Creating One's Own "Paradise"

No man is an island unto themselves; they are part of a larger environment (context) -- that either fosters health, or is toxic to well-being.  But what those conditions are to different people -- varies somewhat, and sometimes significantly.  Some prefer it colder, while others like it hot.  Some can thrive at high altitudes, while others might perish -- even at the thought.  So those latter people identify, what they feel are those conditions that make them thrive.  Some like the uncertainty of the weather, while others prefer the same -- not only in the weather, but in all things.  If each could identify and choose their own perfect environment, there would be no problem, but invariably, there are those who would wish to impose their preferences, on everybody else -- no exceptions! -- and that is the root of most conflicts.

However in this day and age, we have the capabilities for each to personalize their own environment -- given the general one we all start off with.  It may be as fundamental as the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we consume -- and the freedom and choices in each of those considerations.  Further along, we could maintain that environment in fully functioning order and cleanliness -- or think those things never need to be considered, and the condition of their deterioration and degradation, is beyond human intervention -- and what the gods alone determine.

So fundamentally, this is a problem of understanding -- and from that, the proper actions naturally flow out of them.  But with the wrong understanding, or lack of understanding and the need for it, problems arise and worsen -- and one feels powerless to do anything about them.  Those are invariably the challenges of each time and place -- before progress can resume, and eventually leap forward.  If only the familiar problems keep getting worse, it is seldom that more of the familiar and well-accepted solution is the answer -- and most likely, that understanding is the problem -- that has to be re-examined, because merely continuing in that manner, is disastrous -- while another way might not be. 

Logically, we must find another way -- that doesn't perpetuate and worsen the problem -- as the only effective and reasonable answer.  That is particularly the crisis of the homeless in the major cities -- where it is still thought, that simply failing to recognize the problem and the needs, will make it go away -- rather than providing and ensuring the basic necessities for everyone as much as possible.  That would be ensuring the necessary hygiene for all those sharing that environment -- even before they have a secure place to sleep and store their possessions.  That is the quality of life (and environment) that must be maintained -- before all other considerations.

That is even the primary reason for securing shelter -- for all the other reasons.  A person ensuring that quality of personal hygiene and health, is doing their part to create a better environment for all.  Beyond that, a person can sleep anywhere, or eat their meals under most conditions -- but a person with poor hygiene, degrades that environment for all -- and will not allow normal proceedings to continue, until they are addressed, and dealt with definitively.    But we don't have to rediscover and recreate the wheel for every such instance.

In most cases, those facilities already exist -- but are not given access to because there is no manpower to oversee them -- in the erroneous belief that if public hygiene stations are not provided -- or are inaccessible (locked), the people who need them, won't "go" -- or simply go away.  As attractive as the thought, it won't happen that way.  People who need to "go," will go regardless of whether they are provided the facilities for doing so -- or not, and so for the benefit of the environment (society), it's in their own best interest, to see that it is disposed of properly -- and in safety.

It's a public health problem and not a public housing problem -- foremost.  It's a universal problem -- but those who have a place to go, usually don't go out for that reason -- which inhibits their mobility.  That skews the populace and public places in favor of the dispossessed -- who now take them over entirely -- promoting the notion that it is less safe to be out in public spaces.  That is now the plight of most urban environments.

But those who remain home, are not home-free by any means.  Often, those personal environments may be as polluted as the outdoor environment they have less control over.  Many do not think they need nor have the control over their own personal environments -- thinking doors and windows are enough to keep toxins and pollutants out.  Therein lies the greater problem -- in not realizing that they can take extra-ordinary measures to ensure their personal paradise -- to a much greater extent than the average person thinks possible, or nearly thinks about at all.  That personal space, can also be degraded even with the best of intentions and care.

The problem is that mold and mildew grows in virtually every home -- to which are added, pet dander, cigarette smoking, water leaks and flooding, no ventilation and heating sufficient to maintain a healthy environment.  Most places don't have air purification systems -- beginning with the microbial masks warn in many contemporary environments to assure quality products and services.  Does that mean one should be paranoid about these things?  I feel more confident and assured when my surgeon or dentist wears a microbial mask -- as well as when I see a chef wearing one.  And then in today's precision manufacturing business (processes), it is rare to see one without such a barrier to contamination.

I've found that when I feel a cold or other respiratory symptom coming on, wearing an antimicrobial mask, seems to be a nearly instant, reliable cure -- as long as I take that precaution, and maintain that practice for as long as I think necessary.  There doesn't seem to be a downside for doing so.  Even the cheapest of these masks, claim a 99% effective rate at eliminating bacteria, fungi and allergens -- while those with an added layer of activated carbon, eliminate most of the bothersome odors -- including second-hand smoke. 

This effectiveness of purification -- gives a whole new meaning to the concept of clean, fresh, pure air -- and is already being widely adopted in areas notorious for the most polluted air in the world.  Think what it can do for a relatively clean environment.  It's a huge difference between eliminating 99% of the pollutants -- and not -- in the very air that one breathes, that it would seem to be the most effective strategy one could adopt to bulletproof oneself from most common irritants -- including just bad odors.

The question for most is whether it is worth the extra nominal expense and inconvenience of wearing such an enhancement.  But it is nothing really new -- in that some of the most traditional societies have long standing adoption of such methods to protect against harsh climatic conditions -- ie. dusty, arid environments.  Or the extremely cold.  We largely don't think we need such devices anymore because of modern heating and cooling systems -- but if that were enough, we wouldn't see them in operating or manufacturing rooms either.  They are effective up to a point -- but nowhere near what can be easily achieved with this addition -- obviously.

Some things are as simple and obvious as that.  What would you do to live to 100 -- without all the usual afflictions one has come to accept as inevitable and inescapable?  It's in the air -- in the environment we live in, which is integrally, ourselves.