‘PREVENTION’ can be defined as any precaution taken to intercept a mis-happening, or to mitigate its possible adverse effects. ‘CURE’ is to tackle the misfortune when preventive measures are inadequate. It is always easier and better to prevent any ‘disaster’ than to hunt arduously for a cure when agonised by circumstances. Moreover, what cannot be cured has to be endured.
I certainly think that it is very true that “Prevention is better than Cure”, because, the possibilities of a cure can prevail only when there are ways of prevention. In a family, a child can be brought up to be a responsible and good citizen, only if his bad habits are nipped in the bud. A child’s character can be given proper shape only by appropriate techniques at a tender age. His qualities can never be changed once when he attains adulthood. Everything can be prevented at an early stage, but nothing can be cured in its extremities.
When we speak of illnesses, common cold and, or, flu comes to mind immediately. These illnesses can be prevented, although many people think otherwise. To prevent falling ill easily, one has to first strengthen up his immune system by eating well, sleeping well, and exercising regularly. To prevent insect-borne diseases, like malaria, insects should not be invited with an inhumane atmosphere in the house. Clean surroundings can effectively prevent breeding of mosquitoes and houseflies, at least in the close proximity, averting the necessity for anti-malarials. Various fatal diseases, like, tetanus, tuberculosis, polio, which were considered incurable, can be easily prevented now through efficient ‘Vaccination’ and ‘Inoculation’. ‘AIDS’, one of the most deadly and incurable of all diseases, needs no cure, if only one can prevent it through awareness.
‘Poverty’, – the most prevalent of all diseases, - can be prevented from afflicting succeeding generations, if the circumstances driving it, are averted now. Once education becomes freely accessible, unemployment will become rare, heightening the living standards of all. But once poverty prevails on a large-scale, no governmental aid can ever alleviate it permanently, because the roots will continue to boost poverty, making it incurable.
The proverb has vast implications in the natural world too! Today, environmental pollution has brought humanity to a state of ‘coma’. ‘Global Warming’ has altered the Global climate, which can disrupt ecosystems and ruin biodiversity. The world is suffering from acute energy crisis. All these irremediable problems can be prevented through sustainable living on Earth. Various ancient civilizations, like the Easter Island, bear evidence of how they were doomed to destruction, as they did not prevent the over-exploitation of their natural resources. Proper ‘Disaster Management Programmes’ can help people to eliminate the probability of a disaster occurrence and to respond to a disaster. This is obviously better than suffering the sudden and unknown effects of a disaster directly.
The wars that are fought, are the greatest instances of deficiency of the preventive attitude in man. The First World War had led to the rise of dictatorships, whose aggressive policies were not prevented. Finally, the Second World War was fought to ‘cure’ the dictators of their ambitious natures, which ravaged the entire domain of Humanity! In India, British intrusion was not prevented. Consequently, we had to live in fearful servility for almost two centuries, as there was no antidote to British imperialism. Thus, today, any form of unrest or disorder has to be settled immediately to allow peace and security to prevail.
Thus, it is a crucial time when man must understand the inherent aspect of the topic. Man has been using it as a proverb since time immemorial, but has never embodied it practically. All the present Politico-Socio-Economic and Environmental problems can be best handled when man understands the universal fact that –
“PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”.