Health101.org

presents

Better to be Safe than Sorry
By Don Bennett, DAS

'Tis Better To Be Safe Than Sorry. What ever happened to that old adage? It's a sensible notion, and would seem to offer a certain measure of protection when applied to things that could affect your health. But its practice doesn't seem to be in widespread use today. Why is this?

One reason that comes to mind is that it requires conscious, independent thought. We, as a society, have been lulled into what some might call a false sense of security. We assume many things to be safe, when in truth, they are not.

(Before I continue, I need to define that word, "truth". To me, truth is synonymous with "reality". There isn't, "his truth, her truth, your truth"; these are merely people's perceptions of the truth. Now, the truth may be difficult to find... but it exists nevertheless. And this is the truth of which I speak, and have sought for the last 30 years.)

If you do have a false sense of security, it may be due to deceptive practices. Here's an example of a deceptive practice that is 100% legal. Have you seen the T V ads for weight-loss programs? The unretouched BEFORE and AFTER photos are indeed compelling, and would lead one to believe that the program/diet/supplement is worth a try. But on the bottom of the screen, in teeny, weeny print, it states, RESULTS NOT TYPICAL. It's there for all to see, yet very few people see it. Now I ask you, what kind of results are you likely to get? Right! Typical results. But I guess if photos of typical results were shown, sales wouldn't be as brisk.

Here's another way people are conditioned to believe that which may not be true. And it's a bit more insidious. "The government's strategy for persuading Americans that our food supply is safe from pesticides is simple: Say it over and over for a number of years." (Cooper Evans, special agricultural assistant to President Bush, as told to a New York Times reporter). If you tell a falsehood, and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. Humans are, by nature, very programmable. We need to be taught because we have very little instinct. But we are capable of reason, and that's what Better To Be Safe Than Sorry relies upon.

So wouldn't that line of thought apply to, for example, eating organically grown food verses food containing pesticides? Naturally it would. Yet I still find people who rationalize eating pesticide laden food. They dismiss out-of-hand the dangers associated with pesticide ingestion. When the meaning of "sorry" can include cancer and other degenerative diseases, undue suffering, horrible quality-of-life, and premature death, it's a wonder how one can have an indifferent attitude to an issue such as this. True, it may require a new learning curve, and you may have to dig deep for the necessary resolve, but aren't you worth it?

I'm sure you don't have a lab in your basement to test, for yourself, whether something is safe or unsafe. Nor do you always have the time to do the research necessary to unearth the truth. So if you care about your health, Better To Be Safe Than Sorry may be a philosophy that can help improve the quality, and quantity, of your life.

Back to list of articles