Choosing Wellness or Misery
One of my coworkers was absent again this morning due to illness. This particular person is considerably overweight and doesn’t appear to be doing anything to change their state. By his own roommate’s account, he leads a completely sedentary lifestyle and eats nothing but greasy and sugary foods.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not the picture of good health either. I eat junk and don’t go to the gym enough. However, I have made efforts to contribute to my personal wellness, and plan to continue doing so. I don’t have a personal bias against obesity, but I also don’t accept the health problems and inevitable early death that are associated with it.
My point, I suppose, is that people choose their own misery. If you’re unhappy or unhealthy (or both), you can almost always do something to change your state, even if only to change your attitude. Those who remain unwell do so because they have decided that being miserable is easier than changing.
I, for one, don’t think people like this deserve a great deal of pity just because they’ve chosen the easy-out. Life can beat you down mercilessly, but you’re the one who decides when to give up. You either work to make things better or you accept your lot in life. It’s really that simple, and anyone who doesn’t think so falls into the latter category.