This catchy phrase is something even our grandparents would often remind us about, and as never before – especially in these times of the COVID-19 pandemic – have we come to realize just how true it is!
The word “health” comes from the Old English root word “hal” (hælþ) which means “wholeness, a being whole, sound or well” (source: www. etymonline.com), and in fact, this concept could be summed up in another catchy phrase: “To be healthy is to be whole” or simply, health is… “a sound mind and spirit in a sound body.”
The past few months have truly been very challenging for all of us as we have tried to stay physically and mentally healthy during the ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine). One thing that we have surely realized is that to remain healthy – in mind, body, and spirit – we need each other, thus the proliferation of Zoom meetings, WhatsApp, Viber, and Messenger chat groups and live virtual celebrations, whether they be birthdays, baby gender reveals, fundraising concerts or the Holy Mass.
The concept of health or wholeness carries with it a communitarian dimension. If it “takes a village to raise a child” it is also true that it takes a united community to face and hopefully defeat any evils attacking it, whether it be a virus or a corrupt government. We see it on the news every day – in countries where there is no unity, COVID-19 cases continue to rise dramatically.
The keyword is UNITY and with it the concept of the COMMON GOOD, defined by Pope St. John XXIII and quoted in the Vatican II document, Gaudium et Spes as “the sum total of social conditions which allow all people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” Working for the common good means assuring the greatest good
for ALL persons, not just the majority. Unfortunately, this has been all but
forgotten by many governments and regimes in the world today.
Social welfare is also often mentioned in these times of pandemic. For many, the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development)
is their only lifeline for survival. But what is “social welfare” and how does it relate to health?
Accordingto businessdictionary.com, social welfare is: “the well-being of the entire society. Social welfare is not the same as standard of living but is more concerned with the quality of life that includes factors such as the quality of the environment (air, soil, water), the rate of crime, the extent of drug abuse, the availability of essential social services, as well as religious and spiritual aspects of life.”
So it is not just the handing out of financial assistance by a government agency! It is so much more! It means that each person, each one of us, is a custodian of the others, of the environment, of society, of his or her church or religious community, whether Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, or Muslim… Each person is called to keep our planet and all its inhabitants healthy, happy, and whole.
“Health is wealth” – true for an individual and true also for a family, a community, an enterprise, a country, our planet Earth. Can we make sure that this “wealth” will be passed on to future generations?
