It's not always easy to articulate your protestations against the World despite being fortunate enough to have a great forum like the Huff-Post to do so. However, on this occasion I feel empowered. Recently the European Court Of Justice ruled that Obesity can constitute a disability in certain circumstances. The EU's highest court was asked to consider the case of a male child minder in Denmark who says he was sacked for being too fat. The court said that if obesity could hinder "full and effective participation" at work then it could count as a disability. No one in their right mind can believe this ruling has done this man or any other person struggling with their weight any favours whatsoever! The vast majority of obese people are not victims whose circumstances are beyond their control. As soon as you put forward that excuse to people who are overweight or alcoholic or drug abusers they become like puppets who believe they have no control over their lives and will be at the mercy of others decisions-exactly as in the case above. No! If you don't like your life being fat or uneducated or ignorant you can change it. "But you don't know my circumstances!" Listen, circumstances' happen to everyone-it's how we react to that circumstance that's what's important. Would we really want our options for life decided by others because we are unable to help ourselves? I have been involved in Bodybuilding for over 30 years now from one extent to another and if I have to be labeled narcissistic over obese I'm fine with that. The truth is that I'm not a stereotype just because someone else believes all bodybuilding types are self obsessed, conceited egotists. Moreover, it doesn't worry me that anyone thinks that way of me, truly it doesn't. I don't define myself by what others think about me. That's called self esteem. One's body and one's bodyweight is one's own private business but you need and should be in control of it to the point that it does not detract from your work or abilities to function. Like most of you I have met many of the would-be Steve Reeves-like-Adonis's who populate so many gyms the world over-and I hate them too! People who strut around believing they are better than others by virtue of having a six pack and a pair of hard biceps. For these people, The Terminator or Tony Soprano are not merely fantasies-they're options! This is because generally many bodybuilders are mental midgets who have gravitated to the gym because in that environment very little is required intellectually. The main thing these people watch on TV is wrestling for god's sake. That tells you all you need to know! However, we would lift weights together and there was camaraderie in sharing your workout with others who had pride in their appearance but on the whole we lifted weights for very different reasons. I did it to challenge myself and build a career in the wellness industry and they did it to get girls and feel superior. I was also the only one who had a library card so finally the things that divided us were greater than the single thing that united us. But there truly is much more to bodybuilding than just lifting weights. There is that great challenge of taking an average or below average physique and turning it into a better one. There is real satisfaction in getting to feel physically stronger and more in control of yourself and your abilities rather than being too big around the waist to tie your own shoes. Bodybuilding at its highest level is very spiritual and scientific. It requires a Spartan routine that cleanses and detoxifies like nothing else. It is fundamentally stripping away life's inessentials. No manufactured foods. No sugar or sauces, no dessert or snacking on crisps. These vices are replaced with something much sweeter; the great satisfaction of being in control of your own physical destiny. Of being entirely focused on a deeply personal project, your body and the shaping of it to your own personal liking. Not neglecting yourself and your health. Not living in denial of ever tightening clothes and more difficulty in climbing staircases. No, instead looking to a positive outcome which will be determined by your own resolve and self discipline. Each title and trophy I won in Bodybuilding was a sweeter moment than when I brought my Aston Martin-I mean that for real! Anyone with the money can buy a flash car but not everyone can win a contest.
Like most people I believe that the law is the one thing that makes all people equal. The law should be characterized by uprightness or morality. The Law controlled by the European Court Of Justice should be an example of solid judgment given in full and transparent fairness based on evidence, logic and facts. Laws are used to order the way in which a society behaves: Being drunk in the street, laws governing the possession of firearms, laws on smoking, etc., etc., etc. That this righteous and noble regulation called law should be squandered on giving more rights to an adult who chooses to make consistently bad fast food choices and poor lifestyle judgment in general is very sad day for all of us indeed. Is this new 'Survival of the fattest' morality right or justifiable?? Let's see if anything good comes from it.