Wonder of Nature
Isn’t it a true wonder of nature? You know what I mean, right? I’m talking about the human body. It’s almost incomprehensible how, if we take decent care of it, our body keeps us going. When you take a moment to consider how many processes are constantly happening inside us, it might make your head spin. Let’s start with the heart. This fist-sized muscle tirelessly contracts to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all our cells while removing carbon dioxide and waste products.
Metabolism
Or what about the lungs? The diaphragm muscles expand and contract the chest cavity. When the cavity expands, outside air is drawn deep into the lungs, where oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream. When the cavity contracts, air is “pushed out,” allowing excess CO₂ to escape. Our breathing also plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s pH. Human cells thrive only within a certain pH range. For example, if a lung disease prevents us from removing enough CO₂, acidity increases. This can lead to various unwanted effects, from headaches and difficulty concentrating to dizziness and confusion.
To maintain the optimal pumping function of the heart and healthy circulation, we must avoid damaging our heart and blood vessels. Prolonged stress, smoking, alcohol, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet all significantly contribute to the decline in cardiovascular health. The same applies to our lungs. Since the lungs are in direct contact with the outside world, the quality of the air we breathe is also a crucial factor.
Digestion
Another wonder of nature is what medicine refers to as the tractus digestivus—our digestive system. For most people, eating and drinking is a highly enjoyable activity. And that’s a good thing because we wouldn’t last long without food and drink. The primary purpose of eating and drinking is to constantly replenish water and nutrients that our cells need to function and reproduce, and to eliminate excess water and waste. When you look at nature, most animal species seem to spend their entire day gathering food. From a human perspective, it appears that food is the central theme of all life on Earth. But does that still apply to us?
From Grocer to Supermarket
How much attention do people today still pay to their food? What role does food play in our lives compared to fifty years ago? What do we consider important when it comes to food and drink? Since the 1970s, there seems to have been a gradual shift in how we view food. The grocer, baker, and greengrocer have slowly disappeared from the streets and made way for supermarkets and fast-food chains. Convenience food entered our lives.
Convenience Food
The main feature of convenience food is undoubtedly taste; it must be delicious. After all, if something tastes irresistible, it sells more and therefore earns more money. Speed is also important. Who still has the time or energy to cook for hours after a long day at work? Or to wait long at a fast-food restaurant? By letting go of nutritional value as the primary feature, most convenience food has unfortunately become of questionable quality. We’ve now reached the point where roughly 80% of supermarket offerings fall outside healthy dietary guidelines. Let’s not even talk about fast food.
Work, Work, Work
As I said, I consider the human body a wonder of nature, but I sadly observe how we treat it. But what’s the deeper cause of this? If I had to name one culprit, it would be money. From a young age, we are taught that we must work hard in school to get a good job. A good job enables us to buy a house, drive a car, go on holidays, and so on. But how much of our income do we actually spend on maintaining—or improving—this wonder of nature?
The Household Revolution
To preserve the wealth we’ve built over the last fifty years, as many people as possible need to participate in paid work. After all, prosperity is directly linked to our GDP. To avoid spending all our limited free time on household chores and food preparation, we rely on a range of household appliances that make life easier—vacuum cleaners, washing machines and dryers, microwaves, and air fryers, to name a few. These appliances have greatly contributed to women’s emancipation, which is a very positive development. But haven’t we taken it too far? And hasn’t our health paid a steep price?
Decline
In recent decades, we’ve massively embraced convenience. But could convenience be our greatest enemy? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should return to life as it was fifty years ago. But we do need to reflect on where this convenience has taken us. Technologically, we’ve made incredible progress over the past fifty years—but what about our development as human beings? Have we evolved at the same pace? I fear quite the opposite. I think our money-driven and convenience-oriented mindset has caused us to regress rather than progress. And that’s a shame—for such a wonder of nature, don’t you think?