Persuasive Artillery

Seniors are not the only ones who are bombarded with persuasive artillery. It affects toddlers as well. Ever watched a mother in the supermarket trying to reason with a toddler who wants what he or she has seen on TV? Well, another column on the subject of bombardment. It never ceases unless we retreat into total isolation (which isn’t recommended). If you are on certain mailing lists, you will be surprised how many relative topics you might receive as well as those irrelevant.

I am the benefactor of numerous financial blurbs, regular mail as well as e-mail, on how to get rich quick. At my age, that could sound tempting but then, what would I do with a lot of extra money? And I mean a lot of extra money (these hucksters aren’t talking small stuff).

On Sunday, our minister spoke on stewardship, admitting that this isn’t a popular topic but he loves to preach on it because it works for him. To sum up he gave three points (good homiletics): Give to God first, Save next, Live on the rest (maybe not exactly as he put it but close). For him it works, and believe it or not, he said, it also works for the church.

So, you don’t have to worry about getting rich (or richer) if you were worrying about it because it is a worry most seniors don’t really need.

The next bombardment is health hints (or maybe more than hints). Now, most of us I suppose could use a good hint or two to improve our health. However, a whole book or magazine of hints can be overwhelming. Yes, some hints are at times rather contradictory, not only in our limited experience but also due to simple logic (which some of us tend to jettison at times).

Our senior moment may be when to indulge and when not to indulge in healthier foods, fads or fashions (or get rich schemes). Here’s an example. Many of us do not drink enough water. My neighbor physician years ago recommended 16 8-ounce glasses per day. Others suggest half that. Maybe this is more realistic than pragmatic.

I was sent an article by a friend which I read with interest. On the other side of the paper was another article which I also read titled Smart Water or Smart Marketing? by Molly Freedenberg. It caught my eye and even though I had my own opinion about bottled water, it reinforced my thinking. It stated that this $9 billion bottled-water industry is making a killing, second only to carbonated beverages and more than the movie industry. Molly talked about Filtered or Purified waters, Distilled waters, Spring waters, Mineral waters, Oxygenated waters, Fruit-flavored waters, Vitamin-infused waters,  Electrolyte-enhanced waters and Sports drinks.

The bottom line? Bottled waters can be overused and become abusive to the body. They can be an unnecessary expense. They can be essential where water is questionable, unavailable or does not taste good. And bottled water may encourage a person to drink more. The article’s final judgment?

“Most people don’t drink enough water, so whatever encourages them to down some--whether bubbles or B vitamins--is a good thing. But as for the benefits of super-duper-über water with special powers and secret ingredients? You might get more from the funny text on the packaging than you do from the water’s contents.”

Maybe packaging isn’t all bad.