Preventing Illness by Using Common Sense:

There has been much talk recently about the H1N1 virus, which some people have referred to as the “swine flu.” To date, the World Health Organization has confirmed 985 cases globally. To put this into perspective, more than 200,000 people in the United States from are hospitalized each year with the flu.

That said, now is a very good time to remember how best to avoid many contagious illnesses by practicing common sense hygiene – frequently washing hands with warm water and soap, throwing away used tissues, avoiding touching your mouth and eyes and sneezing and coughing into your elbow, away from others. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. As always, if you do feel ill, be sure to consult your doctor.

Isn’t it funny that avoidance and common sense are the best ways to prevent getting sick? It seems too simple. And the media is really embracing this message of prevention during this pandemic. But why then, is the message of abstinence as it relates to a solution for the proliferation of unplanned pregnancy and AIDS looked at with such contempt?

Besides the fact that God’s plan for relationships is abstinence outside of marriage, isn’t abstinence a similar message of common sense and avoidance? Isn’t the best way to not get pregnant (or in my case, get someone else pregnant) or not get AIDS or some other STD to just not have sex? It really baffles me, but I get it too. People want to realize as much pleasure as possible while mitigating the risk of a negative consequence. It’s a balancing act. It’s careless. In fact, that’s the definition of stupidity (stupid: acting in a careless or unintelligent manner). Stupid like a pig.

Oh – by the way. The government has announced today that the pig flu (my pet name for it) is no more dangerous than the regular flu. Click here to see for yourself. I would love for one major news outlet to apply the common sense solution to the real epidemics in the world today rather than sensationalize non-issues. They would have my viewership for life.