these conditions are not the fault of those who have them. i realize there are hereditary and hormonal factors, etc. that can cause these conditions, (so please don't comment telling me about this :). however, when over 25% of america is now classified as obese compared to less than half that 20 yrs. ago, (think, that means its mostly the SAME PEOPLE who are now obese that weren't in the 80's) probably the problem has less to do with genes and more to do with our life-style. you can watch an amazing graphic representation of the chage on wikipedia here.
the answer to this problem? mess with our genes! again, there may be a few legitimate uses for this drug out there, but sedentary excercise for the lazy and apathetic is not one of them. some of the more perceptive doctors are agreeing that no pill will ever be able to "replace excercise", (though it would seem anyone with some common sense would be able to realize that even without a medical degree). the interesting thing is i bet there are a LOT of people that would like for this little pill to fully replace excercise. maybe one day science will come up with a pill to trick our bodies into thinking we've gone to the bathroom, slept, ate and had sex.... now that would be real progress. just think, we'd never have to get off the couch again! and isn't the goal of life to do nothing? 
in high school i had to read aldous huxley's brave new world. it was a commentary on where society was heading (fascinatingly, written in the 1930's). its about how this "utopia" was created where everyone is constantly over-entertained, drugged into states of passive contentment and finding purpose in promiscuous sex and consumerism. people are genetically manufactured and have traded reality for "progress". its horrifyingly predictive of where the world has gone and is continuing to go: everything is sterilized, mechanized, artificialized and revolves around instant gratification.
the sad thing is that this mentality can creep into the life of the church as well. would we pop a Jesus-pill if it would make us be good Christians? no hassle, no work, instant result. sadly many Christians are out there looking for the "pill" in the form of some experience, some conference, some book, etc. would we take something that would allow us to instantly escape the temptations, trials, and doubts we wrestle with?
the fact of the matter is that, as Paul told Timothy, spiritual excercise is a lot like physical excercise (only vastly more important). and just as no pill will ever be able to short-cut the road to true health, so there is not a short-cut to truly, intimately knowing Jesus. "difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it", Jesus said. the way is hard. fortunately, that way is one that has already been walked by Jesus. it is one that He does not leave us to walk alone, but walks with us hand in hand. however, we will fall, we will fail, we will get broken. but i would rather sin and brake and fall on Jesus than be perfect without Him.
well, i suppose i'll end with that. just some late-night musings. what do you think, would you take the pill?
imagine a place and time where if your house caught on fire a call to 911 would not be enough to give you hope. imagine that one had to purchase "fire insurance" for one's home (and i don't mean to replace lost goods). imagine if firefighting was a competitive business market with different providers. and imagine if upon arriving at the scene of a fire, before letting even a drop of water fly, the firemen would first stop to check if you were insured by their particular brigade, and if they discovered that you were not insured or insured by another company, they would simply hop back on the truck and drive off into the night as your possessions roasted to a crisp and loved ones writhed to an agonizing death. does that sound like a world you'd like to live in? to us in the 21st century such a tale seems cruel and impossible. allow human beings to suffer a miserable death simply because they haven't signed up for the right company's services? to put the dollar above the worth of a human life? for-profit emergency rescue? "absurd!" we cry. quickly we recognize the attitudes and ideas involved in such a scenario as inhumane, mercenary and down-right evil. but in fact, that is the way that things used to be in the not-so-distant past, both in the US and many other western countries. until the late 19-th century and early 20-th in some US cities, fire brigades were a paid service that one had to buy insurance for. as different brigades formed and competed for business, there were even cases where one brigade would obstruct another brigade's arrival to the scene of a fire. soon people began to see the dangerous road they were headed down and cities began to make firefighting a government service, a basic provision of life for each and every citizen. but have things really changed in america? now imagine a different scenario: a man who discovers he is dying of cancer walks into a hospital. his situation is indeed life-threatening, but before a doctor will even step within 10 ft. of him, he must prove that he is a subscriber to an insurance company. and if he is subscribed to a company that particular hospital does not accept, he is sent out. and if he has no insurance? will he be left to writhe to an agonizing death at home in his bed as the victims of a fire in less enlightened days? protect and save human life... for profit!?!? yet, where are the cries of "absurd"! how come americans have come to accept this as a perfectly normal part of life? ah, but let's go back to our original story: what if that same fire brigade upon arriving, finds that the house ablaze is indeed one of its clients. yet, before expending any of its energy or water it discovers that your house had hazardous electric wiring before you bought your insurance policy. imagine then that despite the fact that you are its client, the brigade still turns around and drives off into the night because your house had a "pre-existing condition" that you did not warn them about before purchasing their insurance. thankfully things never got that bad with the fire dept. but in the states people are all too familiar with that excuse from health insurance companies. is it not just as mercenary that the insurance companies are willing to sacrifice human life to generate more profit? is it not sickeningly ironic that places with names like "good samaritan", "st. luke's", and even "holy redeemer" are ready to turn away a dying man whose life they could easily save, simply because he cannot cough up the ridiculous amount of money they ask? somehow i don't think that's the same "good samaritan" Jesus spoke about, who gave out of his own pocket to care for a wounded fellow human being. the US is the only country of the industialized nations that does not supply health care to its citizens as a basic human right. US citizens pay the highest per capita average for health care IN THE WORLD, and yet in a 2000 worldwide study by the World Health Organization, the US ranked only 37 out of 191 countries in overall health care; beat out by even columbia, morocco and costa rica. (read the article here) you may have noticed on my "currently watching" michael moore's sicko which is about the health care system in america. now, i'd like to give the caveat that i do NOT agree with the huge majority of mr. moore's political stances and generally lop-sided, partisan rhetoric. however, the information in this movie is VITAL for every american to stop and think on. (and he takes a swing at hill as well as george w. in the film) if you watch it, try to forget the other things he's produced and just take it as-is and weigh it in your own mind. the information about the fire dept. is not mentioned in the movie. that was my own research. this documentary simply made me interested to find out about the situation. i think its interesting that i've not not heard one single american evangelical christian i know talk about this issue. plenty about prayer in schools, abortion, immigration laws and other such hot-button issues. but doesn't callously allowing men to die, denying them the treatment that could save their lives just to make one's wallet thicker seem a crime on the same level as abortion? if Jesus were a doctor (and indeed He is the Great Physician) would He let that happen? there are ways to get involved and find out more. if you're interested, google: "US National Health Insurance Act" (also known as HR676 - read full text here) - a bill in the House of Reps. now that has gained much momentum in the last few months which proposes health care for every US citizen as a basic human right provided for by the government.i live in a country with a "universal health care" system and though there are flaws it is pretty great to be able to go to the pharmacy and know that i can purchase just about any kind of drug i need for under $6. its nice to be able to go to the hospital whenever i feel i need to without worry about if my insurance company will cover the cost. when we first moved to svitlovodsk i got sick with something crazy and had a fever of 104 (40C). my wife call the "ambulance" and they came within 20min. and administered the shots i needed to bring the temperature down and gave me a prescription to get.... for FREE. ukraine's flaws with its health care system are largely a result of lack of resources and rampant corruption in the government in genereal (both problems which are absent in the US). and even with all its problems, the concept itself is pretty great. watch the documentary, check out the subject matter, take a stance. peace out.btw, i'd be very interested to hear people's thoughts on this.
