“Really?” I exclaimed. No, asked.
I was taken aback.
This was one more of those effortless trips I took back to aback. I am increasingly able to get there, to aback, without much effort.
“Yes” is all the doctor had said.
But before going further, we have to go back. Just back.
Picking up the newspaper last night had resulted in more than the usual quota of edification for me. Since I answer to the age-group, the “What can you do after 50?” line in the prominent advertisement placed at the bottom right corner of the front page of the Hindustan Times dated 8th January, 2024, perhaps caught my attention before anything else. No doubt placed there by a kind corporation, a global biopharma major, for the benefit of mankind.
Never one to let go of a benefit, or of a learning opportunity, especially when it could be free, I zoomed in. “Explore tropical paradises, embark on a European adventure or a road trip across India,” read the first line.
I scratched my head. It did not make sense to me. Did the biopharma major suddenly decide to go into the travel business? I decided to read it again. In fact, both the lines together.
“What can you do after 50?
Explore tropical paradises, embark on a European adventure or a road trip across India.”
I looked around to check if anyone could see the worry-lines emerging on my face. I was not getting it. Thankfully there was nobody around.
Bravely, I went on reading.
“Enrol in classes or workshops that pique your interest.
Explore yoga for flexibility, strength training for muscle tone, or dance classes for enjoyment.
Assess your career satisfaction and explore new opportunities like freelancing.”
It seemed like the corporation had decided to launch a slew of businesses. It was possible. It has been done before. As a consumer, it was my beholden duty to be happy, since the for-profit corporation would no doubt be doing it for my benefit.
But another worrying thought was overshadowing my excitement at the multiple new business lines being launched, and I was sweating by the time I finished reading these three lines. I recalled the many occasions when as children and teens we had taken car rides in India with our parents and in our thirties and forties with our children. In my twenties and thirties and forties, I have explored tropical paradises and embarked on European adventures. I dabbled in yoga in my teens and continued to do so in my twenties and thirties and forties. I have even explored new career opportunities in my thirties and forties, taking up careers entirely detached from my initial one in a big bank.
Did I do it at the wrong time? Are we supposed to do these things only after turning 50? I could envision the long arms of the law reaching for me. “Ignorantia juris non excusat,” the Latin phrase that means not knowing the law is no excuse, was one of the few lines I still remember from my college days.
I also had no clue that one had to do different things for muscle tone and enjoyment; yoga for muscle tone and dancing for enjoyment.
Where did I go wrong?
Thankfully, the various sports I played in my teens and twenties and thirties and forties for muscle tone AND enjoyment were not listed. To that extent, I did nothing wrong. But other disturbing questions raised their heads? For example, was playing squash for muscle tone AND enjoyment permitted? In my defence, I only played for enjoyment, never for muscle tone. If muscle toning happened incidentally, how am I to know. In law, the intention counts.
But that created another challenge. It was one of the things I continue to do after turning 50 that are not listed. I also play tennis and golf. And Scrabble and Yahtzee.
Should I stop before someone finds out?
I also climb stairs. I cook. I meet friends and family members and socialize. I eat and drink. I sleep. I breathe.
Was I inviting medical trouble? Or legal trouble?
But here I go jumping the gun once more. Another unlisted activity.
The kind and considerate corporation has also advised in the advertisement that all the listed activities could be derailed by shingles.
Yes, shingles.
In the spirit of full disclosure, it helpfully elaborates that shingles may “lead to pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs. It could cause hearing problems. It can also cause brain inflammation. Travelling plans may be hindered by the pain and discomfort caused by shingles. It can make exercising uncomfortable due to pain and sensitivity. Even turning in bed could be painful. It can lead to psychological issues like depression and difficulty in concentrating.”
They could also be derailed by cancer and dementia and AIDS and diabetes and a terrorist attack and a plane crash and an economic meltdown and armed conflict and climate change and biodiversity loss and technological changes and a spat with the spouse/ partner and, and, and…
Sorry, I got carried away. Me and my imagination. The last paragraph above is purely my invention, and any resemblance to any part of the said advertisement is fictitious and untrue.
But back to shingles. I looked hard but did not find a mention of death in the advertisement. I heaved a sigh of relief.
But what is the modern corporation if not one to provide a solution, which was offered in the same advertisement in the form of a vaccination for shingles? Your respect will go up further when you realize that this biopharma major might be the only company that has a vaccination for shingles. It has taken upon itself the complete burden of informing the public so that they can buy the vaccine produced by them, and them alone.
So certain does the company seem about the information provided in the advertisement that they made it a point to state that people should consult their doctor before taking any step. Like any educated, well-informed individual in the modern world, I pay attention to all advertisements issued by commercial corporations. They must be true and for the benefit of mankind. I reached for the doctor as advised.
“The complex ecosystem that our body is, it hosts many viruses that coexist without any repercussions. Their presence does not mean sickness with many viral infections being asymptomatic.”
The doctor greeted me with this sage advice on seeing the advertisement that I had taken care to take along.
I was obviously surprised, having known the same from biology classes in school many years back. Obviously, a doctor saying it meant it could be true.
I was at a loss for words.
After several false starts, I managed, “Pneumonia, hearing problems, brain inflammation. Sounds serious. Not travelling or exercising. Even more so. And psychological issues like depression. I mean, is there any other condition that is so damaging?”
This was the point at which the doctor had said “Yes” to which I had exclaimed “Really?” and travelled rapidly down to aback.
“Take the common cold, for example,” the doctor stated.
I nearly fell off my chair. I could never have imagined that the common cold could be so damaging.
Ignoring my discomfiture, as others were waiting for their turn, the doctor said that certain sections of the population could develop complications to the respiratory system as well as secondary infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis. In some cases, it could also lead to death.
“Yes death,” seeing the question in my eyes that I was unable to voice. “There are actually multiple ways you could die. Imagine you sneeze just as you are trying to haul something heavy down from the loft in your house. You could slip from the ladder and break some critical bones. Or, imagine that the runny nose gives you a headache. You have to drive your daughter to a music class but are unable to do so. Your daughter fails in the music test. It causes you psychological stress as you hold yourself responsible. In your distracted state you are driving through a crossing without a traffic light. You are halfway across when you hear the blast of a truck’s horn right next to you. You can imagine the rest.”
I stumbled out of the doctor’s office looking like I had seen a ghost.
I am looking for information on vaccination for the common cold.
And for terrorist attacks and plane crashes and economic meltdowns and armed conflicts and climate change and biodiversity loss and technological changes and spats with the spouse/ partner and, and, and…
Just like the company’s advertisement, I must make it a point to state that this article is for general information only, and not to be construed as medical advice.