The Sociological Imagination

This morning I woke up around 7am and went to the gym. After the gym I came back to my apartment, showered then had breakfast. I then later went to class and worked on homework. The importance of health and staying in shape has been stressed to me throughout my entire life by family, health professionals and peers. Media and other sources also provide information and support as to why it's important to add physical activity to you daily routine. As apart of the American culture we are taught the importance of showering and personal hygiene. When we don't take care of personal hygiene we receive negative feedback from others. Breakfast is also a pretty regular part of the daily routine in American culture. It is always advertised how important it is to eat breakfast. At home my parents would always cook us breakfast before school while we were younger, so it's something I've become accustomed to. Education is also highly valued in our culture. Education is usually perceived as the main source for providing for yourself and family by allowing you the opportunity to get a successful job. College wasn't really an option in my family, it's just something that happens after you graduate high school. Homework runs closely with going to class because in order to do well, one must complete homework in order to understand the material. Homework is really placed above many other things in importance unlike some other cultures where household duties would be priority.

Things would be quite different in our world if the same importance wasn't placed on being physically active. What if instead it was preferred to not exercise and exude the smallest amount of effort possible when doing anything. People would become lazy and extremely unhealthy leading to an increased amount of obesity. But the less physical work you had to do, the more intelligent people would assume you are for discovering an alternative way. People would find it useless and pointless to waste their time with something so insignificant. On the other hand, would people be less or more insecure with their body type? Would their be less body shamming and body image issues since nobody would be taking care of their outward appearance? It's hard to imagine how different things would be.