issue 32// vol 47 opinions // no. 25

WAR OF THE WORDS

 

Is health

important?

 

CC

» Your health might be the most
important thing you have

It's easier to go for a walk while you're young
and you don't have bad knees or back problems.

» You should do what you enjoy

even if it isn’t healthy

 

6 G Certainly, people should choose to be healthy if
they can, but you should mostly choose the things
that make you happy even if they are unhealthy.

 

Joseph Astana
Contributor

 

pss can make whatever choices
they want to make with their
bodies, whether it’s skydiving or
running with bulls. Of course, some
decisions are better for you in the long
run than others. For instance, being
active and having a balanced diet with
lots of fruits and vegetables is better
than sitting on the couch guzzling soda
and eating chips. J think that more
people should be more interested in
living a healthy life. You only have one
thing for your entire life and that’s your
body, so it’s important to take care of

it. That is the best reason why health is
important and why people should take
care of themselves.

If you don't take care of your body
now, then when you get old you will
likely be less healthy and resistant to
the problems that come with getting
older. A lot of the time when you talk
to older people, they are worried about
their health and want to eat well and
stay active. Why not develop that habit
now while you're young and capable
as opposed to waiting until you're
old? It’s easier to go out for a walk
while you're young and you don’t have
bad knees or back problems. Not to

 

mention, being healthy strengthens
your immune system and can give you
a better fighting chance if you get sick.
Throughout the COVID pandemic

the main comorbidities were old age
and poor health; maybe some of those
people would be in better condition
had they started earlier, and the disease
wouldn't have hit them so hard.

Also, when youre healthy you can
be an example for the people around
you. You might have kids and them
seeing you be active will encourage
them to be active too. Or if you have
a friend that spends too much time
sitting around you might be able to
motivate them to do things in the fresh
air. If you live as a healthy person than
you can encourage other people to do
the same as well. This will be better
for everyone in the long run. If your
friends are healthy with you then you
can spend more quality time together.

I don’t think anyone would argue
that health isn’t an important thing.
Asa matter of fact, it may be the most
important thing because without your
health you won't be able to do much
at all. So, since that is true, we should
encourage everyone to take good care
of themselves.

 

Tariq Ghanzi
Contributor

Wes my debate partner, Joseph,
makes good points; you do
need your body for the entirety of your
life and people can make whatever
choices they wish with their bodies.
However, he is wrong in saying that
health is the most important part

of life. Enjoyment of life is the most
important part of living, seeing as
happiness is something you can’t do
when you're dead. It might even be the
best choice an individual can make
with their own freewill.

Certainly, people should choose
to be healthy if they can, but you
should mostly choose the things
that make you happy even if they are
unhealthy. If you are a cinephile and
you are happiest in your home theater
with popcorn and litres of soda, who
can judge you for your enjoyment?
Youre not hurting anyone, and you
are likely enjoying the creative work
that someone spent a long time to
make—so where’s the loss? My debate
partner talks about spending time
with friends, but doesn’t playing
video games with your online buddies
count? It’s popular and a lot of people
like it, so why doesn’t that count for

 

something as well? Maybe the idea
of quality time shouldn't just be time
spent kicking a ball or running.

Besides, there are many ways for
someone to derive pleasure during
their free time. What about playing
an instrument and enjoying music?
Those things make people happy too
and they don't involve exercise. Those
hobbies should be considered as
important due to the happiness they
brings. There are plenty of unhealthy
musicians who lived to ripe old ages
without caring much for their well
being like Keith Richards and Mick
Jagger. Those two have probably out
lasted a fair few Olympians if we are
being honest, so maybe health isn’t
the golden ticket.

I think health isn’t particularly
important seeing as you can be happy
without having to focus too much on
your moment-to-moment health. You
can enjoy great food, you can enjoy
other people's creativity, you can even
sit down and watch trained athletes
compete and showcase their near
inhuman skills. Why should people
work so hard to be healthy when they
can just enjoy how much there is to
enjoy while you're alive. It’s not like
you'll be alive forever regardless of
how many laps you run anyways.