In Italy, our most famous Holocaust survivor, Primo Levi, in his book recounting his days in Auschwitz tells of a man who would spend all his cigarettes on the black market to get some soap and shower every day.

Asked about why, he tells that you not taking care of yourself and your body is what Nazis want to achieve: to turn you in the animal they can exploit to the last drops of blood and sweat.

Taking care of yourself is the first Resistance against Fascism and all those who are against unconditional respect for Humanity.

Take care, Brother.

The thing is, when you live in an unhealthy manner, you won’t just live with minor symptoms of it, before your body just has enough and dies immediately. You will have to face the long time consequences for decades. If you decide to do so at the age of 17 or 20, and find a romantic partner later, you might see things differently by the time you notice how your health degraded.

I’m obviously not trying to get you to live healthy - you do you. But in my experience, not caring about your future self will just make it even harder when it becomes your present self - and on top of that global recession, famine, wars, diseases and whatnot now you will also have to deal with an achy foot, constant coughing or crippling depression. For a long time.

What’s worse than living in a dystopia? Living in a dystopia with a major medical issue.

Tell me you’re young and reasonably healthy without telling me yadda yadda

There comes an age where health is not a matter of choice. You do it or you suffer whatever years you stay alive, which can be surprisingly long. If you’re healthy for your age, don’t squander it, you will regret it as early as your 50s, if not a bit sooner.

You’ve heard 30-somethings joke about bad knees and back pain? That’s nothing, chump. You’ll know it when even sleeping hurts.

You don’t have hobbies you’d like to be healthy or sane to keep enjoying?

For one I would drop social media time… That’s where the toxicity gathers.

Spoken like a very young person. The problem is not as much the dying as what comes before it. Most people don’t just drop dead. For most unhealthy people, it is years and years of suffering from various ailments as soon as you get to a certain age.

No. I don’t care about living long, but do care about feeling good, and figure I have a body and might as well take care of it. Not obsessive by a long shot but eat well, exercise, sleep. All that feels good.

I am father to a 10 year old, so yes I care very much.

As someone who is handicapped through no fault of my own, it fills me with sorrow that you feel this way. Self-harm through neglect is no way to live.

My handicap initially left me with no way to walk for nearly 2 years. No doctor would touch my case. My kid literally could not hug me. I was dependent on so many people during that time and could barely take care of anyone else.

I cannot tell you what to do… but I’m probably not going to live very long anyway (thank you, genetics!), so I’d like to encourage you to find purpose. I found my purpose in creation by sewing, and it brings me overwhelming joy. My goal is to continue creating things to spread that joy to others.

If that doesn’t convince you, please know this: there are evil, shitty people in power out there who revel in your self-destruction and actively want you to destroy yourself. Please do not let them win. Continue to do your best in order to spite them and help people who aren’t so fortunate.

I think I’d be perfectly fine living up to the age of… idk, 50, as long as I’m living happy and as long as I die happy and painlessly. That is literally all that matters to me.

If your life is so miserable, why would you want to live a long one? You’d rather end it as soon as possible because it’s the ultimate escape from horrors. It’s why when given the opportunity to have immortality, hypothetically, I always, and I mean ALWAYS, say no.

As for health itself, well… it’s your body, do whatever you want with it. I don’t care. My only advice is be careful out there when you do get ill.

I can’t disagree that things are shit, but that’s not a reason to treat yourself like shit. Even if you don’t have a long life, going to the grave with tense af shoulders isn’t comfortable either. If you’re able, stretching and walking in the sunshine will at least add some comfort. Nothing is good but that’s no excuse to be an accelerationist to destroy your body.

Becoming healthy is tough and can suck. But being healthy is its own reward. I really enjoy eating clean, lifting weights, going on hikes in nature, etc. You can find joy in life through healthy living. YMMV if you don’t have the right attitude though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I enjoy being able to do physical activity, to be able to run, and enjoy life while I have it. Why would I actively want to be unable to do anything I enjoy?

Take it from someone who agreed with you 30 years ago: the health you ignore today will only cause you more pain, more stress, and more cost down the road. Even if you don’t live a long life, what life you do live will be a lot harder to enjoy if you’re not healthy.

Maybe my next incarnation will be better.

If I have to live a whole 'nother life after this one, I’m gonna be pissed.