FREE ESSAY ON PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH

PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH

Jake Lavender 12-04-99
Philosophy Paper
What makes a healthy person? Surely it is more than just exercising and eating right.
When we say healthy aren't we referring to more than just being physically fit and not
having any diseases or ailments. But what else is there that makes a person truly
healthy? I think that while this physical description of healthy is a good start, there
is far more to the story than this. For one to be considered truly healthy I believe that
every aspect of their life must be looked at and addressed with the intention of making
that person the best person that they can be. 
First and foremost is one's spiritual health, which is the foundation on which the other
aspects of that person's life are built. In order that one have good spiritual health I
believe that it is imperative that they find some group of like-minded people with which
they can fellowship, with intent of improving their spiritual well-being. Whether this
group is a church, support group, or just a close knit family depends on that person and
their needs.
Next in rank is emotional health which is very closely related to spiritual health in
that people's emotions draw heavily from those around them. This makes it especially
important that whatever type of group one seeks out for spiritual guidance is very
carefully chosen. It is quite plain to see that a person's emotional state can be
drastically altered by changing the type of people that person spends their time with.
For instance, a normally even-tempered person can become very irritable when they
socialize with others who are shot-tempered, and someone who is normally quite can turn
into a very pleasant person if they interact with those who are more cheerful and
enthusiastic. Almost Identical to this aspect of one's wellness is their social health
which will determine how they act and react to others, thus determining what kind of
people they will be drawn to.
Finally, ones physical health does play an important role in their overall wellness. This
aspect, while not necessarily as intrinsically important as the other aspects can play a
determining role in those areas and so is essential to one's complete health. Obviously
this is the most immediately changeable part of one' life and can be altered in many
different ways, none of which are terribly difficult and most of which bring relatively
quick results. All it takes to Improve this area of a person's health is the
determination to do it and a simple plan of how to do so. Included in this plan can be
changes in diet, exercise habits and even sleep habits. 
Together, health in these aspects of one's life can make a drastic difference in that
persons overall outlook and attitude toward life, others and themselves. Therefore it is
important that we each do our best to change those parts of our lives which need it and
to encourage others as they attempt to so the same.
So how should we live our lives if we want to be an all-around healthy person? What are
some choices which we should and should not make if we want to be the best person we
possibly can be? Well, I believe that these questions are probably answered differently
by each person, but that these answers can be discovered in much the same way no matter
who you are. Personally, I can look back and see numerous decisions which I have made in
the past which affected my life in ways I could not at the time imagine. Some of these
effects were beneficial and others were detrimental, but either way they serve a purpose.
I can reflect on these decisions and by determining whether they were good or bad I can
learn from them and know better how to handle future situations in an even more
beneficial way, or at least not make the same mistake twice. So you see it really is true
that every mistake is really just a learning experience, so long as we eventually learn
from these mistakes and stop repeating them over and over again.
I am sure that everyone can do this same exercise and realize times when they have made
such lasting decisions and from the results know how to handle such a situation better
the next time it occurs, for rest assured that it will occur again at some point in their
life.
Here is another question which mankind has been asking since the beginning of time. "What
is the purpose of life?" Hmmm, maybe this wasn't such a good topic to discuss after all,
but hey, what can it hurt to try? As a somewhat religious person I believe that we were
put on this earth to bring some kind of glory or joy to the One who put us here. Whether
this is an all-powerful God, an uninvolved Creator or some sort of 'alien' life form I
will not discuss here. Just suffice it to say that IT is some sort of more powerful being
which probably takes at least some interest in the actions of those IT has created or
placed here on this Earth. It is with this in mind that we should do our best to be our
best, because otherwise this being may become displeased or bored and decide that it is
tired of watching us waste our potential on silly video games or worse yet spend all our
time watching some inanimate box we have dubbed a 'T.V.' 
In order to be my best, I must do my best to be an all around healthy person, which I
described in the first topic of discussion. But in addition to this I must do all that is
within my ability to help others to achieve this healthy life-style. Perhaps it is time I
took more seriously the words of the Dalai Lama when he encouraged us to make compassion,
love and tolerance our greatest priorities. It is only through making these three
characteristics my own that I can truly begin to become the healthy person which I so
desire to be. I must first have compassion on those around me in order to be willing to
aid them in their quest to improve their quality of life. Next I must learn to tolerate
the mistakes that others will make, realizing that I have made mistakes as well and that
a mistake is the best opportunity to learn and grow. Most importantly I must love those
whom I seek to assist, because if I do not love them then I can never hope to be able to
learn from them, which is the only way I can ever become a truly healthy person.
If I can begin to apply each of these principles to my life, only then will I be on my
way to becoming the best person which I can possibly hope to be. Truly health is far more
than just eating right, exercising and practicing good habits. True health applies to
every single aspect of my life: physical, mental, social and spiritual.