We live in a time where we can have a thousand problems swirling around us — work pressure, financial stress, peer comparisons, social media anxiety, and more. But the moment we fall sick, only one problem remains: health. Every other worry shrinks, vanishes even, in the face of a health scare. That’s the truth we rarely pause to reflect on.
And yet, despite this truth, we compromise our health every day — sleeping less, stressing more, eating junk, suppressing emotions. Why? For what? Often, it’s for people we don’t even trust or genuinely care about.
The irony runs deeper.
We don’t like many people around us. We judge them, we distance ourselves, we plot, we put on social masks — all in the name of pride, caste, religion, or past grievances. But when life throws a real challenge, what do we need? People. Their time. Their care. Their strength. Their presence.
A Shrinking Circle
Look around. The average adult today barely has more than one or two people to call their “go-to” in times of distress. And this is where the real problem begins.
Take the classic example of a married couple. In a time when extended families are disconnected and friendships have become screen-deep, we pour all our emotional, physical, and social needs into one person. The pressure is enormous. Expectations shoot through the roof. One person is expected to be a best friend, therapist, cheerleader, cook, caretaker, and soulmate — all rolled into one. That’s not love. That’s a ticking time bomb.
What we are missing is social redundancy — the ability to lean on multiple people, to share the emotional load across a village, not just one overburdened soul.
From Community to Isolation
There was a time when evenings ended with uncles sitting on charpoys sipping tea, kids playing in open streets under the watchful eyes of neighbours, and mothers casually borrowing ingredients over the wall. If someone got sick, half a dozen people rushed in. No one had to ask.
Today, we don’t know our neighbours' names.
We bolt our doors, install CCTVs, and suspect everyone — the maid, the delivery guy, even our own siblings sometimes. Not because they’re all bad. But because somewhere, deep inside, we’ve lost belief in human goodness. And why? Because we think they might be thinking bad about us — a self-inflicted paranoia.
This breakdown of trust is dangerous. It turns us from social beings into anxious, competitive, lonely individuals. And yet, here's the cruel twist — most of what we do daily, we do to impress that same society we distrust. We wear the perfect clothes, post the perfect vacation, throw the perfect party — not for those we love, but for those we barely like.
Isn’t that tragic?
Small Changes. Big Healing.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Healing doesn’t start with therapy apps or self-help books. It starts with small, intentional steps:
- Visit a relative once a week. Not for a function. Not for a crisis. Just for a chat, a silly debate, a laugh.
- Make time for friends. Not through texts. Go. Sit. Talk. Reminisce. Remember that memory-making isn’t for Instagram.
- Let children live with cousins or uncles/aunts occasionally. Let them build trust outside the nuclear family.
- Teach kids that a family tree has many branches. Not just parents and grandparents, but the joy of having an extended web of relationships.
- Celebrate health. Not just when you’re sick. Make lifestyle changes not because the doctor told you to, but because you matter.
What Do We Really Want?
At the end of life, no one ever says, “I wish I had earned more.” They say, “I wish I had spent more time with people I loved.” They don’t say, “I’m glad I won that argument.” They say, “I’m sorry I didn’t forgive sooner.”
So, the question is — what kind of life are we building? One where we lock everything and everyone out? Or one where we open our doors and hearts?
The choice is ours.
Let’s make health and relationships our priority. Not someday. Today.