Striving for Holistic Living

In today’s technological and media driven society, being holistic by dwelling in mindfulness about all aspects of life can be a challenge. There is so much going on that can keep one preoccupied with quantifiable reality at the expense of nurturing all the qualities of a well-rounded life. In W.E.B Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folks, he states, “… the black [person’s] turning hither and thither in hesitant and doubtful striving has often made his [or her] very strength lose effectiveness, to seem like absence of power, like weakness. And yet it is not weakness, –it is the contradiction of double aims” (9-10). Du Bois’s words are applicable to people in modern times wanting to live comprehensive lives, but falling short of doing so. For example, individuals wanting to eat healthy, but succumbing to vitamin deficient fast foods; patients wanting alternative methods to healthcare, then capitulating to the ease of pharmaceuticals; families wanting to spend more time together, nonetheless existing isolated in their technological devices. 

Being caught between what Du Bois calls “double aims,” such as external influences and inner 

desires, can cause one to be unable to attain their preferred intentions. So, one must realize the predicament they are in

and choose to take ownership of their daily decisions. Holistic seekers must choose to take responsibility for shaping their lives and its manifestations. With the guidance and instructions in The Souls of Black Folks, Du Bois sought to heal and readjust Black people’s consciousness. However, anyone can choose to commit to a positive paradigm shift regardless of exterior stimulus that subjugates them with help and practice.