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JAINA CONVENTION 2011
"EMBRACING AGING" says there are several core components of healthy living: Social relationships, physical and mental well being, nutrition and diet, arts and creativity, financial planning and last but not least intellectual vitality. To build a happy social life we begin by repairing relationships, discarding guilt, forgiving others. Our attachment to material things must be gradually reduced; instead we should understand that though there is a difference between one individual and the other there is one trait common, all are fit to be loved. Edna St. Vincent Millay writes: Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath, Nor clear the blood, nor straighten the fractured bone. Yet many a man is making friends with death. Even as I speak for lack of love alone.
It is true that man finds identity and immortality to the extent to which he commits himself to a cause greater than himself, giving himself to a cause to serve others. The great scientist Albert Einstein said it more simply "Only a life lived for others is worth while. There is an immense pleasure in looking to the needs of others."
We Indians are fatalists. We believe that birth marriage and death are destined and we can not change them. We need however to admit that out of hundred, ninety present of our life is under our control. Though we can not avoid death we can live a healthy life till we die.
It is known that the last 50 years have witnessed an increase in our life expectancy. It appears to have come about as a result of the following four features:
(2)
"Live and Help Live"
improvement
in
(3)
(4)
There are of course some difficulties too, that prevent us to take full advantages of the factors mentioned above. The infectious diseases are Heart Diseases, Cancer, Stroke and Accidents. If periodical medical check up is resorted to and the remedies are taken taken expeditiously the adverse effects can be avoided if not altogether eliminated. The medical cost problem may come in the way. So also the absence of readiness on the part of the people to realise that prevention is better than cure. The people can be educated by and by.
A general nutritional adequacy Better public hygiene.
There are three simple ingredients of good health, they are diet, exercise and sleep. All the three look simple in theory but are hard to practice. As regards the diet it is said that the doctors take care to keep us healthy but the cook is out to spoil our health and generally the cook succeeds out of the two. People like unhealthy food, spicy food, plenty of sugar and salt. Food is the greatest luxury of life and it is least costly. If one fully cares to examine, the healthy food is equally enjoyable if the habit is formed at an early stage. At a later stage it is a little difficult to disregard the taste factor but it is not impossible to do that provided there are other pleasures in life developed with some effort.
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As regards sleep some people suffer from insomnia while others do not like to get up
(1) Improvement in medical care
before and around the time of from bed even after getting full sleep. birth. Sleep is equated with rest but it is not always true. Many are worried when they do not get sleep as soon as they are in
The conquest of most infections diseases.
Exercise is another factor which is also related and controlled by time. Many a middle aged man and woman avoid regular exercise for want of free time.
