OUR problem is so serious it’s going to be discussed at an international forum. Not any international forum, it’s the World Health Assembly which will be held on May 23-28 in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization.
That our problem in regards to NCDs (non-communicable diseases) is going to be on the table at such a high level forum, which of course will have side events also focusing on the matter at hand, should bring home to us how serious this matter is.
Actually it is a matter of life and death. And this choice of words is not just for effect. If we only stop for a moment to give it some serious thought, we will see that is what it is.
Over and over again through various media, we have been told how certain foods and habits, if not changed for the better over a course of time, will lead to health complications which, if not addressed, will result in death.
There have been numerous educational campaigns to alert us of this ever-present and very visible danger.
Yet the figures of deaths brought about by NCDs keep rising. It defies logic.
Logic tells us that we will do things which accrue benefits to us. We have continuously been told which food groups, and what quantities, are good for us.
In addition to the quality and quantity of food, we have also been told that exercise is good for us.
With the lives we now lead and the pressures which are put on our time, exercise is no longer viewed as important so no time is set aside for it.
The words “I just don’t have the time” are now so familiar. Everything else, it seems, takes precedence over looking after your own health.
If all the benefits of these other activities which we pursue eventually come to us, what will be the use if we are of poor health and cannot enjoy them to the fullest?
We work so hard to get good jobs which pay handsomely but neglect our health. Over time, a good chunk of that salary is used for medical bills.
And for those who thank the Lord for the gift of life, how many of them actually live their prayer in that they take good care of life by eating well and exercising regularly?
That disconnect between prayer and deed would make a liar out of many of us.
It just may be that most of us do not give serious thought to what we are eating and the consequences. As long as it tastes all right and fills the stomach, then it’s OK.
We should think about it, talk about it and most importantly do something about it.
Each day we don’t, then each day we live is just another day in which we are slowly killing ourselves.
What a waste of life!
