We waste our lives making money and forget about what we really want Last Laugh

ARATHER gloomy prediction of the state of world health in The Lancet says that, by the end of this year, only 5 percent of the world’s population will be free of diseases. the most common ailments include cancer, lower back pain, hypertension, depression, diabetes, neck pain, age-related hearing loss and tooth decay. Frankly, I am not surprised. We live in a stressful world of highpressure jobs, polluted air and water, bad eating habits and lack of exercise.

All this is, I believe, because the human race has lost focus. We believe money and material possessions are the goals and if we ruin our health in the pursuit of these, that’s just part of the game.

The important things in life need not cost vast sums of money. Fresh air is free and outings with the family will encourage a love of nature and being in the sun- shine, rather than lurking in a sealed airconditioned office exchanging germs with your colleagues.

A regular bite into a crunchy fresh apple may do far more for the health of your teeth than a bottle of “low fat, vitamin-enriched, sugar-free” fruit drink.

Most important of all is to slow down a bit and consider what you really want in life.

Do you want a top executive position with all the stress that goes with it, or do you want to be able to spend more time with your family, sharing in your children’s development?

Will your life really be more enjoyable in an immaculate expensive Clifton mansion than it is in a comfortable suburban home where you’re free to put your feet on the couch without causing a thousand rands’ worth of cleaning expenses?

A great many of our modern ailments are caused by the stress of having to prove to people we don’t even particularly like that we can afford possessions we don’t really need. We abandon real friends in favour of business associates we pretend are friends. We spend time impressing them by spending money on expensive meals, fancy drinks, flat-screen television sets and the latest model cars.

In our frantic rat race to impress we really do know that it’s all a hollow sham and this adds to our levels of stress.

We live on a beautiful planet filled with wonders to explore and enjoy. We marry women we love and produce children to love and then we waste our lives chasing money, which we tell ourselves is all for the family.

By the time we retire we hardly know the family any more.

Is anybody surprised that 95 percent of us are destined for ill health? A business tycoon was pacing the floor in the waiting room of the maternity home dictating letters on his smartphone and taking business messages while his wife was in labour in the next room.

Eventually a nurse appeared and tapped him on the shoulder. “It’s a boy, sir,” she said.

“Well, ask him what he wants,” barked the businessman.