A docile body is defined as "one that may be subjected, used, transformed, and improved. and that this docile body can only be achieved through strict regiment of disciplinary acts."
In my opinion, we are all docile bodies from the moment we are born. We are never not docile, in some way or another. It's part of being human - we are constantly changing.
For example, the never-ending, un-escapable desire for popularity. We as humans are constantly looking for the next "cool" thing. Whether it be a clothing brand, a style, a song or band, a TV show, or anything else. For brevity's sake, I'll focus on just one - clothes.
Clothing and style are subjective terms. Every one has their own opinion of what is stylish. However, that opinion is constantly being argued into something else, by culture. Every day we see thousands of people walking around campus. Despite what we tell ourselves, we constantly compare ourselves to them - whether it be our clothes, the way we look, the things we have, or the way we act. Our culture is one of comparisons.
One "body practice" that we all take part of is getting dressed. We all do it - every single morning, we have to decide what to wear. For some of us, it's not a big deal - just grab whatever you see first and go for it. For others, it's not so simple. This is one body practice that I think every one can appreciate and understand. It's simple and we barely even think about it.
However, it is representative of something more important - every time we compare ourselves to someone else, we are considering our popularity and level of "coolness." Again, this is all subjective. One person may think that what they wear is the coolest new style, and everyone else just hasn't caught up yet. Someone else may be okay with what they are wearing, but desire to have better clothes and be "cooler."
It's all subjective, but culture urges us to constantly be docile in our clothing and the things we wear - it tells us that there is always something better and "cooler," and that we should always be chasing it... and it all begins with what you wear in the morning.
One "body practice" that we all take part of is getting dressed. We all do it - every single morning, we have to decide what to wear. For some of us, it's not a big deal - just grab whatever you see first and go for it. For others, it's not so simple. This is one body practice that I think every one can appreciate and understand. It's simple and we barely even think about it.
However, it is representative of something more important - every time we compare ourselves to someone else, we are considering our popularity and level of "coolness." Again, this is all subjective. One person may think that what they wear is the coolest new style, and everyone else just hasn't caught up yet. Someone else may be okay with what they are wearing, but desire to have better clothes and be "cooler."
It's all subjective, but culture urges us to constantly be docile in our clothing and the things we wear - it tells us that there is always something better and "cooler," and that we should always be chasing it... and it all begins with what you wear in the morning.
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