Overview: Health and Wealth

Last week you read about and discussed freedom and security. This week, we turn our attention to our third and final social issue—health and wealth.

In our capitalist society, there seems to be ongoing obsession with money and material wealth. Everything from social media to rap music to reality television seems to fuel our desire for more money and for more things. Money and material possessions are central to our understanding of what it means to be wealthy.   Contrary to this ideal, Mahatma Gandhi explained, “It is health that is real wealth, not pieces of gold and silver.” While most would agree that healthy living is important, it seems as though our desire for health is often secondary to our quest for wealth. As A.J. Reb Materi put it, “So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” This may lead us to ask: What exactly is health? Furthermore, what role does wealth play in living a healthy life? One would only need to walk through the organic section of the local grocery store to realize that healthy living can be quite costly. In the same way, one would only need to review a recent medical bill to see that not living a healthy life can also be quite costly. As a society and in our individual lives, we must find ways to reconcile our need for health with our quest for wealth.

As you work through the content for this week, you will read, think, discuss, and write about the ways in which issues of health and wealth affect your personal and professional life. You should also consider your core values and how they influence your perspective and experiences regarding health and wealth. In addition, you will gain practice in interpreting texts by distinguishing fact and opinion. Finally, you will practice using commas and crafting concise sentences in your writing.

Week 4 Learning Goals

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

• Discuss health and wealth as a social issue

• Explain how issues of health and wealth play out in personal and professional life

• Interpret readings by distinguishing fact and opinion

• Make deliberate choices about comma use in your writing

• Craft concise sentences in your writing

• Write a summary-response to reading selections

 Due 

List of Topics and Sub-Modules for Week 4: Health and Wealth