If health means a state of physical, mental and social well-being, it cannot be something that each one of us can achieve entirely on our own.
The health of all organisms will depend on their surroundings or their environment. The environment includes the physical environment. So, for example, health is at risk in a cyclone in many ways.
Human beings live in societies. Our social environment, therefore, is an important factor in our individual health. We live in villages, towns or cities. In such places, even our physical environment is decided by our social environment.
Consider what would happen if no agency is ensuring that garbage is collected and disposed. What would happen if no one takes responsibility for clearing the drains and ensuring that water does not collect in the streets or open spaces?
So, if there is a great deal of garbage thrown in our streets, or if there is open drain water lying stagnant around where we live, the possibility of poor health increases. Therefore, public cleanliness is important for individual health.
We need food to be healthy, and this food will have to be earned by doing work. For this, the opportunity to do work has to be available.
We need to be happy in order to be truly healthy, and if we mistreat each other and are afraid of each other, we cannot be happy or healthy. Social equality and harmony are therefore necessary for individual health. We can think of many other such examples of connections between community issues and individual health.
