Furniture, Knees, Gym & Household Help

Even as late as seventy years ago, the accepted mode of hospitality was to unroll a "chaapey" (a mat) on the floor, when visitors arrived. People would sit cross-legged on that & converse. Even now most Indian musical instruments are performed, sitting on the floor. Similarly, cooking & eating was also done sitting on the floor. Chairs, sofas & dining tables were unheard of.

The toilets were also Indian style (squatting). Western style commodes were a recent arrival. With all these inconveniences, septuagenarians & even older people were not experiencing any discomfort or knee pain till the end of their days.

Now with the advent of these modern (westernised?) comforts, people complaining about knee pain & even undergoing knee replacement surgeries as a routine geriatric practice has increased. One wonders whether the use of modern furniture leads to a collateral effect of knee replacement. To put it humorously, one pays twice, first in investing in modern furniture & secondly in knee replacement surgery!

As a corollary of the above, one can parody the immortal Jane Austen by saying "It is a truth universally acknowledged" that Gym users have a household help. Both have to be paid. It may occur to a rational mind to do the household work oneself, burn calories & save both expenses. In these Covid times, the risk from a help can be avoided. Also overexerting at the gym may cause even a death, like that of a filmstar.