Live, love and laugh; to live a long and healthy life

We are discussing Dr Shahid's Six Principles of health (also known as "Preventive Holistic Lifestyle", PHL) that guarantee us a long and healthy life (as long as 100 - 125 years and even longer) without ever having to see any health care provider in our long and "healthy " journey of life.

We have already discussed the First two principles in detail (1. Balanced Diet and 2. Exercise).

We have also discussed the first and second part (Rest & Sleep) of the Third Principle (Rest, Sleep and Entertainment, RSE).

Now we are going to talk about the last part (Entertainment) of Dr Shahid's Third Principle of Health.

ENTERTAINMENT

To live a healthy long life is to include as much entertainment as possible in our busy schedule.

Someone once said,

"To live is to love and laugh. To live without love and laughter is not worth living at all."

Entertainment is the only way to achieve this goal.

What is entertainment?

Entertainment simply means anything which entertains us with fun of amusement, leisure, pleasure & recreation. It usually constitutes an entertainer (entertainers) & the entertained.

Entertainer is in ordinary term a performer who may or may not be getting any fun at all. He is usually a paid artist & therefore, is doing a job which is contrary to the word entertainment. Since entertainment has been implied as an activity that gives us enjoyment & takes us away from the boring routine of job, occupation & employment. Therefore, the definition of entertainment is to be linked with the entertained & not with the entertainer, unless entertainer is performing for fun &/or as a hobby.

There are many ways we can be entertained. Following are just a few :-

1. Films (Movies)

No one can deny the impact of movies ( whether we see it on the cinema screen or on our home TV, video, PC, etc.,). We are all influenced by it. It is one of the greatest source of entertainment at present.

2. Sport

It is often a competitive physical activity, involving physical exertion & skill.This form of entertainment probably is the best because it also entertains areas of EXERCISE (physical, mental & spiritual). In this way we can also be an entertainer as well as entertained at the same time.

3. Dance

It is one of the most popular form of entertainment which has been used through out human history, as far back as early civilizations. In the early days it was more like a ritual of ceremonial nature. Now a days dance is described as an art of precise, graceful & expressive movements, performed in accord with some form of music. Like the sport, dance can also entertain EXERCISE (physical, mental & spiritual).

4. Game

It is usually associated synonymously with sport. In true definition game is a form of entertainment in which physical activity if minimal. Like sport it still follows certain rules with competitive element & skill still in it. for example playing chess, card games, pool (billiard, snooker), golf, hunting etc.

5. Music

It is an art which combines vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression which sooths the auditory sense in a spiritual way. Like dance, music has been used for thousands of years for social purposes such as rituals, worship dance, communication & entertainment.

6. Party

It simply means a social gathering of people of mutual interests for the purpose of eating, drinking (usually alcohol) & playing party games for amusement & entertainments. Party is one of the most celebrated occasion we all love to be part of. All cultures party in many forms of celebrations & festivities. It is one of the best way to achieve goal of entertainment.

7. Gambling & betting

Horse racing, casinos, cockfights etc are the favorite pastime of many. Mostly in these situation people bet on their luck which invariably fails in the long run. As they say the good gambler is the one who knows when to bet & when to walk away. Betting is generally is the term used for putting money on the winning team ( hopefully ) in sports. By the number of people betting these days it appears that betting must be another favorite entertainment.

8. Vacations or Holidays

It mean leisure time away from work devoted to rest, pleasure & entertainment. Most jobs provide 2 weeks vacation/year. We all look forward to that. Even if we don't go abroad or a distant place from home during vacation, just staying away from work is enough to give us a break. There are people who continue to work even during their vacation (workaholics). That is asking for trouble. Human mind & spirit needs a vacation. If you want to die fast, never take a vacation.

9. Hobby

It means spare time for recreational pursuit, such as Reading, Writing, Drawing, Painting, Sketching, Sculpturing, Collecting (stamps, cards, books, antique etc), Cooking, Bird Watching, Gardening, Sewing, Knitting, etc. Hobby gives one an excuse to divert ones mind from every days' boring routine. Everyone has some form of hobby. Its benefits in providing entertainment cannot be denied.

10. Humor and laughter

It means a quality in a person to evoke laughter through a message sent to the listener in an ingenious way. It is a verbal skill or art of communication to arouse interest in the audience by articulating with their witty sense or sense of humor. A truly witty person is always welcome in any place at any Time. We all love a person with good sense of humor & like to be in his/her company all the time.

We can also achieve the same goal by watching funny programs or reading humorous articles or jokes.

Purpose of humor is to create laughter. Laughter is one of the most useful medicine to increase our immune system. Its importance has been underrated in medicine. Therefore, next tine we shall discuss laughter in detail.

The list of entertainments goes on & on.

Nevertheless, no matter how we look at it, entertainment is vital to the mind, body & spirit's well being. People who avoid this aspect of life, invariably succumb to the pressure, stress & strain of daily life and die very early. If you don't wish to live a healthy and long life, avoid entertainments.

Next we shall elaborate on laughter and its importance for the long and healthy living.


For question and comments please write to :

syedshahidmd@yahoo.com.au