Being overweight and obesity are major risk factors for many

The statesman Mike Rounds, in his words of concern and truth, declared: “Being overweight and obesity are major risk factors for many chronic diseases for South Dakotans of all ages. When people are overweight or obese, they have more health problems and more serious health problems, in addition to higher health care costs.” Though spoken in the language of modern times, this statement carries the ancient wisdom of balance, discipline, and stewardship over the body—the vessel of life. It is not merely a warning of illness, but a call to harmony, a reminder that the strength of a people begins with the health of its individuals.

In the days of old, the sages taught that the body is the chariot of the soul. To neglect it is to risk the journey itself. Health was seen as a sacred duty, a harmony between the spirit within and the world without. When Mike Rounds spoke these words, he did not speak only as a leader concerned with cost or numbers, but as a guardian of human potential. For when the body grows weary, so too does the will, and when a nation’s people grow ill, the future itself trembles. Obesity, he reminds us, is not merely a physical state—it is a shadow that dims the light of vitality, creativity, and joy.

Let us recall the ancient teachings of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who wrote, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” He understood, even in his age, that balance is the foundation of wellness. The modern struggle with chronic disease—heart ailments, diabetes, and joint afflictions—echoes the same truth: that imbalance brings decay, while harmony restores life. To be mindful of what we eat, how we move, and how we live, is not vanity—it is virtue.

Across the centuries, the greatest civilizations have honored this principle. The warriors of Sparta trained their bodies as they trained their minds, knowing that strength without wisdom is chaos, and wisdom without health is helplessness. So too must the people of our time reclaim that ancient discipline—not to seek perfection, but to guard their health as the most precious treasure of all. Mike Rounds’ warning to his fellow citizens is, at its heart, a call to awaken. It is the reminder that the fight for health is not one of shame or appearance—it is the defense of life itself.

To neglect the body is to neglect the very engine of our dreams. When we allow ourselves to drift into illness, we are burdened not only with physical pain, but with lost possibilities—the books unwritten, the gardens untended, the laughter left unshared. As Rounds points out, the toll of this neglect extends beyond the self—it touches family, community, and nation. The rising health care costs he speaks of are but the outer symbol of an inner imbalance, a society that has forgotten how to live in moderation and mindfulness.

Yet there is hope, always. For health, once lost, can often be restored—through courage, through small and steady acts of renewal. The one who walks each morning in the fresh air, who chooses wholesome food over fleeting indulgence, who takes rest and gives thanks—this person begins to rebuild the foundation of vitality. Like the farmer tending the soil, every small choice to nurture the body yields fruit in time. And as each person reclaims their health, the community itself grows stronger, lighter, more joyful.

The lesson, then, is timeless and profound: the health of the body is the health of the spirit, and the health of the people is the strength of the land. Guard it as you would a flame in the wind. Do not treat your body as a burden, but as a blessing to be honored and sustained. Let moderation be your guide, movement your prayer, and nourishment your gratitude. For when a person lives in balance, they serve not only themselves but the world around them—radiating strength, purpose, and light.

So remember the wisdom behind Mike Rounds’ words: the true wealth of a nation is not its gold or its power, but the vitality of its people. To live with health is to live with freedom. To care for one’s body is to honor life itself. Therefore, dare to be disciplined, to act with intention, and to restore within yourself that sacred harmony the ancients called well-being. For in caring for your body, you are tending the very temple of your soul.