Health is not our most precious asset

There's an illusion lurking behind the injunctions to preserve our health: that it's an end in itself. This article defends the idea that health is a decisive tool, yes, but subordinate to what really gives meaning to our lives.

Our relationship with our health is tinged with ambivalence. On the one hand, we like to put it on a pedestal: we affirm that it's our most precious possession, repeat that «when health is good, everything's good», and wish our loved ones «especially good health» every New Year. But that doesn't stop us, on the other hand, from pouring ourselves another glass of wine, going skiing, or simply soaking up the sun. Many of our actions show that we don't, in fact, place health at the top of our hierarchy of values. How can we explain this tension?

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