Stay Calm and Read On. Did the title cause you some unease? I hope so! It might move you to take positive action so that you can have a life of genuine ease. What do I mean by that?

We are becoming more and more addicted to creature comforts. We want things instantly. We want things our way. We want things that are low-salt, gluten-free, environment-friendly and nutritious-yet-delicious. That last item is actually hyper-deceptive, because all nutritious food is already delicious. It’s just that most people have trained themselves, or have been trained, to have the wrong appetites. We want hassle-free transportation, clean air to breathe, guaranteed incomes, safe and friendly work environments and time to spa and play as and when we like. Most of all, we want someone else to get these things done for us.

In searching for our ideal, comfortable, stress-free and yet highly exciting lives, we place a high premium on health and wellness. Yet we can’t seem to stop the tsunami of old and new diseases that seem to afflict us at every corner. We invest huge amounts of resources and spend great treasures in order that we might stay young, fit and fresh. Yet how many of us can genuinely claim to be young, fit and fresh? And, try as we might, we are not able to stave off the inexorable march of ageing leading to physical death. And as we stress over these things, we get more and more diseased, we experience more malfunctions in our bodily systems, and the high quality of life we yearn for evaporates into nothingness even as we grasp it. What do we do?

Recognize that life is not meant to be easy. Life is hard. So, don’t wish for an easy life. Just get stronger. Get fitter. Choose to be joyful in the face of difficulties. When you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, you can always go forward, backward, or improve your jump record! When you get stronger and fitter, you actually start to enjoy things like marathons. Mountain climbing. Hard, exhausting manual labour. Building a house by hand. Stacking sacks of grain. Moving piles of rock. Yes, really enjoy things like that.

After all, I know the Greeks are bankrupt now, but didn’t the Greeks say that a healthy body houses a healthy mind? That saying is still true today, and just because the Greeks are in the position they’re in now doesn’t negate it either! So, choose well. Be diligent. Work hard. Work smart. Bless others. Live a life of ease because you have decided to become strong. If you don’t, you can’t help but get disease.