FASHION: A BAD INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY'S HEALTH

Are publicity and fashion guilty of most eating disorders in industrialized societies?. I am inclined to believe that some people in western cultures have such an obsession with imitating the famous’s appearance, that they even risk their health. In addition, big companies usually promote this nonsense behavior, particularly between youth, although most managers deny their implication in such a trouble.

To begin with, it is known that modern societies are suffering from diseases such as anorexia or bulimia, whereas seldom do people in Africa or Asia know about this kind of illnesses. For instance, if we pay attention to TV programmes and series in the so called "developed countries ", we can realise that some actors, actresses or presenters, seem to have been chosen because of their physical perfection instead of their real abilities. So that the media are also to blame for manipulating citizens' minds.

Furthermore, it is a common thought that teenagers and youngsters are the target of the fashion trade. Not only does publicity, with extremely thin models, invade advertisements aimed at them, but also, finding a big size in some shops is almost an impossible task. As a result, what a girl or boy usually decides is to lose weight as quickly as possible to fit into those tight jeans. Who benefits from this situation are companies that mass-produce thousand of item of clothes without worrying about the individual who will buy them.

However, designers and managers of fashion industry claim that such ailments have existed since the Middle Age, as a consequence they have not responsibility and insist on the influence of psychological and social factors as the cause of the problem.

To conclude, we have a great deal to learn from other cultures that are considered as  poor, and nevertheless are wealthy in wisdom. Therefore, it  is through education that we can face this issue; as the journalist Victoria Toro said: " we should develop a critical mind in teens that enable them to distinguish the real world from what it is not".

THALES OF MILETUS (624 – 548 A.C.)

Some anecdotes about Thales

Thales of Miletus learnt more about maths and astronomy from Egyptians. Fascinated with his pyramids and culture he spent some time with Egyptian priests, to acquire information to other sources. Thales visited also the Babylonians and Chaldeans .- As Plato made the point : "the Greeks took from foreigners what was of value and developed their notions into better ideas".- As a result of this travels he had access to the astrological records which enabled him to predict the solar eclipse of 585 BCE. Thales is acclaimed for having foretold this eclipse to the Ionians who were having a battle against their enemies, The Medes.  As all became dark in the middle of the day the combatants saw the eclipse as disapproval of their warfare, and as a warning. They ceased fighting and a peace agreement was reached between the two kings.

Finally I will narrate an anecdote about Thales' mule that was almost as clever as its owner. Coming back to the times in which he was a merchant, a day he was carrying a charge of salt over his mule's back. Then the mule slipped and dropped into the river; as salt  dissolved,  the animal realized that his burden had decreased. So that after a few minutes it plunged into the water, on purpose, several times until it lost all the weight. In order to solve the problem, in the next journey the mule was loaded with sponges. When it jumped into the river, it comprehended that it was wrong. In this way Thales shown how to sort out even a quotidian problem in the most effective and harmless manner. Another man in this situation would had reacted hitting the animal.

It is said that he was asked about what he would like in exchange of his achievements he answered: "I would like that when you speak of them to others, you tell that are mine".

A COUNTRY OF CONTRAST

There are great differences in our country despite the fact that it is rather small compared to others. This diversity is shown  in some aspects, such as climate, landscape, inhabitants' personality and even gastronomy, all of them related to each other.

 For instance, there is a big divergence between the north and the south in Spain: the weather in the north is usually colder and wetter than in the south, where in contrast we have a lot of hours of sunlight per year.

As a consequence, the landscape is certainly greener in the septentrional  areas than in the meridional ones.  However, not only can we notice this variety between distant zones, but also into the same region. It is very well shown in Almería, where in a few kilometers we can find the tropical coast, the desert and the snowed mountain.

In the same way, habitants' personality is influenced by all these factors. Por instance, northern people are believed to be melancholic an reserved, while south's dwellers are said to be upbeat and extrovert.

Similarly, traditional foods have its peculiarity in both areas :on the one hand, heavy meals are common in cold places  (red meat, legumes, fat fishes); on the other hand, in the hottest ones the most appreciated are salads and little warm dishes (paella, gazpacho, and so on).

A TURN OF MIND

The cold rain dripped over Joe's face slithering on his coat; he strode frowning, pale and jaded, concentrated on his miserable existence to the office. As far as work was concerned, he felt stuck in a rut, without hope of promotion; his social life was just as awful as his job, since in his view, most of his friends and colleagues were snob and two-faced people. He was so obsessed with his thoughts that he did not realize that he was crossing the road. Suddenly, he heard a squeal; as he turned a flash blinded his eyes, and after a crash all became dark.

No sooner had Joe woken up than a sweet voice whispered :” Hello, my name is Pam. Thanks God, you are awakening;  you have been on the verge of dying because an accident, but fortunately you are over the worst and you will recover.” She was a gentle, middle aged nurse whose smile lit up the hospital's room.

As days went by Joe got to admire Pam's patience as well as her generosity. Even he dared to tell her :”You are a lively, blissful woman. I suppose you should have a cheerful family and an exciting life; it’s for this reason that you show always so kind.”  Pam's answer was :” I regret to disappoint you; my husband disappeared two years ago, and I have a rebellious, teen son, and a weak, old mother after whom I look. So that I work from dawn to dusk in order to earn a ridiculous salary. However I am lucky of being healthy and strong enough to cope with all my troubles.”

Finally, Joe returned home. It was a warm spring morning; Joe strolled grinning and stirred, self-confident and convinced that neither niceness nor ugliness exist :     " beauty is on the eye of the beholder".

Narratives

The sunbeams were burning the top of the highest trees; although they could not reach the ground due to the dense undergrowth, the air was so hot and there were such a level of humidity than Tom could scarcely breath.

He was crouched, hidden between the weeds, staring without blinking towards the scrub around him. Tom's body was motionless, while miles of flies were buzzing over his forehead's sweat, which he felt scorching in the cuts on his cheek.

Suddenly  his heart started pounding stronger than before, and he cringed  holding the breath, as he heard the spooky rustle of branches…

TRAVELLERS AND TOURISTS

It is really a traveller a good deal more adventurous than a tourist? Taking into consideration most opinions about this matter, it follows that differences between both of them are not as bigger as it is claimed.

What has given to the word "traveller"a meaning of courageous person, mingling with nature and local landscapes, is the stereotype that most of us have created in our minds. To put it another way: the image of the backpacker roaming with their dusty boots, and doing hitchhiking  in order to do "round the world" with barely spare change in their pocket, is significantly more attractive than this of the geek tourist  wearing white socks and flowered shirt.

However, this idea is certainly old fashioned: not only is the idea of the "superficial tourists" disappearing, but sometimes,  they are also considered like real experts about places that they visit. In fact, some of them have left their own countries and their life style, to become citizens in the tourist places where they had previously sightseeing during their holydays.

In contrast, some of the "so called travellers" who show off of being the bravest, and have the best knowledge about new spots, have neither interacted with any local habitant, nor investigated into its history or political situation, as some tourists are used to doing.

To conclude, nowadays the boundaries between the words mentioned above are actually blurred,  as a consequence, there is no point in discussing about that.

TRAVEL TO LONDON

I went to London some years ago for four days with Spanish friends, so that I spoke certainly less English than I expected. However not only did we spend a fantastic holiday, but we also learnt interesting things about art, history and English society. In fact, not until I saw with my own eyes the most famous London's monuments, such as the Big Ben, the Tower of London or the British Museum, did I realise how magnificent they were. 

 Needless to say, I am highly satisfied with the decision of making this journey, otherwise,  I  would have never enjoyed such a funny and rich experience.

PICTURE

     It is a peaceful landscape, which produces in me  feelings of balance and hope, because of two factors: the variety of soft colours that have been  employed and the use of the light.
     In other words, although most of the landscape was painted with cold colours, such as green, blue and white, there are some brushstrokes of bright yellow and pink that make the atmosphere not sad at all. Moreover, while the left bank of the river is dark, the right side is lighting. Not only does it seem that the sunbeams shine on across the clouds, illuminating this latter place, but it also looks that they will soon reach the opposite border.
     Apart from this, I suppose that the author didn't want to attract the spectator's attention neither to the wide river, in the central part, nor to the radiant grass and trees.  It is clear that he wanted to focus on the small horse at the bottom of the picture. Maybe he would like to become this animal, fleeing in this way from his stressfull  life as well as from the noisy and polluted world.