Question

What do you believe about health, illness, and death? How does your identity group memberships, such as your gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, profession, etc. influence your belief system? How open are you to seeing the similarities and differences between your belief system and those of others?

Answer 1

1. Health , illness and death

( In my view) Health is a state being free from physical or psychological disease,  malfunction or illness and also the health aspect should cover the area of social wellbeing also. It is a disease free condition of the patient, and covers the aspect of both physical and psychological. Many psychological factors cause illness in a healthy body. Example: Emotional or psychological stress causes headaches in some healthy persons. A person who is physically and psychologically  healthy , should make his social environment healthy by maintaining good socialization with the other members of the community and fulfilling his responsibilities towards society, while enjoying his rights. Then he wil enjoy the  good health.

Illness, simply means that an instance of a disease or poor health. Illness can be in any area, such as physical, mental or social . A person who is physically healthy, but if he is not enjoying a peaceful or happy life , then he will not be healthy mentally. He may worry about many things in the life and gradually it may cause   physical illness and  social impairment in his life. Illness or bad health may be in any realm, such as physical, mental, or social.  

Death is a cessation of life and all associated process. It is the end of an organism's existence( on earth) as an entity independent from its environment and its return to an inert, non living state. ( in my view) This end of life of a person happened only in the body and on the earth but it is not the complete end of the organism. As all God fearing people ( I also see Death as a great sleep and the Soul/ spirid has no end .It will return to the creator. Human being is not an intelligent animal, as some say. He is specially created by the Creator, and he possess an inner man/ Spirit, which no animals has.

There evidences of After life and now there is a branch of study   and is called NDE ( Near Death Experience). It studies about the experience of a person who faced death and came back to life. Most of them are had a similar experience that while experiencing death, they felt that ' they are travelling through a tunnel like thing and some experienced great peace and light at the end , but some experienced great worry and fear while passing through the tunnel.

2. An individual's identity group, memberships can surely affect his belief system especially the beliefs on health, illness and death. A health professional view health and illness based on his studies and knowledge and they will have right view on health and illness, when comparing to common man and other professionals some time. For example As a health professional ( I view) illness is a state of disease that may be caused by infection, injury, or nutrient deficiency, over nutrition etc, but certain religious members think that it is a punishment from God or it may due to a curse .

Gender difference will not affect much belief system, but females will be more emotional to illness and death. They are concerned about health also rather than male gender.

Ethnic groups are different in their view on health, illness and death. But improvement in education made their view on health and illness almost same. But regarding ' death' , they still have different views. Majority of South Asians are believing in a ' Rebirth' after death.

Social classes or social economic status of a person can influence his belief system . Lower or middle class people thinks that just a sufficiency in their food , clothing, shelter and no much hospitalization, then they and their families are healthy. People belong to high socio economic status may view a high level wellness in their health, finance and a good profit in business and a good status in the society as a healthy state. They may spend more money on nutrient supplements and surgeries and other unnecessary medical procedures to be healthy.  

3. As a health professional I check that whether my belief system is scientific or having a rationale anda also I respect the health belief system of others ( other gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status). Even as a health professional i try to convince or educate a person , have different identity or membership, who has a faulty health belief , to  right and scientific view. Health education and creating awareness in public is a responsibility of a health professional.  

For example: A mother, who believe that the first breast milk is not good for Newborn's health, As a health professional , I have a responsibility to educate her on the importance of Colostrum on baby's health , still respecting their religious beliefs.