HEALTH

“When you have your health you have everything.”  Some believe this to be true. Especially those who are so attached to this world that being ‘unhealthy’ is a serious threat to ‘existence’. So eat nutritiously, exercise regularly and by all means maintain your health. Good idea. Also one should minimize risks and avoid hazards:  buckle up when riding in an automobile, give sick people a wide berth and be diligent when using machinery or sharp, pointed instruments. Run inside when thunder and lightening threaten. You can never be too careful. Preserve your health and your life at all cost.

You must also have access to medical facilities, regularly submit to ‘physical exams’ and be on the patients’ list of one or more physicians. They know your history; they will take good care of you. Is that all? Not quite. You must pay for these services. So health insurance is essential. Would not want to be turned away when you need help or go broke paying for ‘health care’. You do all that is necessary to preserve your well-being. For you are a diligent, foresight full person who knows how to cope with inevitable onslaughts.

And they will come … in one form or another. Your body will feel the brunt of earthly scourges. You will know pain and sickness. You will do battle and survive. Maybe a little weaker; maybe with increased awareness and empathy for the sufferings of others.

But do you let the prospect of illness become an obsession? Do you become a ‘clean freak’? Constantly on guard against the unseen? With bacteria and viruses everywhere and the physical world always poised to puncture your skin, do you worry inordinately, always on guard? Or do you live your life optimistically and accept your fate?

Too many people live in a state of apprehension. Everything that bothers them physically must be dealt with. Find pills and remedies for every innocuous discomfort. Minor headaches, itches and soars … run to the pharmacy. Alleviate the symptoms. Amazing how so many obsess on their bodies and ignore their mental and spiritual health. They worry more about what they eat then what they think and how they nourish their being within.

You must constantly challenge your wondrous mind with ideas for it to grow. Schooling, movies, television, newspapers:  These vehicles for mass consumption are not enough. Learning is a never-ending process that depends on an open mind and constant inquiry. Rather than passively experiencing the world you should be actively exploring it. So much is now available to you through encyclopedias, periodicals, the Internet, museums, galleries and all manner of enlightening forums and discussions. Use them to think ‘new’ thoughts. Never let your mind atrophy. And in striving to understand the world better you will naturally ‘get outside’ yourself. You will develop a deeper appreciation of creation and a growing respect for the accomplishments of ‘man’. Loving all you will be a healthier YOU.

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