Physical Literacy vs Alphabetical Literacy
Life is a matter of mere years that come by and leave before the seasonal fall of the year stays. Our life revolves around physical and mental well-being. Thus both of these become important scripts in the mandate of our lives. Physical literacy and mental literacy are some way or the other cross-linked to each other. Whilst mental goodness plays an important role in every generation’s life, physical well being is equally responsible for the proper functioning of the blissfully confused mind. Physical and mental fitness in coalescing exist to pursue the pursuit of happiness in everyone’s life.
Physical literacy of a person is a thermodynamic statute of the body’s working procedure. For most, and probably all, teenage seems to be the most physically active age. Now, does that mean physical activeness is divided through generations? Well practically no, but mentally, it seems to be so. Age is a number but physical literacy is a bold factor that is waged for the constructive mental well-being of a person.
Especially in India, there is a high need for physical literacy. By telling our youths about physical literacy, we are making them realize that why Indian youths lag behind other countries in several competitions. But mainly it’s not about telling them about something new, it’s about not lagging behind anyone. In India, the market scene of jobs today has reached such a peak that even 99 percentile holders are running behind post for a decent sum of income per annum.
Students buried in volumes of alpha-numeric theories, mugging up tones of gibberish that they don’t even actually seem to understand, Xerox machines printing thousands of notes everyday for all those frustrated teens who can’t figure out how to possibly perform average in their exams.
Sadly, all these are turning into curses for students rather than bearing fruits. Psychologists and counselors lining up their schedules for school and college students. Depressions and anxiety attacks, migraines resulting from unhealthy lifestyles all sum up to the need of the hour; physical fitness.
There was a time when students were seen in crowds in playgrounds more than they were in their classrooms. As years have passed by, the howling and cheering in the grounds have become extinct. No more football matches, no more sports days cause students just don’t find the time to pick their heads up from their heavy books and exercise their muscles. On September 6, 2016 P.Gopichand, coach of PV Sindhu addressed a gathering by saying that, “We are a nation that excels in alphabetical and numerical literacy. We have forgotten the art of physical literacy. We need to be active. We have to test the importance of physical movement. It is important we encourage kids to take up sports.”
The International Physical Literacy Association has recently bounded the complete definition of Physical Literacy into complex yet feasible elements that include motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engaging in physical activities.
- Motivation, Confidence, Physical Competence.
Motivation is the root of the sapling called life. Confidence is the leaf that executes the task of competence in life. The three are necessities as well as an integral part for the sustainability of a swift lifestyle.
Motivation is the start that leads to competence to participate in the widespread aura of the active life. For any task, be it survival or ebbing survival, emotional balance is always linked to physical balance.
- Knowledge and Understanding
Knowledge is the shoot of motivation. Understanding is the fruit of it. Both of these lead a human to inhalation of useful physical activity in a variety of settings and physical environments.
- Engagement in physical activities
All these stages of a tree lead to a beautiful life aspiring arena where the equation of physical and mental balance exists under equilibrium. A perfect mental balance starting from motivation, confidence to knowledge and understanding lead to a solace living in a time where stress sounds dramatic but makes humans its fanatic.
Physical literacy advocates the existence of mental literacy for a person to grow strong and independent in the same old flesh, brain, and heart. The complete human structure depends on the functionality of the blended equation of physical and mental balance.
And in this era of survival of the fittest, mind and body need to run along, hand in mind just to snatch the chase before the lights go out and zero hour begins.
Thus, mentally fit is not equivalent to physically fit but mentally literate is equivalent to physically literate.
