There are a few things in life that you simply
can’t just ignore, no matter what rules you think are silly or customs you find
unworthy of following. A few of the things on this list include eating (you
have to eat to survive), consuming water, wearing clothes, and keeping up with
your hygiene.
While all humans pretty much follow the first
three to survive and protect themselves, there are some who don’t do the
fourth. Now, sometimes that’s because of the conditions in which those people
live. This is something that is out of their control and must be understood
simply because they may not have running water or access to hygiene products.
But that doesn’t comprise the entire group of
people who don’t follow hygiene rules. There are a select few who decide not to
shower for weeks or brush their teeth ever, and this is when it becomes out of
hand and can be at the fault of the person who does it.
The main reason hygiene is so important
actually doesn’t boil down to societal “etiquette”, as some may guess. Rather,
it comes down to health. Health is something that is collective in a society.
If some people refuse to vaccinate their children, they can compromise their
community at large. Just as well, if someone at school doesn’t ever shower or
brush their teeth, they can spread germs or even certain infectious diseases to
classmates around them.
This is why hygiene is a responsibility of
people, not a luxury (at least in developed nations). By refusing to clean your
body, brush your teeth, and try to keep up on cleaning your clothes, you’re not
only putting your own health at risk; you’re putting the health of others
around you at risk too.
That doesn’t even go to say that the social
responsibility of trying to stay clean for smell reasons is another factor in
the conversation of why hygiene is so very important.
So, not only are you in charge of your own
hygiene because of health reasons for yourself, you’re held responsible for it
because of the health of others and the
daily living of others who may have to smell you and be around you. If access
to hygiene and water is involved, you’ll never be faulted. But in the US,
that’s not usually the case 99% of the time here in a developed country.
