The world of Tzu Chi February 2020 (Vol.119)

2020 • 02 58 ellness Re ections on a Birthday Celebration José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, once mentioned in a speech that modern society is living in an age of peak production, yet resources are unequally distributed. At the same time, he questioned the meaning of our obsession with material goods when only a small fragment of the global population is entitled to these creature comforts, while the remaining majority continue to live in hardship – a timely issue worth pondering. Translated by Chang Yii Yong R ecently, my friend celebrated her birthday and posted photos of the festivities on social media. The birthday rituals she revelled in were on full display – photos of her blowing the candles on her cake and cutting the cake, surrounded by her family, as well as snapshots of the sumptuous spreads honouring the occasion. The next day, she shared a photo of herself making a birthday wish before a rainbow-coloured cake, accompanied by the caption: “Happy birthday to me!” In the photo, my friend was posing with her friends and colleagues. Plates of fries, fried fish fingers and other common Western fare were captured in the foreground. I could not help but wonder: “How could she stand consuming such high-calorie, high- sodium foods every day?” Before I could recover from my astonishment, another series of photos from my friend cropped up on my social media feed again, showing her celebrating her birthday with a group of friends alongside a lavish feast of meat and seafood dishes and a branded handbag. I was appalled upon learning that she went on to attend several more birthday parties thereafter. When I spoke my mind on birthday celebrations driven by consumption to a friend, she contended with the opinion that splurging on birthdays is nothing tomake a fuss of; celebrating the once-a-year occasion is an opportunity to pamper oneself after working hard throughout the year. The “once-a-year” excuse sounded all too familiar to me. I often educate patients on healthy eating, advising them to reduce their consumption of foods that are high in fat, sodium and sugar content in anticipation of the festive season, while ensuring an adequate intake of fruits and vegetables. “But it’s only once a year!” my patients would unanimously exclaim. To this, I would respond half-jokingly, “Indeed, we only celebrate our birthday once a year. We also celebrate Chinese New Year, the Dumpling Festival and theMid-autumn Festival once a year, not tomentionour friends’and families’birthdays, weddings and wedding anniversaries, in addition to our travels and social appointments. If we ever reflect on the meals we consume during all these festivities, we’ll find that we have a reason to indulge almost every month. We should try to keep our food intake under control.” I had once cautioned that excessive consumption of birthday cakes and meat-based dishes takes a toll on our health. My friend, in turn, casually remarked that she would conveniently dispose of unfinished food once she feels full instead of forcing it down. I am perplexed by our tendency to waste valuable resources unnecessarily time and again in an age of limited resources, time and energy.