The Reality of Mentality

During an outstation exhibition recently, there were people selling some stuff which was supposed to boost your antibody. Since I had been feeling like s*** lately, I decided to buy a bottle.

Later in the day, the ‘boss’ of the group came over, pretending he just wanted to ‘lepak’ with me. In the beginning he asked about my work, so I explained a little bit about what I do. Then he started his spiel, citing stories of people at death’s door who had been cured by the miracle product and trying to tempt me into joining his business. He also proudly stated that he had had no sleep for 48 hours. Hrmm… I think it would have been rude to tell him that he wasn’t looking too great at the time.

I've been taking the product for a few days now, and I do think they're pretty good. What scares me is the way people selling these ‘miracle cures’ would often think that the products make them invincible. Fine, we all lose sleep every now and then, and it would be very helpful if we are less affected by the deficiency. But I would rather not make it a habit of it! We should still make an effort to get good nutrition, enough sleep and exercise. It's just common sense, isn't it?

The other thing that gets to me is the focus on beating the effects of pollution on our health. It's a selling point. The world is polluted so we have to buy this and eat that just to enjoy basic good health. Did anyone actually think of what we can do to AVOID polluting our environment?

The truth is, too many Malaysians are sacrificing their good health in the name of convenience. And worse, declining to do something good just because of 'malu' for behaving out of norm. The solid waste management hierarchy is to REDUCE waste generation first, REUSE what we can and then only should be RECYCLE what can no longer be reused.

Is it so hard to walk instead of drive to the nearby bank or nasi lemak stall? Can we politely decline that disposable plastic spoon and use a reusable metal one instead? Can we bring our own container to tapau food instead of packing it in styrofoam or plastic bags? You DO know that plastics can leach chemicals into our food, right? Especially when soft plastic meets hot soups. We might be ingesting more than we actually meant to...

Many people think, it's easier to do first and deal with the consequences later. But there comes a time when we can't afford to do that anymore. We can't always reverse the adverse effects brought by chemical pollution in our bodies. Check out "Our Stolen Future" and read all about why some men behave like women and how some 'females' turn out to be males and many other scary stories, including how it affects the size of you know what in Florida alligators... (hey, don't condemn me, we're talking scientific facts here).

We do know that have to live more sustainably from NOW, before it's too late. What can we do to build a better future? What are you willing to change? Think about it...