Brian Johnson introduces Pilar Gerasimo’s concept of the “healthy deviant,” contrasting widespread unhealthy cultural norms with individuals who intentionally defy them to achieve vitality, resilience, and autonomy. He cites several prevalence statistics (chronic illness, obesity, prescription use, mental flourishing, unhealthy habits), quotes Gerasimo’s definition, and closes with a Krishnamurti quotation encouraging healthy deviance.
Questions this video answers
50%
68%
70%
5 (average number of prescription drugs)
80%
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Arete One Degree. We're having fun looking at some of my favorite micro chapters. There are 451 of them in my new book, Arete, activate your heroic potential. Here's another one of my favorites, the healthy deviant when being well adjusted isn't a good idea. Pilar Gerasimo is one of the wisest humans I know. Among many other things, she created the award winning Experience Life magazine and and is the author of a great book called the Healthy Deviant, the Rule Breaker's guide to being healthy in an unhealthy world. Now you may be wondering, what's a healthy deviant? I'll answer that in a moment. First, let's look at some stats from the first chapter in her book called the Crazy that passes for normal. Get this. 50% of US adults are diagnosed with a chronic illness. 68% are overweight or obese. 70% are taking at least one prescription drug. For folks over 60, the average is 5. 80% are mentally or emotionally not flourishing. 97.3% are not maintaining healthy habits, decent nutrition, adequate exercise, not smoking, healthy body composition, etc. Which leads us to Pilar's guess that 99% of us are not healthy, happy or on track to stay that way. Which leads us to one big sad face. Which leads us to what she calls the unhealthy default reality of our modern culture. Which leads us back to the question, what's a healthy deviant? Good question. Here's the answer. Pivar says, and I quote her, a healthy deviant is any person who willingly defies unhealthy norms and conventions in order to achieve a high level of vitality, resilience and autonomy. Now, the lead quote in the book is the quote I come back to more than any other in our 300 day heroic coach program. It's from Krishnamurti. He tells us, and I quote him, it is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. Yeah, that's about right. In a society in which the vast majority of us are sick and tired and anxious and depressed and well, blah, all caps. It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to that sick society. Right? That's our plus one degree. Embrace your healthy deviance today.
