Philosophy of Health Education

The world that we know today has come a long way since the 1900’s. If we think about the number of philosophers and psychologists that have made discoveries and hypothesis about the things around them in connection with their ideals, principals and values, we can all clearly explain that the world is ever changing as a result of holistic approaches and expression of intelligence. With this being said, it is with certainty that I believe in the idealism philosophy. Life is about knowledge. Life encompasses internal meaning and spiritual reality. Humans exhibit this knowledge through internal thoughts of the world around them. All humans are born with an inner-good. The inner good can take something so ordinary and boring and turn it into spectacular ideals. In life, it is important to hold values, education, spirituality and creativity in the highest regard. The most valuable of these characteristics is that of education and spirituality. Holding these two characteristics of utmost importance can enable in human being to think outside the box of life itself and make all things possible. With education, one can learn and collectively approach life with understanding and competence. With spirituality, one can connect themselves with something with bigger meaning and create values. I believe that seeing everything in this world as something more than what it is in plain sight creates an attitude and understanding that is so powerful and meaningful that nothing can stop you. I believe that knowledge is the most powerful weapon in the world. Holding this near and dear to my heart I believe that anything is possible and there is nothing or no one that can stop you from learning and believing. The purpose of life is to gain knowledge and turn that knowledge into something extraordinary. It is about letting our minds take control and create something new. Life is meant to be about discovery and meaningful experiences especially with the people around us. In relation to my personal philosophy of life, health is very similar. Dictionary. com defines health as, â€Å"the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: good health; poor health†. In my own words and thoughts, I think a large portion of health encompasses a certain emphasis on the mind and well being as a result of good mental health. This is all made possible though health education. However, health education does have to include all dimensions of wellness; emotional, occupational, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social. With this knowledge of health and utilizing all six dimensions of wellness each individual can successfully place their self on the wellness continuum. The wellness continuum is very simple. When you have signs or symptoms of bad health, you are placed on the side of bad health with a treatment plan. However, if you are aware of your health, continue your education on your health and look forward to growth, you are placed on the good health side. It all begins with health education; a learning opportunity to see the dangers one can face that can negatively affect their health and the positive choices one can make that can prolong their life expectancy. The purpose of health is self promotion, well-being. Health is a life of knowledge, spiritual and social connections intertwined with well being that creates a long, prosperous journey. Health education in my own words is the knowledge about personal well-being, physically, mentally and socially that encompasses a number of philosophies to truly exhibit understanding. The predominate health education philosophies are behavior change, cognitive-based, decision-making, freeing and functioning and social change. All five of these philosophies should closely be tied into health education. Wikipedia defines health education as â€Å"the profession of educating people about health. [1] Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health. 2] It can be defined as the principle by which individuals and groups of people learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion, maintenance, or restoration of health†. Being an idealist, with an emphasis on knowledge and the mind, I think health education is of major importance. Giving people the knowledge about good health, best practices and an understanding of why it is so important to take care of ourselves is of significant importance. With this knowledge of health education, people are able to ration ally think about the choices they make that can affect their health, good or bad. The benefits of health education are endless. People living longer, healthier, happier lives are just one of many benefits of health education. In my mind, especially as an idealist, there are no limitations to health education. Our minds are endless when it comes to creativity and with that being said; there is nothing that cannot be solved using a little creativity and healthy thinking power. However, this is only possible when we carry out all aspects of health education, from understanding and teaching the back lying hilosophies, to the predominate health education philosophies and the dimensions of wellness and everything they encompass can this take place. When society meets the ongoing goals and objectives facing health issues now and creates new goals and objectives, we know that we are achieving positive health education. Health education is ever changing and new health issues are always arising; it is overcoming these issues and setting out a template to take on the next is sues that keep our society moving in the right direction towards positive health. The purpose of health education is to promote positive life experiences, touching all dimensions of wellness. Health education creates healthy people who in return create healthy communities that stand together and fight for healthier lifestyles. A person is well educated if health education when they can describe what health is by notion of philosophies and all aspects of life that health effects. This person can also describe current health issues and can create a solution to help fix the heath issues. References Cohen, LeoNora M. 1999). Section III- Philosophical Perspectives in Education. OSU- School of Education, Section II.Retrieved from http://oregonstate. edu/instruct/ed416/ PP2. html Six Dimensions of Wellness Model (2011). National Wellness Institute.Retrieved from http://www. nationalwellness. org/index. php? id_tier=2&id_c=25 Works Cited Health Education. (2011). WikipediaRetrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org /wiki/Health_education Health. (2011). Dictionary. com. Retr ieved from http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/health