Fear alone is not enough.

The other day I met this friend who told me of a guy who had diabetes and heart problems.
"So what did you advise him?" I wanted to know.
"I told him to join me for evening walks."
"That's good. With his heart problem, he certainly cannot take on strenuous activity.
"Yeah but what's the use? The guy says he has sufficient exercise already."
"Well, if he really has enough exercise, that's good enough." I pacified him.
"Well, do you consider strolling to the nearest sundry shop which is a hundred metres away exercise?" he wanted to know.
"Of course not! Any activity can only be considered exercise if the heart gets to beat faster than normal and the lungs are forced to take in greater gasps of air," I explained. "Perhaps you ought to explain that to him," I suggested.
"I did but he was adamant that that was sufficient for him," he ended that with an expression of hopelessness.
"Well, sometimes, there's just nothing much more that you can do. You have done your part. The rest is his choice."

Well, every now and then, we meet individuals like the guy with health problems. They find it difficult to get out of their comfort zone and refuses to put out some effort to overcome their problems. And sometimes it is only when the problem has reached the critical stage that these people would want to act which might be too late.

Well, if things worsen and the guy dies, then all his problems could be over. But, sometimes, life is not that easy. A stroke may put them down and life is limited to a bed and four walls. And if funds are limited, with no help to turn the body, bed sores come to create greater misery. The disgusting smell, the fear of gangrene and losing limbs makes life frightening.

Unfortunately for these people fear alone is insufficient to drive them to move towards recovery at the earlier stage. At the later stage, when movement is too restricted to bring about any change, there is only prayer and hope.

Prayer? Talking of prayer, I remember these words: God helps those who help themselves. Of course, there are miracles but they are only for unbelievable occasions. That's the reason they are termed miracles. And hope is only there as long as there is enough energy and strength to find a means to get out of the situation; otherwise it is hopeless. And there can only be pain and suffering.

Is that what we want? That is a most important thought. And this thought ought to be voiced early, and action taken accordingly.