Obesity in America has been on the rise for some time now. It is common knowledge that obesity leads to many significant health problems and can greatly shorten one's life span. Some Americans are outraged that today in a civilized society we as a nation can allow this trend to continue. Schools, restaurants , and even certain states are attempting to or have already banned certain foods or methods of cooking that add trans fats. While some believe that there should be more laws and regulations to stop the upward trend of being severely overweight, I believe that obesity should be allowed to continue without any intervention. In the long run it will be good for our nation.
The Declaration of Independance states that we have the God given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There is nothing more connected to personal liberty than what foods someone decides to put in their bodies. If we allow our society to make rules and regulations regarding what someone can eat, then there is no limit to the liberties we will surrender. Some would argue that since being obese can lead to a premature death, we have the right to interfere to ensure the safety of our people. Smoking, consuming alcohol, driving a car, walking downstairs, playing football, sleeping, swimming, running, and even showering could all potentially lead to death. Do we have the right to create laws to regulate those activities as well? It almost seems harsh and callous, but either you believe in freedom and liberty or you don't. To truly believe in freedom, there is no way to be ok with any rule, law, or restriction on what or how much someone chooses to eat or how little they choose to exercise. It is better for our nation to secure our personal liberties than to strip our freedom to prolong the life of people who would otherwise choose to eat too much and/or exercise too little.
Aside from rare medical problems, the only way for a person to become severely overweight is to consume many more calories than are burned off. Everyone knows that obesity leads to severe health problems and even death. People that choose to become or remain obese either aren't intelligent enough to understand the relationship between what they eat and what they weigh, or they simply do not care that they are destroying their bodies. I am in no way advocating that because they are overweight that their life is less worthy or they deserve to die young, but in a time where resources are few and people are plenty, shortened life spans from less productive members of society is not necessarily a bad thing. It may seem heartless to some, but it is the survival of the fittest. People will either change their ways on their own or die out from the consequences.
Is obesity bad for our nation? Of course it is. A portion of the people are eating a large portion of the food supply while others go hungry. Do we as a society have the right to change this? If you believe in the Constitution, then no we do not have the right to control what or how much or how little someone eats or exercises. Is it sad that people shorten their life spans by eating their life away? It is beyond saddening to almost heartbreaking, but it is their choices alone that will lead to their death. As saddening and terrible obesity is for our nation, it would be worse if steps were taken to change it. Allowing obesity to run its natural course is the only way to secure what is left of our freedoms. Maintaining our personal liberty is the only way for our nation to prosper, therefore allowing obesity to continue is actually good for our nation.
