We need to be healthy to contribute ourselves to our family,
to our country. We need to be healthy to support our minds to study and to self-improve.
HEALTH
Mr. Nhân cleaned his sweat then took a seat in a teashop by the lake. One of his friends asked:
"Hey Nhân, you seem to exercise regularly. You're an example for our old men. Frankly speaking, we're unable to follow you. Do you have anything to raise our strength?"
Mr. Nhân took a sip of tea then said:
"I should confide a little of my experience with you guys. When I was a little boy, I saw my grandpa lying in bed, suffering from his persistent sickness. My parents took care of him, and they missed a lot of opportunities to get a successful life. His descendants were tired of his illness and ignored him. Finally, he died. But, his long sickness destroyed many of his descendants' things. I was aware of the issue of health since then."
"I knew my health involved my people. If I get sick, I can do nothing useful for my people and will only annoy them more. That's not to mention the cost of medical treatment. I wish to be healthy while I'm alive and die in my sleep so that I won't bother my family."
"Therefore, I diligently exercise. I choose my meals very carefully, only rice and veggies. I don't eat protein or fat. I avoid enjoying useless pastimes or debauchery. I devote myself to my work, help do housework and do something for my neighborhood. When I have more time, I go around my neighborhood to pick up trash."
"No wonder why people love you. You live a life of paragon. We have a long-term friendship and I never see you drinking or having any affair at all."
"Hey friend, good health is true happiness. Debauchery only causes us disease. We only get a moment of fun, but we must endure a long incurable illness."
"How can we get a peaceful death just like you talked?"
"I really don't know how. I only have a faith that if we live a moral life, we will die peacefully. That's it. Therefore, I do good deeds more often. You see I usually fix the roads, help the poor, release fish into rivers, pick up trash around my neighborhood, teach the kids how to live morally, give useful advice to couples who are not harmonious, visit the lonely old ... I believe in the law of fairness that exists in the universe. If we live a good life, we can die easily."
We thought we have a right to the self-determination of our health that only affects ourselves, and that's none of others' business. In fact, our illness is our relatives' suffering. If our illness lasts too long, our relatives will be so tired that they can't stand being with us, and then they will go away. We're alone, seriously sick, and then we're miserable. If we're healthy, we can do everything useful. Our presence in life should be the benefit for people around us.
If we want to be healthy in old age, we should maintain our strength since our youth. We should practice regularly. We should avoid being involved with any harmful pastimes such as smoking, drugs, gambling, unsafe affairs, drinking ...
We should also avoid going to clubs to dance and take drugs, and debauch. The more healthily we live the better we are, and our strength is maintained.
Our health is not our own concern. It is a concern of our loving relatives, too. Just like our safety concerns the policemen, which is why we should wear helmets while riding our scooters on the road. This is protection for our family.
An accurate and moral point of view is to maintain our strength so that we can devote ourselves to life, and avoid bothering our family. This is different from a view of people who go to the gym to keep their bodies healthy and beautiful so that they can get debauched, do something illegal, or seduce the opposite sex.
We need to be healthy to contribute ourselves to our family, to our country. We need to be healthy to support our minds to study and to self-improve.
Written by:
Janna
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