We Should Work On Being Useful, Not ‘Fit’

• If a fire broke out in your house, would you be able to escape out of a window?
• Would you be able to carry a wounded friend or family member to safety?
• Could you physically run to the aid of a stranger?
• Could you fend off someone who was trying to drag you or your girlfriend or child into a vehicle?
• How useful would you truly be when the world around you is in chaos?

In our current world, we depend upon ‘first responders’ to save us. But, they can’t always be there to be of help when needed. Have we conditioned ourselves to be helpless?

In our current age, we rely on gyms to keep us fit, but is this really what we need? Are treadmills, bench presses, and squat racks the best way to prepare our bodies for instances when they’re needed?

“Être fort pour être utile” (“Being strong to be useful”)

— Georges Hébert

Georges Hébert learned firsthand how necessary it could be to be able to answer the initial questions above with a yes. While serving in the French Navy in 1902, a town named Saint Pierre on the island of Martinique was in the path of a devastating volcanic eruption. Hébert coordinated the evacuation of the population, saving the lives of 700 people.

In his book Natural Born Heroes, Christopher McDougall details how Hébert left his naval vessel in a row boat…