Telling acquaintances who smoked that it was bad for their health stopped being cool about 20 or 30 years ago.
So most people, or at least non-smokers, keep their thoughts to themselves. You know the lungs of that woman who smokes are probably the color of charcoal.
Her lungs are in the process of getting saggy and unable to provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
In a few decades she'll be breathing oxygen through nasal tubes, shuffling around, and coughing.
Not lung cancer, but still a horrible way to die. Like drowning in your own lungs.
But it's not socially acceptable to tell smokers that. First of all, they know. Or they should know. The warnings on cigarette packs are obtuse. However, they're smart enough to read between the lines. Smoking can kill you in a dozen different ways.
Is it a moral duty to remind smokers of that? Someone should. Perhaps a spouse or significant other. It probably seems intrusive coming from a casual friend.
If you saw someone standing on the ramparts of a bridge, thinking about jumping off, would you do anything, or just walk away so he can kill himself?
Interesting ending- comparing one who is on a bridge to one smoking. Should one take that comparison further then I should stop anyone from drinking alcohol (that can kill one in "a dozen different ways" and take a few others also), eating fatty foods, using cell phones...The list continues.
ReplyDeleteFor a country built on freedom and liberty, we would soon lose any freedom we have.
We must be very careful on when we choose to place a limit on personal rights. If we allow others to control our rights, there will come a time when we will all have to say "there was no one left to speak for me"
I did not suggest a ban on smoking. The question is, why is it considered rude to call the risks to someone's attention. More of a social issue.
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