Swine Flu & American Germophobia

I agree that being wealthy gives you the luxury of worrying over things that otherwise might not be on top of the list. I also agree that cleanliness is not a luxury but a basic essential to a healthy life. But is it not taken way too seriously in the US, to the point of being obsessive about the microbes that could possibly thrive on your kitchen door knob?

A recent case in point is the swine flu mania that gripped the nation or perhaps the whole world. The world was concerned but the US was crazed. The whole media was clamoring about sanitizing every inch of your body every second of the day. They were talking about travelers being a high risk category. Come on!! I fly every week. But I could hardly feel anything was wrong except when I watched the frenzied media.

Talk of bottled water!! It’s consumed in billions of bottles a year even after it’s been scientifically proved that bottled water has no significant edge over tap water when it comes to harmful germs that they may contain.

Aren’t we killing our natural immunity in the process, in addition to being inflicted by a sickness called “germophobia?” While being cautious, I also like to believe in the natural recuperative powers that we may have.

Anyways I should reveal that watching the “germophobic” folks certainly provide a comic relief in these stressed times.