It's been awhile since I did the dirty writing deed of blogging. Life is busy and after the grind compelling myself to write has been a bit of a task. Luckily, whenever I'm traveling I get the bug again.
Take tonight for example. Talking to an acquaintance and her friends, I got into a conversation about climate change, the political system, and racism. The inevitable conclusion of the conversation settled on why there is a lack of change despite all evidence showing that we are creating more harm than good.
I’ve pondered this and landed on the conclusion that humans are stupid. However, I’d like to revise that statement.
I actually believe the real problem is that as communication, science, and borders evolve the mass populous feels out gunned in any large task. Think about it; when cavemen were around the problems they faced were limited to their own needs. Now, we're inundated with 24 hour news, climate issues, violence from thousands of miles away, comets flying by our planet, and the ongoing debate about whether the almighty G-O-D is indeed just a concept or the creator of all things.
Think about politics now; we have civic issues, Provincial or State issues, and then Federal issues. Issues on top of issues. What is a person to do, but have a mental meltdown? Maybe if we could trust in the political process and if we believed the media when they reported on a story we could focus, but we're fed bullshit by liars every day.
We are the Body Snatchers
Let's breakdown this we can't change anything theory even further though. We need only look at how many of us treat our bodies ... the very vessel we move through this life in, of which there are no returns or trades. Something so personal is nearly impossible to maintain. We know we shouldn't drink that can of Coke, but man water can be so boring. We're fully aware that shooting up meth produces horrible, life-altering side effects, but yet, there's a meth epidemic.
We Know the Risks
Oh, and speaking of epidemics ... let's talk obesity, but before we do, understand that I'm not fat shaming here. From a purely medical standpoint, obesity is a terrible misuse of our bodies. There is zero credible science to suggest that being overweight is anything but dangerous. Here’s just a few risks on the list:
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Heart disease and strokes
Certain types of cancer
Sleep apnea
Osteoarthritis
Fatty liver disease
Kidney disease
Pregnancy problems
Early death
This list alone should be enough to sway anyone to keep a healthy weight. I mean shit, early death is on the list. However, instead of dealing with the issue, those who are not overweight are called fat shamers and they then take to social media to say they are proud of the way they look. Fine, perhaps you do like the way you look, but inside you're killing yourself. It's not like this information is new. There are studies going back to the 50's showing how being overweight will cut years off your life. I don't care if you're sickly skinny or sickly overweight, feeling like you look good is not worth cutting your life short. To be clear, there is no dispute in the credible medical community that being overweight will lead to medical issues that an otherwise healthy person with under 25% body fat wouldn't normally have to deal with.
Knowing this we still have so many people that can’t help but pack on the pounds. So, what do these folks do to deal with the inevitable breakdown of their bodies? They get a new hairstyle, buy new clothes, whiten their teeth, or endeavour into any number of cosmetic solutions that do nothing to solve the actual issue at hand. Some even get surgeries that zap the fat only to gain it back because the root problem has been left unsolved.
Yes, I know there are people that can't lose the weight, but their fat is a symptom of an overall disease. In the vast majority of cases fat can be dealt with through diet, exercise, and mental toughness.
Stepping away from the negative for a moment, let's discuss the specimens; the hard working, hard dieting, hard hitting folk that take their health quite seriously. They're up at dawn running and somehow still have the energy to live a normal life. Unfortunately for us, they are going the way of the Wooly Mammoth. It seems like there's a lot of people on Instagram posting gym selfies but in reality the overweight outweigh the healthy in the Western world.
I sit somewhere in between. At no point would anyone call me overweight. However, no one would call me shredded. I've never been obese but my eating habits as a kid were ingrained in my mind and the struggle is real. I know sugar be the devil, but God Damn is it good!
At this point you might be asking yourself, "Didn't he say this blog was about climate, political and divisive change?" Well, it is. I use our health as the prime example of why we can't seem to get any traction on these huge issues. How is it that we expect to solve the issue of global pollution when so many people still smoke cigarettes? Cigarettes! Also knowns as, Cancer sticks.
Smoke it Till You Choke on It
Why are they known as Cancer sticks? Well, it might have something to do with the Nicotine, Hydrogen cyanide, Formaldehyde, Lead, Arsenic, Ammonia, Radioactive elements such as uranium, Benzene, Carbon monoxide, Nitrosamines, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other joyous chemicals that doctors have warned about for ages. Look, there isn't a single soul on this earth that doesn't know cigarettes kill you. There's no conspiracy theory anymore. It's fact! But yet, so many humans still smoke. No matter what some people are told they just won't stop.
We're Fucked
And right there is why we're fucked. We're not going to solve climate change. There's no big political reform coming. Racism will always be a part of our lives. Why? Because we'd rather hang onto a moment's hope that the ramifications of our actions won't be all that bad than take proactive action to prevent the possible ramifications. This is harsh, unforgiving truth.
Most are just hoping that when the ice caps melt all the diseases and gases trapped inside of them won't cause harm. Most just keep on voting for the lesser of 2 evils because if you don't vote you can't bitch about the problems; ludicrous ... the current system you are voting for IS the problem. Most thought racism was isolated to the stupid of society ... until America circa 2016. Oh, what a world we live in.
But wait, there's more.
What about the fatalists? Those folk who believe that when your time is up, it's just up? Well, let me put it this way: If I were to lock you in a room with flowers, food, water, and a personal gym you'd probably live a lot longer than if I locked you in a room that was littered with millions or razor blades and bags of sugar. I'm thinking you'll live longer in room 2, but to those fatalists that say me locking you in room 1 is the problem to begin with, please try and follow along. The Earth is the room. If we were to accept science and clean up our act, we would change our longevity, meaning that we change when our time is up.
So how about we do something to make sure our world is a better place so that we live longer? Oh right, you're too busy worrying about what Kanye and Kim are up to. Well, fuck me then. Am I right?
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