Another Story That Might Actually Mean Something to Us

Moving on from yesterday's post about media stories that might actually mean something to us, here's another one: Prince.

Yes, that Prince, the one who died recently. The one who was apparently a great star and innovator in the world of certain strains of popular music. (I won't even attempt to characterize Prince's oeuvre; it's frankly a bit above my pop music pay grade.)

For those with short memories (and who's not on that list these days?), here's a quick reminder of the story:

Six days before he died, the 57-year-old musician overdosed on the painkiller Percocet while on a flight, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., a law-enforcement official said. Hospital staff revived him with a dose of naloxone, also known as Narcan.

Now, before the full toxicology results are in, this article brings up this salient point:

While the cause of Prince’s death remains unclear as authorities await toxicology results, Prince had what appeared to be prescription painkillers in his possession when he died at his home outside Minneapolis, the law-enforcement official said. Plans to get him help from an addiction specialist came too late.

While the focus of this article is on the use of prescription pain killers which, because frequently used to excess, have spawned a line of other drugs intended to reverse the ill effects of addiction to and overdose of pain killers, there's a more general issue here that affects all of us: not just prescription but over-the-counter drug use. Examples of over-the-counter would be Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil (ibuprofen), all those cold and decongestant pills and liquids - in other words, stuff that relieves physical pain. Add to these the laundry list of drugs prescribed for, among other things, anxiety and stress, and you've got literally buckets of pills and liquids that American ingest, sometimes daily, just to get on with life.

What's wrong here?

Well, many of us think nothing. We're grateful that modern science and medicine has discovered all these wonders to make life easier for us. And there's some wisdom in this line of thinking - that is, if you're talking about vaccines and modern "miracles" like antibiotics that stopped life-threatening and devastating diseases like pneumonia (which used to commonly kill its victims) and polio (which crippled them, sometimes terribly, for life). But let's please not include in this categorythe guy or gal who ingests Advil at the first inkling of ache or pain from over-exercising; or all those who live day to day on various designer drugs that reduce the everyday stresses and anxieties that come with being a human being living in a complex modern world.

It's the mentality of pill-popping that's spread out like a cloud of locusts and settled on every branch and blade of grass. So many of us don't think twice about seeking "relief" whenever available - whatever form it takes. It's not just pain but any form of discomfort that sees us reaching for the chemical of choice that makes everything all right - or so we think.

Whatever happened to toughing it out? Suffering of any sort simply makes no sense to so many. Why suffer when you can avoid it? And so we not only fatten up, like pigs ready for slaughter, but soften up like milk fed veal, prepping ourselves for someone's gourmet dinner plate.

Is this any way to live?