Health and Wealth, Which Do You Prefer?

[celestialinter0]

"Health is wealth!". This is an old saying which the majority applaud. As a rule, the wealthier you are, the weaker is your health, but this cannot be applied to all.

To begin with, a person that has health can afford to challenge all hardships. For example, manual workers are usually stout and energetic. With their energy, they earn their living. Although such an occupation brings little reward as compared with the energy they have exerted, they enjoy life whatever things may be.

Moreover, business is based on health. Students in good health can absorb knowledge more readily. In good health, scientists can tackle complex technical problems and achieve more success.

Frequently we find millionaires cling close to their doctors for they seldom have enough exercises to bring forth better health. Their lack of exercises slackens the readiness of growth of the antibodies to resist the at tack of diseases. So, my argue is that health is more important than wealth for if we do not have health, what can we benefit from wealth?

[papermoon.lady]

Health usually means more money in the long run (not necessarily wealth though) if you can work hard.

If you are seriously ill, wealth can give you access to better doctors and treatment.

So there is a bit of overlapping.

But even more important is... happiness. 

Once (about 10 years ago) I went to a classical music concert in a prestigious suburb in Sydney (facing Sydney Harbour). The houses were magnificent, mansions actually. The average price for a house was over 10,000,000 back then, more now I assume.

I was sitting on a bench at Sydney Harbour after the concert when I saw a family who lived there arrive and enter one of these mansions.

They were obviously wealthy. Healthy too. They really looked fit and seemed to have just come back from a tennis match. They were all good-looking too. They could have been models.

But... they were all serious, including the children. They didn't smile and almost walked like robots.

Maybe they had a bad day, but it would not be unusual for people who have it all not to be happy. Look at the lives of many celebrities.

So maybe the most important factor is just happiness.

[countessalmirena]

Until wealth can buy health (and it can’t do that at present; it gives access to medicines and treatments and athletics/sporting coaching and opportunities, but not to health itself), I consider that there’s no real argument: health is more important.

Health grants things that wealth cannot.

Wealth grants things that health cannot.

Wealth disproportionately protects people from negative consequences, but wealthy people still get sick, and they still die.

I believe that goodness brings more happiness than either health or wealth, but goodness isn’t endemic to either the wealthy or the healthy.

For anyone who deals with chronic pain, there is no doubt that they will know the incalculable value of good health.

[papermoon.lady]

I think this world can hurt good people a lot, but being free of negative feelings can certainly make them feel at peace.

[nicnacs_4u]

Health

[papermoon.lady]

We can lose our health in a sec, for example in an accident, but wealth can certainly also be quickly taken away: https://au.news.yahoo.com/24-million-mansion-destroyed-in-fire-after-recently-being-sold-014315847.h...

That's why happiness is more important than both health and wealth. 

[kopenhagen5]

There is only one option. Health.

Wealth is irrelevant if you are dead.

I do however think a balance of most aspects of life is the key to longevity.

[countessalmirena]

Yes – being able to achieve the best balance adds immeasurably to quality (and length) of life.

[twyngwyn]