Mythical Monsters and Beasts
If someone asked you to conjure up an image of a mythical beast or monster, what picture would form in your mind?
Something akin to that human-eating bone-crunching St George’s dragon maybe or perhaps the legendary Loch Ness monster with its docile smiley face and undulating humps as he/she glides across the loch?
When we decided to write about mythical monsters, I initially went for the bone cruncher but following the fall-out of the General Election when a minority of anarchists decided to vent their lawless behaviour on a country that was simultaneously celebrating the very thing that allows our citizens freedom of speech, VE Day; I had a change of heart.
Either Put Up or Shut Up
How many people took part in the anti-austerity protests following the General Election? There were thousands overall, but I wonder just how many of them actually voted? Given one of those arrested was a 16 year old, I have a suspicion a large number of them were there just to create havoc and chaos.
Looking at it another way and based on statistics; only 66.10% of the voting population turned out on polling day this year. So allowing for that percentage, it seems likely a large chunk of people who were protesting quite frankly had no right to object to anything.
The voter turnout in 1950 was 83.9% and it has declined eversince.
If you didn’t make a choice, then don’t blame those who did.
The mythical beast is the voter whose cause was championed by the few who gave up their own liberty over 100 years ago so everyone was given the opportunity to have their say.
The monster is the person who blames everyone else for their own shortcomings.
Lazy and Obese
The UK has seen a three-fold increase in the number of obese people over the last 25 years and with government statistics showing 61.9% of adults and 28% of children (aged 2-15) as being obese, this is the majority of the country’s population.
With obesity comes the increase risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancers, snoring and infertility.
There are countless plans and programmes available to help people overcome this condition and Jamie Oliver has recently launched his Food Revolution Day that takes place today, 15 May.
http://www.foodrevolutionday.com/#6eevtWw1BSzGQrds.97
He is hoping to encourage more early education in food preparation, in the hope he may persuade people to have healthier diets.
But it’s not just about eating too much; we lead a far more sedentary life with very little exercise outside of the home and even less activity inside due to an increase in time saving devices.
The cost of our obesity to the NHS alone is over £5billion/year.
It is a simple equation: eat too much + being lazy = you will get fat
The mythical beast is the person who cared about their health, took pride in creating nutritious non-processed food and understood the benefits of an active lifestyle.
The monster is the person who sees nothing wrong in overeating, consuming junk food and doing very little physical exercise, then expecting someone else to take care of them.
Accidents & Emergencies Only
During 2014 the NHS struggled to reach the 95% target for patients waiting no longer than one hour in A&E.
Up to 2003 the number of people attending A&E remained level at 14million/year.
By 2013/14 this had increased by more than 30% to 21.7million with more hospital admissions.
Nearly 40% of patients attending A&E were discharged without needing any treatment with the majority of people arriving during the working day, so there wasn’t even the excuse that it was outside of GP hours.
The mythical beast is the person who went to their own medicine cupboard or the local chemist to deal with a minor injury, or the person who accepted the consequences of over-indulging.
The monster is the person who no longer takes any personal responsibility and does not use common sense when it comes to a non-serious ailment.
Mythical Beasts or Monsters
If we want to realise the myth and dispel the monsters, we all need to take personal responsibility for our own health and well-being, then extend that to our families and out into the community.
To stop blaming others for our short-falls and lack of action and be more pro-active in finding a way to improve society for all, not just ourselves.
Do you have a beast or monster you want to drive out?
About Sophia Moseley
The Lady Shed 
You and I don’t see eye to eye on this Sophia!
There were peaceful demonstrations in Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, yet the main image of the protest is the graffiti in London, nothing on the others. 16 and 17 year olds whose future is framed by government’s decisions should be encouraged to speak up, not be kettled and threatened. They cannot vote. When and how can they be heard not only by government but also by the public at large if not in a demonstration?
Overeating is an addiction, like smoking, sport, computer games. The strong minded good guys who take responsibility clearly do not understand addicts but they’re sure vocal about the financial consequences of addicts’ habits because it will infringe on their own ability to use the health service. The blame game of the responsible has consequences not only on addicts, but on everybody.
As a smoker I have become a pariah of society, responsible people want to take away my right to health care. As somebody who has tried to give up many times with the countless programmes governments provide, and failed, I already feel like a total failure, guilty, stupid and a very bad example to my children, as were my parents to me. When I don’t smoke, I eat too much. Either way, I will be a strain on the NHS at some point, so I feel guilty, it stresses me out. My stress has consequences on my family. I do pay into the system that is here to look after all of us when we get sick, in body or in mind.
Giving me a kick up my back side or calling me a monster does not help me take responsibility, it makes me angry and it stresses me further. I have mental blocks that prevent me from doing what I know I should. Others succeed, I have not. If people were educated to become less judgmental of people with mental health issues, realised the numbers are growing, understood why we have so many addicts and stressed people, we’d save the NHS millions. And have a far happier nation.
What are the incentives in prevention when ministers from all parties work hand in hand with private health care providers, including ministers becoming directly paid by these companies? Governments vote against food labelling, keep allowing international companies to put too much sugar, fat or chemicals into our whole food system when they have known the long term consequences for humans, bees or the planet for years. Demonstrations are the only way to make more people aware of all of this. So long as they can remain peaceful and are not taken over by a handful of people who want to give the impression that the protesters are anarchists, for whatever reason.
The people and companies that feed addicts and fuel anxiety in stressed out people every day, that continue to put money before the planet’s future are the monsters that need to be driven out. That’s what these demonstrations are all about.
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I’m all for peaceful demonstrations and the media naturally focus on the violent ones, but my point is there are acceptable and unacceptable ways of making your voice heard and damaging property, especially a war memorial, is not acceptable. But I would like to know just how many of those demonstrators, peaceful or not, did actually vote and how many of them take an active part in improving their environment or merely complain loudly when it doesn’t suit them.
Overeating? We shall have to agree to differ on this one. If people used their common sense, moved away from processed fatty food, took more exercise and generally improved their lifestyle, we should not have such a large obesity problem. There are some who do have a biological problem and they are given drugs to control the overactive glands. Obesity is a modern day issue brought about by people taking the easy option. Yes the manufacturers will always make the most of a weakness and look for ways to profit from the shortcomings of the consumer, but the consumer has a choice. No one holds a gun to their head and tells them they have to eat junk food and never go for a brisk walk. Food has become a quick and easy fix until we stop buying ready made meals, it will continue.
Mental health is a completely different issue and I agree and support any system that helps people deal with their anxieties; stress is a killer and as our society has changed, so the causes of stress have altered, but sadly this is not something that is being detected often before it is too late.
In conclusion, we all have our challenges and stressful situations to face and most of us have at least one horror story to tell about what has happened during our life, but that’s just it – ‘life’ and for the majority it has never been easy, but with better parenting, improved education & lifestyle and a social conscience it has to improve…doesn’t it?
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