I have half a dozen healths,

To drink to these fair ladies.

– Shakespeare, Henry VIII, 1, 4

Say, what abridgements have you for this evening?

How shall we beguile

The lazy time, if not with some delight?

– Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, V,1

Those two quotes contain the elements that contribute to many of the lifestyle woes that befall many people. There is drinking to your health, or at least a dozen healths, as the man said, and of course there are fair ladies and delights, which can mean almost anything that’s hedonistic — usually it’s bad for you, as most pleasurable pursuits are.

We all have different lifestyles, and what suits one person may be frowned upon by the next. What is true is that the lifestyle we choose is what gives us the most pleasure, and it’s difficult to change it.

For some it includes drinking, for others it’s the pursuit of ladies, which in itself can be fraught with peril, bumps, pitfalls, and crosses, while for many it’s those delights that were mentioned, which can lead to many woes.

Medical science has proven that many ailments that afflict mankind are brought on simply by the lifestyle of the person. We’ll see what those are, right after these retorts from readers who took the time to be conned by my piece on ‘Conned’.

Hi Tony,

The con is where the con artist gains the confidence of the victim. They say that you can’t con an honest person, so it seems that victims are greedy and dishonest. By the way, your distant relative has died and left a large estate, a large portion of which was left to you, but estate taxes are outstanding and require you to pay those taxes before we can release the funds. Please remit the amount of US$50,000 to the following address. Thanks and regards.

Prince Richard

12 Kings Cross Road

Abuju, Nigeria

PS: I also have some very cheap land in Florida worth US$200,000 for sale, which requires only a US$5,000 downpayment.

Teerob,

If you aren’t greedy or ‘licky licky,’ you cannot be conned. Those people who got bilked felt that they were getting something for nothing, so I have no sympathy for them. I saw where you explained how those ‘sweet mouth’ guys befriend the old people with promises of great riches. But no sweet mouth guy could ever call me or my granny with any story about easy money. The phone would slam down so fast they would frighten. It takes two to make a con, the sly con artist and the greedy victim.

Claudette

We often hear people talk about lifestyle diseases that could be averted if the person adjusted or changed their lifestyle completely. Naturally, there are some illnesses that are not lifestyle related, such as those caused by viruses, bacteria, and other nasty organisms that invade one’s body.

No lifestyle change can stop mosquitoes from biting you and giving you ChikV or ZikV. But perhaps if you took some mosquito prevention measures, you might have a better chance of not getting bitten.

A very obvious lifestyle problem is that of smoking. That must be the most disgusting lifestyle habit that people can indulge in. I could never understand how someone could put a lighted roll of paper, filled with tobacco or whatever substance, into their mouth and inhale the smoke into their lungs.

It’s almost the same as sitting behind a diesel truck or bus and inhaling the acrid fumes. And yet it’s a lifestyle that many people indulge in – with dire consequences — despite the warnings on the labels.

Coal miners sometimes suffer from a serious malady called Black-Lung Disease, caused by years of inhaling the coal dust as they worked deep underground. They had little choice, as it was their profession, but to choose to inhale smoke is beyond my comprehension, and I still cannot understand why people do it.

What’s more amazing is the amount that some people smoke. “Man, all four pack a day I will go through, but I’m trying to cut down to three.” Asham, asham, they all fall down.

It has been proven that exercising even moderately is a positive method of attaining a healthy lifestyle. And yet there are people who refuse to do anything that requires any physical exertion at all. They sit on their fat asses and have the lifestyle of a sloth, yet expect to be healthy.

Research has proven that exercise goes a far way towards helping people achieve better health. But still, many would prefer to not move a muscle, and have a slew of excuses why they can’t buss a sweat.

I have been physical all my life, from primary school where we used to run up and down like wild horses, to my years at Kingston College where sports was a way of life for all of us. This was followed by my many years of martial arts which I still do to this day.

Exercise is in my DNA, and whereas there are no guarantees in life, as even racehorse drop down, I can admit that I feel good about my body and mental state of mind. My wife feels good about my body too, but that’s another story.

Because of this disciplined lifestyle, I have a very low tolerance for people who are fat and lazy. I do know that there are people who gain weight due to medication and other factors such as overactive glands and hormones, but when you get fat simply because you are lazy and nyam too much, I have no tolerance. At least make an effort to lose some weight and stop making excuses.

Doctors have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt what lifestyle can do to a person’s well-being. Hypertension, diabetes, lethargy, indolence, low self-esteem, impotence, low sex drive, can all occur because of lifestyle decisions. But it can be avoided if you have the will, commitment, and discipline.

But excuses are rife. “Oh, I can’t find the time to exercise; I have too much work; my ankle hurts; I have a big appetite; my family has fat genes; we are big-boned.” I have heard them all, and they are all hollow.

Drinking in excess, womanising, bleaching (not the skin type, but staying out all night) also can have a deleterious effect on a person’s mind and body.

“Is how that young woman look so old and pop down so?”

“She had a hard life, party too much.”

I see it for myself, and I hear people talking about it, the fact that burning the candle at both ends takes its toll on the body and mind, and can lead to ill health. A hedonistic lifestyle can be fun, but you must know when to stop. It can mash you down.

There are so many young people who drink and smoke to excess — plus do no form of exercise — who are sadly paying the price right now. “Say what, he’s just 35 years old and had a stroke already?” The doctors weren’t surprised, even though everyone else was. Some things you can see coming from a mile away.

Nothing is wrong with having a drink or two, but in those cases of gross excess, overindulgence was not its own reward, but its own downfall. The consumption of too much alcohol has been documented worldwide as being the leading cause of many ailments, among them cirrhosis of the liver, brain damage, diabetes, and kidney failure.

It’s a lifestyle that kills, including loss of life and limb on the road. And yet, many people will not change that lifestyle. The woes are devastating. Combine the drinking with the smoking, plus the lethargy and obesity, and you have a recipe for disaster.

People get sick, people suffer from various ailments caused by nature, genetics, or the environment that are out of their control. But so many illnesses can be avoided, simply by a change of lifestyle. The question is, are you willing to do it? For many, it’s easier to make excuses.

More time.

seido1@hotmail.com

Footnote: I have been following the brouhaha with this young lady and her comments about not wearing bandana fabric like Miss Lou. Why are people acting so surprised and dismayed by the lady’s utterances? I have been saying for years that many young people nowadays have no regard or respect for anything that falls outside of their comfort zone or sphere of existence. They live only for the here and the now, and nothing else matters.

Do you think that our forefathers or national heroes mean anything to the average young person nowadays? They pay more homage to the current dancehall stars than to our heroes who forged our country’s path. In fact, most of them are clueless and have no idea of our nation’s history. So do not be surprised or outraged, that’s just the way it is for this lost generation.