Here's to living a healthy life!

Yesterday World Health Day was celebrated.  It made me think about the many commemorative days/weeks or months on our calendar and I was wondering about the purpose of these days.

Is it an ideal opportunity to raise awareness for a specific cause, celebrate past successes or learn from mistakes and failures that should be avoided in future if at all possible? Many people would say that it's a waste of time and money and activists' way to put the rest of us on a guilt trip.  We all have the right and ability to derive meaning and purpose from commemorative days and events according to our own set of constructs.  But we need to be reminded about pressing issues that is not necessarily part of our own reality but that of our neighbour, colleague or fellow South African.  And we should also keep in mind that we're part of a much bigger society than the one that we're living and working in - we are world citizens, global community members.  Our thoughts and actions have an impact on those around us, not only on those in our inner circle but also on those that we don't know or will most probably never met. 

We should therefore be accountable and responsible human beings.  With that in mind I think that it's important for one to take note of (at least, if not taking part in) the values, global concerns and events that are commemorated.

Let's remind ourselves that we can create and celebrate our own World Health Day - pondering about how what we eat (or don't eat), what we do (or don't do) and what we think (or don't think) set the standard for the rest of our life! Here's to living a meaningful, purposeful life - being accountable for my actions, doing more than what is expected of me and respecting others!  Now that sounds like a healthy deal!

Take note of other commemorative events celebrated in April.