MORAL STORIES

THE PERILS OF A PUFF

Dr. Samuel Johnson described the word 'cigarette' in his dictionary as "a white cylindrical object, which has fire at one end and the fool's mouth at the other." It was a humorous description of a great truth - it is foolish to smoke, as it is injurious to health. A brainstorming session was held in a seminar for youth to identify possible advantages of smoking. The conclusion was that a habitual smoker is saved from three things: old age, insects and thieves. [He will die young and so will not reach old age. Insects biting him perish, as his blood is too toxic for them. His persistent cough may interrupt a thief's operations].

It is estimated that smoking a single cigarette causes the loss of ELEVEN minutes from one's life span. The total loss in the life span of a habitual smoker can be up to TEN years unless he quits smoking earlier.

The Bible teaches that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit {1 Corinthians 6:19,20}. So if anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him {1 Corinthians 3:16,17}.

St. Peter appeals to us not to give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul {1 Peter 2:11}. Those who obey their human nature cannot please God {Romans 8:5-8}.

Smoking is highly injurious to the health of not only the smoker but also the innocent people who involuntarily get exposed to the smoke of the smoker. These 'passive smokers' become prone to a variety of deadly diseases. Hence active smoking is both a suicide and a homicide. It is thus against God's commandment, "Do not commit murder"{Exodus 20:13}. Let us lead a crusade against unhealthy and sinful habits. Let us pray for God's grace to sanctify our hearts, heads, hands and habits.

------------------------------------------------------------

By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.

This is story No.92 in this site. Please click ‘older posts’ at bottom of page to read previous stories.