We need to set a healthy example for generations to come

In order to lead a healthy life, there are two things we need to follow - consume a healthy diet and to have a healthy surrounding.

Back in the days, our parents and grandparents were eating healthy nutritious food while still enjoying life. They were active, hardworking and maintained good stamina. I remember my father, who at the age of 82 used to carry heavy items with both hands to the third floor of our house in Mumbai. He would not suffer any strain or fatigue, and would continue to do so on a daily basis. However, today, the younger generation does not have a ‘will’ to even walk up the stairs — they need escalators for everything! Urbanisation and modern technology has made people lazy, and the notion of hard work is lost.

Clean and healthy surroundings contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Air and water pollution as well as dirty surroundings make people unhealthy. In a developing country like India - spitting, urinating and defecating in public is a common scene. However, India is making all efforts to contain this and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Clean India’ campaign is a proof of that. Constructing thousands of toilets for a clean country is indeed a very good and encouraging move but the success of the program lies in the hands of the people.

The world is turning into a concrete jungle. To accommodate more people, tall buildings are mushrooming in every city. Ponds, tanks, canals and lakes are filled with mud. Buildings are constructed on that, and resulting in zero reserve ground water, insufficient oxygen circulation and an increase in temperature. With that in mind, cutting down trees and destroying forest assets should be avoided.

Money is imperative for living life, but not at the cost of our health. We are at the saturation point of an unhealthy environment. It is time to understand the dangerous impact of consuming junk food, continuously sitting behind our computers, being lazy and inactive. We should change our lifestyle for a long healthy life, not only for ourselves, but to set an example for generations to come.

— The reader is an Indian office manager based in Abu Dhabi