TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: PROVIDED BY ENGLISH POETRY
Wordsworth, considered to be a defining member of the English Romantic movement, displayed love for simplicity. We should aim to use the word ‘simplicity’ as the guide word for chalking out a lifestyle pattern for ourselves.
Lifestyle is not a narrow concept. Its scope is as wide as life itself. The term ‘lifestyle’ depicts one’s attitude towards life, the way we lead our life and the values that we not only believe in, but also practice. Being healthy does not mean having only a healthy body. It also entails possessing a healthy mind and a healthy heart too.
In the modern mechanical lifestyle, the biggest challenge for a human being is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our life is full of ups and downs but the health line should go up, up and up. We read many books on health and nutritious food. But merely possessing the knowledge does not make us healthy unless we practically follow it. We have a saying, “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may diet.”
Have you ever wondered, even English poetry can give us a few tips on healthy lifestyle – our outlook on life, how important the material goods are for us, how often we give ourselves a break from the back, neck or I don’t know what breaking business.
Literature reflects life, so in a way it should also provide guidelines for a healthy lifestyle and indeed it does. The need is to look for it between the lines. The call of the Romantics of being close to Nature implies that we should live in close harmony with Nature. This can safely be taken to mean that we follow the guidelines Nature provides us for a healthy life. It includes going to bed early and waking up on time, the ‘early to bed early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ principle. Remember in ‘Lines Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ Wordsworth found the city of London very beautiful in the morning light:
Never did the sun more beautifully steepIn his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Being too engrossed with the materialistic world is not a very good sign of a healthy lifestyle. A few years back I read in a magazine that no man ever lamented on his death bed he could have spent more time in his office. A very important indicator of a healthy lifestyle is the time one spends in family. Money is the be all and end all of everything. It should be treated only as a means and not an end in itself. Wordsworth in his famous sonnet ‘The World is too much with us’ writes:
The world is too much with us; late and soon
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
Nature is the greatest stress buster. Just enjoy a morning walk and lend your ears to the silence around you and what you will have a concert. The humming birds, the twitter of sparrows, the rustling of leaves and many other sounds can only be enjoyed by a discerning ear. This really affects our nerves and at the same time, morning walk is a good physical exercise; so it helps us in maintaining both – a healthy body and a healthy mind.
What is most important is that we become good human beings. This will reflect the quality of our lifestyle. After all we become what we try to be at heart.
Living is not just inhaling and exhaling of breath but the meaningful life that we lead. Not all of us understand the depth of life until it is too late. Then we can echo Hamlet’s words:
Had I but time (as this fell Sergeant deathIs strick'd in his Arrest) oh I could tell you.But let it be…
Or like King Lear’s words “a dog is obeyed in office”, lament over the failure to achieve what we deserved:
Remember, time is a cruel teacher but at the same time experience is the best instructor.
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Lifestyle is not a narrow concept. Its scope is as wide as life itself. The term ‘lifestyle’ depicts one’s attitude towards life, the way we lead our life and the values that we not only believe in, but also practice. Being healthy does not mean having only a healthy body. It also entails possessing a healthy mind and a healthy heart too.
In the modern mechanical lifestyle, the biggest challenge for a human being is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our life is full of ups and downs but the health line should go up, up and up. We read many books on health and nutritious food. But merely possessing the knowledge does not make us healthy unless we practically follow it. We have a saying, “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may diet.”
Have you ever wondered, even English poetry can give us a few tips on healthy lifestyle – our outlook on life, how important the material goods are for us, how often we give ourselves a break from the back, neck or I don’t know what breaking business.
Literature reflects life, so in a way it should also provide guidelines for a healthy lifestyle and indeed it does. The need is to look for it between the lines. The call of the Romantics of being close to Nature implies that we should live in close harmony with Nature. This can safely be taken to mean that we follow the guidelines Nature provides us for a healthy life. It includes going to bed early and waking up on time, the ‘early to bed early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ principle. Remember in ‘Lines Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ Wordsworth found the city of London very beautiful in the morning light:
Never did the sun more beautifully steepIn his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Being too engrossed with the materialistic world is not a very good sign of a healthy lifestyle. A few years back I read in a magazine that no man ever lamented on his death bed he could have spent more time in his office. A very important indicator of a healthy lifestyle is the time one spends in family. Money is the be all and end all of everything. It should be treated only as a means and not an end in itself. Wordsworth in his famous sonnet ‘The World is too much with us’ writes:
The world is too much with us; late and soon
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
Nature is the greatest stress buster. Just enjoy a morning walk and lend your ears to the silence around you and what you will have a concert. The humming birds, the twitter of sparrows, the rustling of leaves and many other sounds can only be enjoyed by a discerning ear. This really affects our nerves and at the same time, morning walk is a good physical exercise; so it helps us in maintaining both – a healthy body and a healthy mind.
What is most important is that we become good human beings. This will reflect the quality of our lifestyle. After all we become what we try to be at heart.
Living is not just inhaling and exhaling of breath but the meaningful life that we lead. Not all of us understand the depth of life until it is too late. Then we can echo Hamlet’s words:
Had I but time (as this fell Sergeant deathIs strick'd in his Arrest) oh I could tell you.But let it be…
Or like King Lear’s words “a dog is obeyed in office”, lament over the failure to achieve what we deserved:
Remember, time is a cruel teacher but at the same time experience is the best instructor.
Also visit: Healthy Lifestyle SEO Contest
5 comments:
good topic!
//In the modern mechanical lifestyle, the biggest challenge for a human being is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.// especially in the context of consumerism.
simplicity doesn't rime well with our object-oriented lifestyles
//no man ever lamented on his death bed he could have spent more time in his office.// most people never understand that today--as if they could afford it anyway.
what's an office anyway? A trap!
//The humming birds, the twitter of sparrows, the rustling of leaves and many other sounds can only be enjoyed by a discerning ear.//
where to buy a discerning ear?
//Remember, time is a cruel teacher but at the same time experience is the best instructor.//
...together with poetry?
Interesting thoughts.
Unfortunately, our popular culture doesn't really support a healthy lifestyle...video games, TV, computers, none are conducive to good health. Yet, those are some of the most popular (and most explored) leisure activities.
Come to think of it, neither is reading and writing, at least in the physical sense. But mind over matter is what matters.
Mystic Wanderer
AmritBir Ji,
Sat Sri Akal,
A wonderful post.You have touched a very vital aspect of life.I like your truthful words:
...'Living is not just inhale and exhale breath but the meaningful life that we lead. Not all of us understand the depth of life until it is too late...'
Thanks for the reminder.
God bless.
I am Japanese. I started to write something in English recently. Reading something good is useful for health as you wrote, and writing is helpful for thinking healthy,I think.
Reading something good is helpful for our health as you wrote, and writing something is hopeful to being healthy I think.
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