Discussion on QoL & VIPSI 2006

Purpose

This page is dedicated to different isues regarding Quality of Life (QoL) which were opened at VIPSI 2006 Bled conference. All participants of VIPSI 2006 Bled are wellcome to add their thoughts, impressions, ideas, .....

First chairman impressions

• The main focus of the conference was given to QoL. As most of the presentations were dedicated to solving different problems (optimizations), the impression is, that most of us believe that we will improve QoL by optimizing different processes in our life.
• I cannot agree with the above. I believe that the most important thing is the choice of the problems we want to solve. Solutions of certain problems may have very negative impact on QoL. We should first evaluate how these solutions (if we find them) will affect QoL. In order to do that we must know what QoL is, how to measure it, what are different aspects of QoL and how different factors (variables) affect QoL. I propose working hypothesis: QoL index is an (objective) measure of contentment (which is subjective).
• One proposition was that we should take care of ecology (drinkable water, preserve woods, ...). For me, there is no doubt: ecology is one the most important factors that affect QoL. We cannot talk of QoL if we do not have drinkable water.....
• One proposition was to give free education to everyone. For me it is not so very obvious that this will increase QoL. I can not find any proof that QoL of educated people is much better than QoL of uneducated people. There is always a question what is the subject of education. What we will teach? Who will decide it? Education can be very close to indoctrination and manipulation. There is also a question what is the idea behind (you can sell much more to educated people, they have more needs). I do not claim that education is bad, but i think we should be careful of who, when, what and why.
• Another idea: give cheap (affordable) computers and free information access to every one. ??? Does more information make us more content? Do we need information that does not require any action from our side? Is it not: too much information is like no information. Besides, I do not believe that QoL of a child playing a computer game or watching a horror movie (most of the movies are horror movies nowadays) is any better than QoL of a child climbing trees, playing on meadows, .... Is it not only realization of the idea: sell billon things for one dollar instead of selling one thing for billion dollars.
• We can reduce number of people on earth by controlling births (one child family). I can agree, that to much inhabitants on earth can prevent good QoL, however there is no evidence that les habitants would increase QoL. There is also question why such a proposition comes from New Zeeland which is far from being over-populated.

Above I opened certain dilemmas and I hope there will be some response.

And here are some pictures without comments to think about:

• I was delighted by closing words about koala and its usage of time. If I learned anything so far in life, it is summed in old saying: Perfection is not reached when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to remove.
• Another idea I am firm believer of: giving free education to everyone is excellent thing. Not just any education but the one about health and healing using natural resources, nutrition and things everybody have at the place they live (not some high tech procedures/operations or expensive medications limited to small part of the world). Knowledge of how to stay healthy by preventing desease and curing most of them in a simple way is very important for QoL in my opinion. Not to mention that just 1% of decrese of desease in world wold make 1% of world medical funds usable for some other purpose, and that 1% is a LOT of money (scary idea for some one profiting from that, I admit).

Bane

• Good point. There is only question who should educate who. Must "we" educate "them" or shut "they" educate "us". My idea is that it should be bidirectional. We can teach children, but we can also learn a lot from them.

Saso

Of course there is a danger of "wrong" knowledge. Good side of natural healing aproach is that is has no bad sideefects (no overdose, intoxination etc) and "medications" used are herbs and foods avaliable to most if not all people everywhere. So, everybody is free to try it out on her/himself and share experiancenses.

So I beleive a person should start by educating her/himself. I do the same every day, with great carefullness and sucess, using Internet. Then, present knowledge by word to other people and give them a free choice will they use it or just ignore it. No indoctrination or forcing people. Most importang thing in my opinion is just to give them a choice, to wake up their curiosity and awerness that they have "tools" to help themselves. I is up to them decide what will they do with it.

For example, a fact not known to allmost anybody (certanly not recognized by modern medicine) and definetely proven to be correct on myself and a lot of people I know and informed them about: a couse of most hart and circulatory problems like delieted veins (piles) and even heart attacks are caused on long run by rafined carbon hidrates we eat and it is curable in mater of months or years (depending on severity of case) by consuming cayenne (hot pepper) regullary every day.

In this case, knowledge base I am reseraching is found on Internet. And this particular source is life and work of Dr. John Christopher, a natural healer. A fascinating man with fascinating destiny. With a little will to test any of his recipess and explanations of disesase causes one can check for himself validity of his data. And that is a man who was capable to say with all justice "Cancer is not that hard to cure". A man had a knowledge. Anybody can have the same knowledge.

Bane

I personally believe in alternative medicine, however there is, at the same time, too much charlatanism. What is right and what is not? Who will decide? Censorship was not proven to be beneficial.

Anyhow, I hope that this discussion will not remain a discussion of two, discussing on alternative medicine. I expect some more suggestions on improving QoL. What can we do? What do we do wrong? Can technology, politics, humanistic, medicine, philosophy, religion, education, science, …. improve QoL? What are conditions? How to achieve that goal? What is QoL and how to measure it?

Ecology, education and self-education, Internet are important things and can improve our quality of life, but the basis is still money. QoL is a subjective thing, as it has already been noticed, but without the means to achieve it you won't get it. Economists and sociologists should help clarify what it is and how to estimate it. I personally think so.

Self-education by Internet is a great thing, but for a few, I am afraid. People get lost in the information it provides. We - who teach - should think how to do it in this situation.

A recent fact from my practice of teaching literature - one of my students reads books from the reading list on her mobile phone! :)

Violetta

There may be some truth above about money. But they say: money is not everything.... there are also gold, jewellery, stocks, ... :)

But, to be serious. We should not mix the tool (money) wit the goal (QoL). Money is just a tool. It is important how we use it. Suppose we have enough money, the question is, what should we do with it to improve QoL (ours and of others). What are priorities? Do we know?

Usually it is like that: To earn a lot of money you need a lot of time and no time is left for spending it. Is this QoL?

So, what I suggest is, that we try to find definitions of QoL. I already suggested that QoL can be defined as a measure of contentment. Any other suggestions?

Maybe it good idea to first determine different aspects of QoL. Economist Intelligence Unit proposes that these are:

• material well-being,
• health,
• political stability and security,
• family life,
• community life,
• climate and geography,
• job security,
• political freedom, and
• gender equality

I believe there are more and that not all of the above are equally important. If someone is interested, he can find some of my ideas in my paper from last VIPSI ( http://www.lkn.fe.uni-lj.si/lknpub/Clanki/2005/QoLTomazic.pdf ) or powerpoint presentation ( http://www.lkn.fe.uni-lj.si/lknpub/Clanki/2005/QualityOfLife.pps ).