{"id":44644,"date":"2025-10-17T21:48:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=44644"},"modified":"2025-10-17T21:48:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:48:44","slug":"a-humorous-dialogue-on-the-expanding-waistline-shame-and-the-mauritian-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/a-humorous-dialogue-on-the-expanding-waistline-shame-and-the-mauritian-dilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"A Humorous Dialogue on the Expanding Waistline, Shame, and the Mauritian Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Socratic Dialogue<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By Plutonix<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Characters
\nSocrates<\/strong> \u2013 Timeless philosopher, transported to modern Mauritius.<\/span>
\nSam<\/strong> \u2013 A social commentator, lover of briyani and paradoxes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates:<\/strong> My dear Sam, I must confess something troubling. I have walked through your capital, Port Louis, and observed a great mystery. People speak much of \u201cfitness\u201d and \u201cwellness,\u201d yet everyone seems to be holding a drink the colour of melted sugar, and walking less than a snail on vacation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> (laughing) Welcome to Mauritius, Socrates. We talk of wellness as we chew. It\u2019s our national philosophy \u2014 eat first, regret later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates:<\/strong> Regret later? Is regret a dessert? For I see much of it in the eyes of those who say, \u201cTomorrow I start my diet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: You catch on quickly. It\u2019s true \u2014 obesity is becoming our new national challenge. The press calls it an \u201curgent public health crisis.\u201d But most people prefer to see it as a personal lifestyle choice, at least until their doctor says, \u201cYour sugar level is higher than your salary.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: And what is this \u201cobesity\u201d? I recall no such word in the Agora of Athens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: It\u2019s a polite way of saying \u201ctoo heavy for your own good.\u201d The medical people have a formula for it \u2014 they call it the Body Mass Index.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: (scribbling on a napkin) So they divide the body by itself? Ah, this is modern metaphysics!<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Not quite. They divide the weight by the height squared. If the result is over 25, you\u2019re \u201coverweight.\u201d Over 30, you\u2019re \u201cobese.\u201d Over 35, you\u2019re \u201cin denial.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: I see. So, numbers now decide virtue and vice. In my time, we measured excess by the number of amphorae of wine consumed at a symposium.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Our amphorae are called \u201ctwo-litre soft drinks.\u201d And we share them with as much devotion as you shared your dialogues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: Tell me, then, why do people permit their bodies to expand beyond what nature intended? Have they mistaken comfort for happiness?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Ah, that\u2019s the paradox. We live longer but move less. We eat faster but think slower. The fast-food joint has replaced the philosopher\u2019s portico. People now seek instant satisfaction \u2014 not wisdom, just Wi-Fi.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: So, the gods of your age are named \u201cDelivery App\u201d and \u201cAll-You-Can-Eat Buffet\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Indeed. And they are merciless gods. But it\u2019s not only about appetite, Socrates. There\u2019s shame too \u2014 the public kind. Obesity is mocked, laughed at, even in schools. Yet those who laugh often hide their own soft bellies behind loose T-shirts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: (nodding) So the obese are punished twice \u2014 once by the body, again by society.<\/span>
\n
\nSam<\/strong>: Exactly. In most cultures, people pretend it\u2019s a moral failure \u2014 as if fat were proof of laziness or weakness. Yet in some societies, roundness was once a sign of prosperity. In certain African or Polynesian traditions, it still is.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: Ah, so in some lands, the fat man is wise and fortunate, while in others he is shamed and whispered about?<\/span>
\n
\nSam<\/strong>: You understand perfectly. In the West, thinness is power; in the developing world, abundance was once prestige. But now global culture has exported the shame. Even in Mauritius, people hide their curves and buy \u201cslimming tea\u201d by the carton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: (stroking his beard) How curious! Humanity invents new forms of unhappiness faster than new philosophies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Yes \u2014 and the tragedy is that while the stigma grows, the problem itself expands. In our country, almost three-quarters of adults are above their \u201cnormal\u201d weight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: By the gods, seventy out of a hundred?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Roughly. Men and women alike, though women are slightly ahead. The reasons are many: desk jobs, cars, stress, screens, and the irresistible call of fried noodles at midnight.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: You speak as if gluttony has joined hands with technology to enslave mankind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: That\u2019s one way to put it. We no longer need to hunt or farm; food hunts us instead \u2014 by delivery, by advertisement, by algorithm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: And what of your schools? Do children learn to discipline both mind and body?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: In theory, yes. In practice, they have Physical Education once a week \u2014 and half the time, it\u2019s cancelled because of \u201cbad weather\u201d or \u201cmissing footballs.\u201d Meanwhile, the canteen sells pastries, and “gateau bringelle” and “gateau pomme de terre” shaped like temptation itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: (raising an eyebrow) And the parents?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: They\u2019re too busy, or too tired. Many work long hours, so they turn to drive-thru meals. You see, Socrates, modern life conspires against moderation.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: Moderation \u2014 the virtue of all virtues! Without it, even wisdom becomes vanity. But tell me, Sam, why is such secrecy and shame around obesity? Would it not be better to face it openly, like any other public concern?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: You\u2019d think so. But body image is wrapped in emotion. People feel exposed, judged, and humiliated. Some even avoid doctors out of embarrassment. The social gaze can be crueler than the illness itself.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: In Athens, we discussed our flaws in the marketplace \u2014 perhaps too loudly! But here, it seems silence has become the preferred exercise.<\/span>
\n
\nSam<\/strong>: (chuckling) True. We exercise restraint more than our limbs. And social media hasn\u2019t helped \u2014 filters and \u201cfitspiration\u201d posts make everyone feel inadequate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: So even the thin are unhappy! You mortals have found a way to make misery universal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Exactly. We live in an age where no one feels good enough. And yet, ironically, everyone keeps eating to feel better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates: (laughing) You have achieved a perfect philosophical circle: shame leads to eating and eating leads to shame.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: We call it \u201cthe Mauritian cycle of comfort.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: Tell me then, how does your government respond? Do your rulers promote temperance and health as the ancients once did?<\/span>
\n
\nSam<\/strong>: They try. Doctors urge people to eat more fruit and vegetables and less fried food. But some fruits are expensive, vegetables less glamorous, and jogging in some neighbourhoods feels like a contact sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: And yet, as you say, the problem persists. Perhaps because reason alone cannot conquer appetite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: That\u2019s your field, Socrates. Convince people to love wisdom more than fast food, and you\u2019ll save the nation.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: Then let us attempt a small experiment of reason. Suppose I asked a person: \u201cDo you desire health?\u201d He would surely answer yes. Then I ask, \u201cDo you act in ways that promote health?\u201d He might hesitate. So I continue: \u201cIf your actions betray your desire, do you truly desire it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: And the poor fellow would feel guilty and order another burger out of frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: (sighs) Modern philosophy indeed requires stronger patience \u2014 and smaller portions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Then how would you cure this epidemic, Socrates?<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: By replacing shame with curiosity. Instead of asking, \u201cWhy am I fat?\u201d ask, \u201cWhat makes me eat without hunger? What comforts me more \u2014 food or fellowship?\u201d For no one who eats in the company of good friends needs a double portion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Beautifully said. You\u2019d make an excellent public-health philosopher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Socrates<\/strong>: Then let us imagine a new Mauritius \u2014 one where people walk in parks, not malls; where the only thing \u201csupersized\u201d is conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam: And perhaps, a world where people judge less and laugh more.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: Indeed. For laughter burns calories \u2014 though not enough to replace exercise, I\u2019m told.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: (smiling) Then let\u2019s keep laughing \u2014 for health, for sanity, for the absurdity of it all.<\/span>
\n
\nSocrates<\/strong>: Agreed. And now, dear Sam, shall we walk to the food court \u2014 purely for philosophical observation, of course?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Naturally, Socrates. Observation requires a full stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 17 October 2025<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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