Look on the bright side
27/08/19 05:23
I read a couple of articles on the BBC website this morning that got a tune from Monty Python caught in my head:
“Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
“And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life”
The first article was a report on a study that analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Veteran’s Health Study. Data on levels of optimism as well as overall health were analyzed along with information about how much participants smoked and drank alcohol. The study revealed that optimistic people have an 11 - 15% longer lifespan. Those with a positive outlook were significantly more likely to love to 85 than the least optimistic group.
A positive attitude makes a measurable difference in the length of one’s life.
Always look on the bright side of life.
The second article contained a short video clip of an interview with Nobel economist Sir Angus Deaton who reports that while most of the world’s population can look forward to living longer, white people in the United States without a college degree are living shorter lives. Life expectancy in the United States has gone down for three years in a row, which is unprecedented. We used to accept that advances in modern medicine and the treatment of diseases meant that people would live longer lives. Around the globe this is mostly true. Societies are aging and it is the result of better health and longer lives. We were especially aware of that fact during our recent trip to Japan, where there are a lot of older people who are active and engaged in the workforce. In the BBC article, Sir Deaton says that the decrease in life expectancy is directly related to an epidemic of drug abuse and alcoholism. He calls these “deaths of despair” and says that they are driven by inequality. The US financial system has definite winners. For people who don’t have a college degree in the US, wages have been falling for half a century.
While the richest members of our communities are seeing huge gains in wealth, working class people have been enduring lower and lower incomes. The result is that families and communities are destroyed by the lack of resources.
To the problems of addiction, which are very real, I see, from my life and work, an epidemic of suicide. People are dying as the result of choices they have made when they feel that they have no choices left. They feel that causing their own death is the only way out of the pain they are experiencing. I must be clear that we really don’t know the mindset of a person who dies by suicide. That evidence is lost at the moment of their death. There are studies of those who have attempted suicide but not died. There are also psychological autopsies and other inquiries into the state of mind of those who die by suicide, but definite knowledge of what those who die by suicide are thinking does not exist. It is also important to note that suicide affects all economic classes. However, one factor in suicide is a sudden change in economic condition such as a bankruptcy, loss of job, or other event.
One of the reasons why life expectancy in the US is going down while this is not the case in other countries around the world is the continuing dismantling of the safety net for those who have need. As the GDP of the US continues to rise, almost all of that growth has gone to a relatively small number of persons. At the same time, the ability of poor people to access health care is declining. Sir Deaton is leading a study in Great Britain to assess the effects of increasing opioid and alcohol addiction in Britain. He suspects that the results being observed in the US will be affecting Britain soon with changes in the British economy.
The interview with Sir Deaton was, frankly, a bit depressing. We live in a country where the gap between the rich and the poor is rapidly expanding. It is clearly visible in our community and in communities throughout our country. At the same time as the number of people who are homeless in our community is increasing the number of high end homes is increasing. Minimum wage won’t cover the cost of rent and groceries in our city, while builders of custom homes are experiencing a boom in sales.
The Monty Python song has a catchy little tune that is whistled. The whistling occurs in the song with each chorus as a response to the line, “Always look on the bright side of life.” Towards the end of the song come these words:
“I mean, what have you got to lose
You know, you come from nothing, you're going back to nothing
What have you lost? Nothing!”
I had to look up the lyrics once I got the tune in my head this morning. It is a song that really sticks with you. It reminded me of a line from the animated film, Prince of Egypt: “When all you’ve got is nothing, there’s a lot to go around!”
Of course addressing economic injustice takes more than just a simple song. It takes hard work, visionary leadership and courage - three things that seem to be severely lacking in the halls of US government these days. Perhaps studies like those by Sir Deaton will help to bring awareness to political leaders and decision makers, though I have my doubts simply because those leaders all are firmly entrenched in the elite class in our country. They often deny their wealth and the existence of classes in American society.
“Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
“And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life”
“Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
“And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life”
The first article was a report on a study that analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Veteran’s Health Study. Data on levels of optimism as well as overall health were analyzed along with information about how much participants smoked and drank alcohol. The study revealed that optimistic people have an 11 - 15% longer lifespan. Those with a positive outlook were significantly more likely to love to 85 than the least optimistic group.
A positive attitude makes a measurable difference in the length of one’s life.
Always look on the bright side of life.
The second article contained a short video clip of an interview with Nobel economist Sir Angus Deaton who reports that while most of the world’s population can look forward to living longer, white people in the United States without a college degree are living shorter lives. Life expectancy in the United States has gone down for three years in a row, which is unprecedented. We used to accept that advances in modern medicine and the treatment of diseases meant that people would live longer lives. Around the globe this is mostly true. Societies are aging and it is the result of better health and longer lives. We were especially aware of that fact during our recent trip to Japan, where there are a lot of older people who are active and engaged in the workforce. In the BBC article, Sir Deaton says that the decrease in life expectancy is directly related to an epidemic of drug abuse and alcoholism. He calls these “deaths of despair” and says that they are driven by inequality. The US financial system has definite winners. For people who don’t have a college degree in the US, wages have been falling for half a century.
While the richest members of our communities are seeing huge gains in wealth, working class people have been enduring lower and lower incomes. The result is that families and communities are destroyed by the lack of resources.
To the problems of addiction, which are very real, I see, from my life and work, an epidemic of suicide. People are dying as the result of choices they have made when they feel that they have no choices left. They feel that causing their own death is the only way out of the pain they are experiencing. I must be clear that we really don’t know the mindset of a person who dies by suicide. That evidence is lost at the moment of their death. There are studies of those who have attempted suicide but not died. There are also psychological autopsies and other inquiries into the state of mind of those who die by suicide, but definite knowledge of what those who die by suicide are thinking does not exist. It is also important to note that suicide affects all economic classes. However, one factor in suicide is a sudden change in economic condition such as a bankruptcy, loss of job, or other event.
One of the reasons why life expectancy in the US is going down while this is not the case in other countries around the world is the continuing dismantling of the safety net for those who have need. As the GDP of the US continues to rise, almost all of that growth has gone to a relatively small number of persons. At the same time, the ability of poor people to access health care is declining. Sir Deaton is leading a study in Great Britain to assess the effects of increasing opioid and alcohol addiction in Britain. He suspects that the results being observed in the US will be affecting Britain soon with changes in the British economy.
The interview with Sir Deaton was, frankly, a bit depressing. We live in a country where the gap between the rich and the poor is rapidly expanding. It is clearly visible in our community and in communities throughout our country. At the same time as the number of people who are homeless in our community is increasing the number of high end homes is increasing. Minimum wage won’t cover the cost of rent and groceries in our city, while builders of custom homes are experiencing a boom in sales.
The Monty Python song has a catchy little tune that is whistled. The whistling occurs in the song with each chorus as a response to the line, “Always look on the bright side of life.” Towards the end of the song come these words:
“I mean, what have you got to lose
You know, you come from nothing, you're going back to nothing
What have you lost? Nothing!”
I had to look up the lyrics once I got the tune in my head this morning. It is a song that really sticks with you. It reminded me of a line from the animated film, Prince of Egypt: “When all you’ve got is nothing, there’s a lot to go around!”
Of course addressing economic injustice takes more than just a simple song. It takes hard work, visionary leadership and courage - three things that seem to be severely lacking in the halls of US government these days. Perhaps studies like those by Sir Deaton will help to bring awareness to political leaders and decision makers, though I have my doubts simply because those leaders all are firmly entrenched in the elite class in our country. They often deny their wealth and the existence of classes in American society.
“Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
“And always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life”