Sunday, March 03, 2013

Let's Look Around Us!


Let’s look around us. People are becoming ill! It's the curse of the modern times. Technology has improved and mankind has made progress. But this progress has had an adverse impact on health.
Let’s take food for example. To become successful, the business of food has to run on the sole basis of taste. That which tastes good sells. So, all technology is used to make tasty food, even if this is at the risk of making it unhealthy. Let’s look around us. Walk into a mini market and see what is up for display. Biscuits? - Extremely unhealthy snack made of sugar! Cakes? - Unhealthy! Jams? - Unhealthy! Papads and pickles? - Unhealthy! Instant noodles? - Unhealthy! Colas and ice creams? - Unhealthy! Chips? - Unhealthy! Chocolates and candies? - Unhealthy! What is common in all these food products? They taste good. So what do we do? We buy these and feed it to our children! Unbelievable but true... We take the unhealthiest of foods and give it to the people that matter most to us! Then what is the surprise when these children go on to become very ill as adults?
Let’s look around us? When attending a marriage, what is talked about the most? It's the food! The success of a marriage function is based solely on how tasty the food is? The richer the food (in oil and unhealthy ingredients) the more appreciated is the function. The motto is "more the merrier". So maximum points go to the meal that had the most starters. Fried foods get a thumbs up. Then what is the surprise when a young man gets a heart attack?
Let’s look around us? What is the most happening thing now in the restaurant business? Buffets and Buffets with unlimited starters. Some buffets have 5 varieties of starters and some have 7 or even more! And after the starters are done with you have to eat the main course which you have to walk 5 - 10 metres just to look at. And if that is not enough, there is separate counter for a variety of deserts! We feel proud of ourselves that we managed to eat so much more at a low price. Little do we realise that we have actually paid to get ourselves harmed and damaged.
Let’s look around us? Fast foods - aren't they awesome? May it be Chinese or pizzas or burgers? Think about it. Bread made of Maida, butter, fried patties, lots of cheese, mayonnaise, MSG etc. Doesn't sound too awesome to me!
Aren't we consuming too much? If not too much in quantity, too bad in quality?

So let’s see where we spend this excessively accumulated energy? Let’s look around us. It’s the beauty of modern technology. We live in apartments that have lifts. We travel in cars or bikes or public transport. We sit or stand and work. All work is done from one place.  So business is conducted on the cell phone. Bills are paid sitting at home. All banking is done without actually going to a bank. Groceries, vegetables, food stuffs and medicine are delivered home.  Exercise? Gym? Morning walk? Yoga? We don't have time for these luxuries! We are too busy earning money! We are so busy that we haven't stopped to find out how much money is enough! When we finish earning, then we will concentrate on fitness! Little do we realise that by the time we finishing earning, it's too late. By then we are spending our earnings more on doctors and less on enjoyment.

We have seen the impact of technology on food and exercise. Now let’s see its impact on other aspects of health. Let’s look around us. People are stressed. The stress of a job! Deadlines, pushy bosses, financial commitments and competition. The stress of family! Duties towards parents, harmony with one’s spouse and time for children. The stress of achievement and success! Becoming rich, becoming famous or becoming both. Stress, stress and some more stress. No wonder diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and coronary heart disease are on the rise.

What about orthopaedic problems? Let’s look around us. Once again we have technology to thank! Sitting on a chair and working on a computer for hours together to earn a living! Or standing for hours together in a factory! Or travelling for 50-60kms every day on a bike or driving a car! Add to that a poor diet, lack of exercise and stress and I assure you that you will get plenty of orthopaedic problems.

So friends, let’s stop and look around us. What are we eating? How much are we eating? Do we need to eat as much as we are eating? Can we eat healthier? Are we spending the calories we are consuming? Are we exercising enough? Is it worth taking out the time for fitness? Why are we stressed? Do we really need to earn more and where do we need to draw the line? Is family important? If yes are we giving enough time to our families? Are we really living or just going through the motions like robots?

Let’s prevent technology from ruining our lives!

2 comments:

pune hospital said...

Everyone becoming ill due to modern life style, no one is concentrating healthy diet. Most of the people preferring fast food snacks etc which is more hazardous to the health.

Unknown said...

Very true .. Today's lifestyle is the most hazardous problem to our health if we go to the roots nd follow some basics of Jainism we may avoid this to certain level