One thing that comes to mind at this moment is our lifestyle, our way of living a decent, productive life. What's our lifestyle, prior to attempting to get involved in a semi-permanent relationship (marriage) and beyond. That is, contemplating/thinking, planning about what we want after marriage, for example, such as wanting to have a child/ren and how many? In short, I have this question to all of us: Do we maintain a healthy lifestyle, a lifestyle of balance and moderation, in such a way that when we're lucky or fortunate to have a baby, out of (traditional) marriage, that baby would come out healthy with no signs of impending health problems. Of course, we take into consideration our genes, the inherited molecular units, DNA and RNA, we have from our parents that form the bases of our biological traits, physical features, etc.
We know that parenthood is a personal responsibility, first and foremost. It eventually encompasses the whole village. You probably heard about this phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child." (Actually I have the privilege of having a copy of this book and have read it. It's the same title of the book by Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady, US Senator, and currently U.S. Secretary of State. It came out in 1996.) Although it takes a family to raise a child, it makes sense to me that it really takes a village to raise a child. Why? Come to think of it, what's in a village or community but number of families or a group of people sharing family values and traditions, etc. The people in the community have different vocations. There are teachers, school administrators, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, hotel managers, employees, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, politicians, public servants, engineers, police officers, lawyers, scientists, bankers, bank employees, bakers, bus drivers, farmers, housewives, seamstress, carpenters, fishermen, etc. All aspects of careers and professions are in that community or village. And they are all influences to the child/ren. I hope you agree with me when I say that such a person was or is the sum of all the many experiences and encounters s/he has had during the course of his/her life. But, overall, the parents or family plays a major or pivotal role in the life and nurturing of a child. This, I do believe.
Maintaining a decent, ordinary, simple, healthy lifestyle is, to me, everyone's concern in order to have a healthy population. In our society, we have lots of abuses of all sorts. I believe media plays a role in the proliferation of these abusive behaviors and practices as evidenced in movies, TV shows/soap operas. Talking about drugs, alcohol, obsession or overindulgence in keeping our appearances or staying young. On the other hand, we have problems of overweight, obesity, etc. We're extremes, at times, in living our life. What we need to have is practicing balance and moderation. Yes, moderation is the key to a decent, healthy living, I believe. And, balancing one's life. There's a time for everything: a time to play, pray, rest, sleep, eat, exercise, be in the outdoor, travel, study, etc. In short, we should not be too indulgent in or overwhelmed with this or that particular activity that we neglect other aspects of our life---spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, social. Our spiritual (faith) life should (always) be nurtured as well, just as we pay much attention to our physical and mental well-being. Aren't we a people of faith and prayer? That we believe in God, the Creator of the Universe and Life? Let's not forget, too, that we're a social being. That we're part of society and, therefore, we need interaction/intercourse (no pun intended) in order to grow and develop as a civilized society. Same thing when we have a meal. We have to have a balanced diet: carbs and proteins, vegetables and fruits, water and juices, etc. (I'm no authority on anything but I'm just sharing with you my thoughts and ideas, product of my knowledge and observation, simple research, and education.)
Well, this is all for now and until next time around. (The video/documentary film that I was watching/listening was just finished. I pray for those families in the film that they find comfort and love, and support as they continue to deal with their journey on parenthood and healing. And may the souls of our faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.) So, I have to sign off now. Take care and have a wonderful day, everyone! May God bless us all!-chris a. quilpa, 03October2012
P.S.
My intention in writing my blog posts is to share my thoughts to anyone who dares to see my humanity and I have no intention whatsoever in offending others. These are my personal perspectives and if they're insightful (to whoever reads it), I'm grateful. Thank you.
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