Lately there have been several posts in which the writers were outraged at this new Fat Acceptance movement. Really, how dare anyone tell those overweight people that they can be happy with their bodies?
At first, I was defending the right of others to do as they please, but an incident occurred recently that punched me right in the gut, and finally woke me up to the dangers of this ideology.
Last week, I was very excited to attend this meditation retreat at this zen center. It was a beginner’s class, and I didn’t know much about the discipline. I met the wonderful instructor and the other eager students. We were all ready to learn as much as possible. We climbed the stairs to the upstairs studio, and that’s when I saw him.
He wasn’t just fat. He was morbidly obese! It was clear that he rarely exercised, and mostly sat around like a lazy bum. I’m not sure he even had a job, ever. Perhaps the worst part of this experience was that the instructor looked up to this dude, as if this fatso with his gut hanging over his pants had any “wisdom” to offer. The students even bowed to him.  There was a bowl of fruit sitting in front of this blimp of a man, as if that was what he mostly meditated on — his next meal.  Now, I think it’s OK for the overweight to visit Walmart, or even visit the beach WITH a t-shirt on, but when this “Fat Acceptance” starts to infiltrate our world religions, it has gone too far.
