Article March 10, 2008 Issue

DOWNSIZE WITH A SPIRITUAL UPGRADE

BY EVAN MEHLENBACHER

Whether or not Disneyland's attraction "It's a small world" is actually being rebuilt to accommodate today's larger patrons—a suggestion Disney reps deny—statistics claim obesity prevails globally. Among children as well as adults.

Yet obesity stats don't tell the entire story. Considered along with the market glut of "get thin quick" remedies, promotion of foods without sugar or trans fats—and the focus on celebrities as the model to conform to—these statistics suggest a population identifying itself predominantly with physicality and body weight.

Many people struggle, even obsess, over their weight. Admittedly, most view it simply as excess physical pounds. But there's another kind of heaviness that's worth considering in the effort to address this issue. What about the drag of stress at work, personal crises, or health and financial worries? Even if the heaviness is external, it's helpful to begin to see how the encumbrance is not primarily physical but mental—the effect of an inner burden.