“Those people who continue to binge on chili cheese fries and then cry because people think they look disgusting need a slap in the face, not a shoulder to cry on,” writes John Heiger in a recent blog.
Wow. This seems pretty harsh. And while I agree that everyone knows Burger King is really the Champion of Fats, Oils and Grease, and that KFC never was healthy, a degree of compassion is necessary.
Yes, obesity often stems from laziness and carelessness, a flagrant disrespect of one’s health. But in addition to this, a host of complicated psychological and emotional factors play in--embarrassment, loneliness, helplessness, uncertainty, fear of getting made fun of at the gym or salad bar.
Just because obese people struggle to change a lifetime of bad habits, does not mean that healthy folks should deny them a helping hand. The philosophy, “I’m healthy and you aren’t, so I’m just going to sit here and laugh at you,” is just plain cruel.
Shouldn’t we, as healthy individuals, spread our stories of inspiration, success and hard work? Shouldn’t we use the fact that we exercise and eat well to help --instead of hurt--others? On a larger scale, shouldn’t the government, as a protector of its people, urge them to follow a healthy lifestyle? Sometimes a little extra encouragement goes a long, long way for those struggling to make the switch from Whoppers to Subways.
We can’t just ignore the fact that 400,000 people died of unhealthy diets and lack of exercise in 2000. Obesity is preventable and curable. We’d be irresponsible to rest--satisfied with our own health--while others are dying.
From a purely practical perspective, sooner or later, the government will have to pay for obesity treatment. The longer it waits, the more the obesity problem will escalate. Better to address this issue now, before it spirals out of control.
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