My Rant.

• By vishwa on Health, Training

• February 9, 2012

It seems that life for urbanites is turning out to be a necessary evil. I will try to explain.

You are out of college. You secure a job. You start earning money. You want to buy a bike. You buy it. You then want to buy a better bike with many features. You buy it–without hesitation. You don’t seem satisfied. Rather, you are allured to a new bike which has been introduced in the market. You finally buy it–with a little hesitation–for it is expensive. Your salary is hiked threefold. You don’t know what to do. You think of broadening your horizons (so called). You want to buy a decent car. You buy it. You don’t seem satisfied. You could afford a better car. Banks are ready to provide handsome loans. You buy a beautifully expensive car. Your salary is then hiked to an unimaginable level. You then want to further broaden your horizons (so called). You buy a beautiful apartment. You are earning to show that you are prospering.

But the irony is, all the while you have neglected your body. I will tell you how. You take your health for granted. You continue to eat all the junk foods. You progressively gain fat. You think it is a sign of prosperity. You do not exercise. You don’t want to exercise. You are short of time. You want to spend time for better purposes (so called)—more wealth. Alas! You have forgotten that health is wealth. Moreover, you personified the first half of Voltaire’s quote, “Indolence is sweet.” You don’t want to consider what he says after, “But, its consequences bitter.” Surprisingly, it dawns on you that you should look after your health. Why? Your physician just said that you are hypertensive and diabetic. It is too late. It is unfortunate that you are now forced to spend time and money on your health—pills and visiting doctors.

Instead, you could spend some time on physical activity. You could do some research (a Google will do) on healthy eating. You could spend some money on good food—not food products. I hope you get my point here. Hypertension and diabetes that are lifestyle diseases can be avoided. So, majority of heart, kidney, brain, and eye damage can all be avoided. You could live a life of radiant health. Moreover, you have nothing to regret if you embrace physical activity. It could actually turn out to be, time better spent. This may be a better way to broaden your horizons. I will quote The Dalai Lama in this context. He was asked what surprised him the most. He says, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health to make more money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.” Irony at its best.