The Prerequisite of Wealth is Health

By

Fickak Habtes, Dr.PA, MHSA., MPH

Imperatively speaking today’s life expectancy is attributed to the much improved medical care and sound applications of health techniques such as prevention, control and intervention efforts. However, the contributing factors of lack of health outside of visible diseases are more attributed to self inflected diseases due to behavioral problems such as obesity, illegal drugs, smoking and other dangerous life styles.

This introductory article is a prelude to my upcoming health articles. I encourage you to take on the challenge of Mr. Abraha Zerai and contribute articles to the education of our community.

The intention of this article is to promote healthy life style and call to the attention of the readers of the lack of awareness. As we learn and travel in this highway of healthy life styles, I would like to stimulate my readers’ mind at an early stage in the form of a dialogue by simply asking a simple question. What is the best asset you have in life? I am sure this question will generate many different answers. Some answer it in a noble way by saying that his or her best asset in life is family. Others my answer it with extrinsic rewards in mind and say that money or properties are the best asset in life. Some may look at it from academic standpoint and claim that their education is life’s best asset. These answers illustrate that people have different needs, motives, drives and values. Therefore, we have different desires and different opinions in any subject to say the least. So, what is the answer which unites us and brings out our commonality in the question asked above? Well, for you and I and the rest of the world, which unites us and gives us a common value is based on our common need or a shard belief. But, the good thing is that we are not united by our differences; needless to say our commonality is our bond of strong unity. Then, the best asset we have in life is our “HEALTH”. If we don’t have a good health we will never attain to gain the needed wealth. Sometimes, we gain wealth but if we won’t healthy enough we won’t enjoy the things we worked hard for in life. Now, this will bring us and lead us to the debate of the relationship of health and wealth. What is your preference? Would you rather be a rich unhealthy person with ill health or a poor person with limited physiological needs (less or no money) but blessed with a good health? If you choose to have the second option then this question opens the debate to another subject which is the “quality of life”.

In this world, from health care perspective, a good life is measured by one’s healthy living and that translates to quality of life. If quality of life includes wealth that may be the most preferred way of living. It is the most preferred life style to have sufficient wealth to live good life with full health, mainly without pain and suffering. Quality of life is not leaving long years but living years without pain and suffering. Hypothetically speaking, living 100 years with pain and suffering is not living a good life. Living 50 years free of pain, suffering, less emotional and physiological problem is highly considered to be a quality of life even though it seems too short and too early to die. My father died right before he was to turn 1001. In his early years, life was rough and at times was challenging. But, the last three decade of his life were the golden years. He enjoyed life to the maximum quality. My Dad’s quality of life was based on the five hierarchies of needs by Abraham Maslow. I n addition to my father had no ill health. The first four hierarchies of needs according Abraham Maslow were met. And those four are:

1) Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comforts, etc.

4) Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition (Maslow, A. 1954).

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “physical, mental and social well-being, ^{not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, October 1972). Sarcastically speaking the WHO did not include wealth as a part of the definition of health. But the WHO advice’s us to maintain good health, which is an essential factor of living and contributes to an enjoyable life.}

I would like to finish this article sharing story I read about Mr. Rockefeller. As we all know Rockefeller was a rich man. One day a journalist asked him saying “how many millions are enough?” Mr. Rockefeller replied back saying “one more than what you have”. Mathematically speaking one more than what you have is an endless number or infinity, which literary translates into one way or the other to the sinful behavior called “GREED”. After a while Mr. Rockefeller died. A local man wrote a letter to the local news paper wanting to know how many millions did Mr. Rockefeller left behind. The news paper editor replied back saying “he left it all“.

In this article as a prelude to the upcoming health articles (hopefully) I am trying to introduce the concept of how valuable health could be. I am not advocating against accumulating wealth but health should not be forsaken for wealth. What is our priority? The number one asset we have in life is our HEALTH. Therefore, take care of yourself and your loved ones. If you are healthy defiantly goals will be fulfilled and wealth will follow. If you are healthy you will make a difference in the lives of those who need you assistance. Helping one another is a noble call of humanity and spirituality. Stay and be healthy!!!