43 Chasing trivia

The Bull and The Mouse: Once a bull was resting after a meal. A mouse was attracted by some food sticking to the nose of the bull. It sneaked up and bit the nose. The bullwoke up with a start and chased the tiny mouse. The mouse was too quick to be caught. The bull did not give up and went on with its chase until it was too tired to move. Then the mouse moved close to the bull and said, "Hey! You may be very strong and powerful but power and aggression can't solve everything. Live and let live."

Jain, a 30-year old high-flying aggressive business executive, was exasperated by his bowel habits. He consulted many specialists for relief. They performed various tests and told him that there was nothing wrong with his bowels. It was just a 'functional problem'.

He went back to his old family doctor and asked him, "But why can't my bowels move just once a day like all the others? Why should I get disturbed once on waking up and again after each meal? It is shameful that a top-flight executive can't even control his bowels.” The family doctor replied, "Mr Jain, there are minor things in life beyond our control. Irritable bowel syndrome is one such problem. Your father has it. Your stressful life will only aggravate it. Relax and let it be."

Comments

The motto of Alcoholics anonymous is relevant here:

"To accept the things I can't change,

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The courage to change the things I can, And the Wisdom to know the difference."

There are many trivial health problems which are minor irritants. Allergies, vasomotor rhinitis, tension headache, irritable bowel syndrome, excessive sweating and common cold are some examples. One can adopt a 'bullish approach' of aggressively dealing with them only to find out that your efforts were of little help in tackling the irritant. When confronted with a persistent health problem, you have to ask yourself these questions:

Can I / Should I - modify the illness to preserve my life style? - modify my lifestyle to suit the illness? - modify both to find an acceptable compromise? Are the effort, time and expense involved in making these changes worthwhile? If not, should I just let it be?

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