If people learned to disassociate their fears from the words used to describe unfortunate events, then a lot of people would live happier, healthier lives because;
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality”. ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
Unnecessary suffering. That’s the real problem people face on a daily basis. Too many people let their imagination create anxiety. They allow words to have more control over their thoughts than is needed.
Some of those words are pandemic, cancer, death, murder, Suicide, mental illness, drug addict, financial disaster, racism. The thing to remember is that they are only words. If you don’t know the context behind the words, that’s all they ever will be. Words.
Let’s put some of those words into context.
Pandemic: the current virus sweeping the globe is dangerous, however, if you consciously social distance at all times, wash your hands, avoid touching your mouth or nose when you’re out shopping or on any other trip. Wear a mask when it’s not possible to ensure social distancing. You will be safe.
Cancer: It’s another word that creates fear and panic. However, over the years, doctors and scientists are getting to grips with this disease, and the survival rate is on an ever upward spiral. If somebody is unfortunate enough to pick up this disease, their fate is in the hands of their doctor and their fate. Worrying about it is not going to help. And yes, I know it’s easier said than done, but that’s where people need to have faith in their fate.
Death: a fate that’s waiting for everybody. If the natural order prevails where the person is born, lives a long and happy life, then departs. It’s relatively acceptable. However, when the natural order is not followed, it causes anxiety. The only thing I can say in this situation is that it can’t be undone.
Murder: it happens. However, the percentage of people who die on the grand scale is very low. I don’t believe anybody should commit suicide. However, when you hear of a murder/suicide, I always wonder why they couldn’t be brave enough to depart on their own.
Suicide: I believe it’s the side effect of the next topic.
Mental illness: I personally believe there should be more psychiatrists than any other practitioner in the medical system. Mental illness should be discussed as easily as the common cold. People should be saying, “I felt a little mental last week.” And the person they’re speaking with will reply, “that’s a coincidence, I had the same thing the week before.” The old saying, “when you shine a light on a shadow, the shadow disappears,” is very apt, nobody should be allowed to suffer in the darkness.
Drug addict: These people want to escape from reality. Their reasons are more than likely the ones they brought with them from their childhood. Didn’t deal with it then, and I’m not going to deal with it now. If you’re lucky, you had a good childhood and good parents who taught you how to deal with the problems you’ll face during your lifetime. These people didn’t have one or both of them.
Financial disaster: There are many different levels of being poor, I have absolutely no pity for somebody who has to sell their 10-bedroom mansion to live in a bungalow. All I say is, welcome to the real world. When I hear of people who don’t have enough to eat, I wish the governments of the world would find a peaceful solution to their conflicts and spend the money they save, feeding the world’s poorest.
Racism: it seems to be the reason behind everything these days. If you don’t agree with somebody from a different culture, you’re racist. I believe that any headline that has a colour to differentiate between people is creating a division in our society. There should never be a story where it says, “Black man shot by police or white man shot by police. It should read.” “Man Shot by Police.” And then let the people who’re interested in those stories read them.
As I mentioned in the title, words without context are meaningless, I’ve given you a small taste of the meanings I associate with those words, however, everybody else will have their own perceptions of them. The one thing I will add is.
I don’t spend my time unnecessarily worrying about any of them. (Thinking and worrying are not the same thing.) I’ll leave you with one final thought.
What do I really know? I know very little, and even that’s drifting away as time goes by.
