Which in your opinion is more important – a healthy body or a healthy mind. Give relevant arguments to support your opinion. This Argumentative Essay was asked in ICSE 2000 board exam. You can find Previous Year Argumentative Essay Topics asked in ICSE board exams.
Argumentative Essay ICSE 2000
Which in your opinion is more important – a healthy body or a healthy mind. Give relevant arguments to support your opinion. (ICSE 2000)
Introduction:
A healthy mind is more important.
- A healthy mind enables one to differentiate between good and bad.
- It is more lasting and increases with age.
- Increases by use and sharing, imbibes knowledge making one powerful
- Influences life of self and others, examples of Mahatma Gandhi and Helen Keller.
- Influences one’s personality
Conclusion:
An essential prerequisite to lead a happy life.
Man is the only creature in the entire universe blessed with both a body and a mind of its own. This makes him the crown of creation. A healthy body is necessary to live, but in the absence of a healthy mind, one is no longer a human being, but more akin to an animal. Thus in my opinion a healthy mind that makes one do good deed is more important than a healthy body.
A healthy mind makes one a good human being, enabling him to differentiate between good or bad, virtuous and evil. It is because of this that all religious scriptures try to mould the mind of the followers, so that they can lead a good and pious life. In its absence one cannot lead a happy life.
The body is subject to ageing, while the mind is not. A healthy person with the passage of time, grows old and infirm, while the mental faculty on the other hand increases. One becomes more mature and wise. People come to seek advice and guidance from him.
The mind, unlike the body, is also unaffected by fatigue and overwork. On the contrary the more one uses it, the more perfect it becomes. It enables one to imbibe knowledge, that can be used for the betterment of self and the society. The power of knowledge, if used judiciously, can make one advance in life. There are numerous examples of people with strong mental strength and frail constitution, managing the destiny of nations, holding sway over millions of other wise well-bodied people.
A person blessed with a healthy mind also influences the life of others. Their impact makes people change their life and career. Mahatma Gandhi, with a frail constitution, led the country to wage a war for independence. His unique approach of non-violence and truth shook the mighty British Empire. They were in mortal fear of this frail; semi clad fakir as they called him. We also know of Helen Keller, though blind and deaf since birth, led a normal life. These souls achieved greatness by sheer dint of strong willpower, endowed by a healthy mind. They are the source of inspiration for thousands of otherwise able-bodied men and women. It is thus evident that a healthy mind can more than make up for a frail or even a physically challenged body.
The mental strength of a person has an all-pervading impact on his life. It moulds his personality by making him more humane, loving, compassionate and caring. These qualities endear him to people in society. A healthy and strong body lacking a good mind is no better than a beast. This is so because people remember one by deeds and not looks.
Undoubtedly a healthy mind is more important, than a healthy body for it is an essential prerequisite for leading a normal happy life. John Ruskin rightly said, “Remember that the most beautiful things are the most useless, peacocks and lilies for instance.”
Assignments
- ‘For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds, Lilies that fester smell far more than weeds.’Discuss.
- ‘The mind is in its place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.’ (Milton) Discuss.