health vs wealth

i was absent from work last night due to severe stomach pains that i have been feeling for the past 2 days but just tried to ignore. i am a person who has a very high tolerance for pain, which really scares me because im not sure if i am already putting my life on the line because of it. my sister once told that one of her acquaintances is suffering
from colon cancer at the age of 34, that really scared the hell out of
me because we are almost of the same age and i often get tummy aches like this but always try to shrug it off as a mere tummy ache that could be solved by taking meds.

last night i wanted to go to the hospital for a check up but then i thought that i might get confined, just like what happened the last time i went there with a tummy ache i got confined for 3 days because of gastroenteritis. this i cannot risk now because i have just recently moved to my new job and have yet to enjoy the privilege of having leave credits. at the moment with 1 absence and 2 tardies i am on the brink of getting a CA (corrective action), which would really upset me because i never got 1 for my previous jobs and add to the the fact that i won't get paid. today i am still not feeling well and is still struggling to decide whether to go to the hospital or not. now this makes me wonder, is it all worth it? is is really worth it to sacrifice one's health over work?

i have always been vocal about how i despised the way the world is today. one has to work to earn money so that he could buy himself things. oftentimes these are things that are not even that important for your daily survival because what the human body just needs to survive is food, shelter and clothing and that's it. gone were the days that people led simple lives, planting rice and growing their own crops and raising livestock for their family's consumption. now everybody has to work so that they could cover for the family's expenses. we work 5 days a week, have fun during payday, rest for 2 days and then work again. it's just a vicious cycle. no wonder companies invest a lot on medical benefits of their employees because they know that they need it. my previous company's health card even covers P500,000/illness/year beat that!

come to think of it, if your life is as simple as just spending time relaxing in the province, away from the materialistic cosmopolitan world, you won't need any of that. just a sturdy roof over your head, decent clothing and good meals served by your mom is enough to make you enjoy the rest of your life. this is what my mom and i are planning to do once she retires, but to be honest i'm thinking of doing it at the soonest possible time. not because i'm being lazy but because i think i have already reached the realization that the most important thing in my life now is just being with my family and taking care of myself. but then again, can i afford it? and that brings me back to the same question, health vs wealth???