More than Words

I went early this morning to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe where, as a practicing Catholic, I attended Mass, and then got to lay eyes on the Tilma, the cloak upon which an image of Mary was miraculously embedded after she appeared to the indigenous peasant Juan Diego in 1531.

When I returned to my hotel, I saw a miracle of a more temporal nature: an almost two mile swath of the main drag in the heart of Mexico City had been closed to traffic, replaced by myriad people biking, running, skate boarding, in-lining, and walking.

I walked by a man who was obviously an organizer.  His gray tunic was emblazoned with yellow letters identifying him as a "health promoter," and below that there was a tag line: Mexico City - Deciding Together.

What they had decided was that talking about health and disease prevention was just words.  They were going to put words into action.  So every Sunday from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm, the traffic thoroughfare is converted into an all-are-welcome circuit for people to exercise.  The nexus is the main stage where professional dancers take hundreds of people through multiple routines.  But if that's not you speed, there are myriad other choices along the elliptical path, including Zumba, kinetic movement, and hula hoops. There are also tents set up for small group "classes" about various topics.

Around the perimeter of all this, thousands of people are on their bikes.  If your bike needs some basic maintenance to keep you moving, the city has several complimentary bike repair tents in place.  Didn't bring a bike?  No problem. Sign up for a free card, and use it to unlock one of the hundreds of bikes in the city center.

It's all part of the city effort, and the country at large, to "show our commitment to good health and to reduce social inequalities" that can result from health disparities (accion2015mx.wordpress.com, in Spanish).

Frankly, I was blown away.  This was good social policy, good public health, and good government. This was, as the banner on one of the pavilions said, an active community.

An example has been set for us to follow in the U.S. We cannot simply rely on doctors and clinics to provide good health, any more than we can expect to meet our nutritional needs by popping some supplements.  We must have entrega, commitment, to making good health more than just words.  We must come to the realization that the health of one affects the health of many, and then move beyond that awareness into an investment of time, effort, and money that results in a community that thinks about good health as an imperative instead of an afterthought.

We need to move in this direction now.  As the dance leader at the main stage said to the crowd, the future depends on what you do today.