Why are health-related issues kicked to the curb?

Helen Lee Schifter has been a passionate and outspoken voice over the last few years about the need for there to be a renewed appreciation and understanding of health and wellness. The health pandemic of the Coronavirus has touched people in so many different ways; and has certainly sparked a much needed conversation about how much we are all prioritizing or instead neglecting our own physical health and the associated importance of it .

Those experts and activists like Helen Lee Schifter have been adamant about the need for this conversation to take place not only among ordinary citizens in society; but also on capitol hill, and in the capitol of all the states in the union, so that there is a united front with an understanding of what is on the line and what is at stake. Until there’s a comprehensive understanding of the stakes that we’re facing, there will continue to be a rather tone deaf response on the part of policymakers, elected officials – and of course, the public at large.

So what is at stake? Well, in the saturated news-cycle we find ourselves in, with the exception of coverage of the Coronavirus health pandemic (which of course is inarguably justified), there is a lack of care and attention paid to issues that aren’t controversial, feeding the polarizing narrative that we are all well aware of. Politics of the day always seem to be front page news; and of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s the nature of how the news industry operates. Ultimately, they are driven by ratings and intensity of readership (and interest).

But let’s also comprehend what seems to be something we can all agree upon even during these challenging times. People’s lives and the health associated with them, needs to be taken seriously. There’s no substitute for one’s health; and as we all know, no amount of money can possibly buy good health. So let’s have a philosophical conversation about this; because it’s important that it be made known; and that it be taken as seriously as humanly possible.

People’s health – whether physical, mental or emotional, matter greatly. We cannot afford to lose precious time as we continue persisting along the path of finding ways to have conversations about issues that need to be appreciated. There needs to be a movement of education about these issues, at long last.