What does health really mean to us? A visit to the Stapferhaus.

Health is omnipresent - and yet we all understand it differently. For some it means fitness, for others inner peace, mental balance or simply the absence of illness.

Two days ago, my father told me about the interactive exhibition "Hauptsache gesund" at the Stapferhaus in Lenzburg - and today, on a very ordinary Thursday, I made my way there with my brother.

Because what does health actually mean - in Switzerland, in our system and in our everyday lives? What does health look like when you are ill? And what happens when what we take for granted is suddenly lost?

During the introduction, in which the question "How are you?" takes center stage, we cross a school class - perhaps fifth or sixth grade. As we walk past, I hear them discussing whether the question relates to the body or the mind. And I can't help but ask myself: did we even think about this when I was this age?

At that moment, I realize how much has changed since then - not only scientifically, but also socially. Confirmation follows in the next room: pictures of illnesses from near and far hang on the walls. I sit down on a stool, hold the loudspeaker to my ear and listen.

Their stories show how living with illness becomes a constant process of redefinition: Who am I with this diagnosis - and how do I move forward? Whether mentally or physically ill - what you hear from all those affected is the desire to have to explain themselves less, perhaps to be encouraged and to have their place in society despite their illness.

There are also activities for children throughout the exhibition - they can diagnose cuddly toys and join in with the grown-ups in a playful way.

When the elevator door opens on the second floor, we suddenly find ourselves in the "health market" - characterized by a variety of offers: Conventional medicine, alternative healing methods, surgical and intensive care medicine, but also sport and wellness. Much of it is interactive, and at several stations, people who work in the healthcare sector talk about their everyday lives.

Some have consciously chosen this profession, others have grown into the role of caregiver through the fate of a sick family member. As we listen to the voices of nursing staff from children's hospitals, Spitex or private institutions, I realize how much we live in a society in which health is celebrated - while illness is often played out very quietly. Perhaps because we don't want to surround ourselves with illness. Because we ourselves are so fixated on health.

At the end of the exhibition, you realize that no matter how healthy we live or what lifestyle we lead, no one gets through life unscathed. But perhaps that is precisely the point.

You are suddenly standing in a bright room, almost like in heaven. It's about the end, about death - and about the fact that it is just as much a part of life as health and illness. This moment feels calm, almost conciliatory. Perhaps because you sense that health is not only in the body, but also in how we deal with transience.

Perhaps true health does not lie in striving for a perfect body or a flawless life, but in consciously dealing with everything we encounter - including that which hurts or shows us our limits.

Health means staying in touch - with yourself, with others, with your own body. Listening to yourself before something gets loud. And finding small moments of care in the middle of everyday life.

Because in the end, it's not about staying healthy forever, but about living consciously.

Image sources: Stapferhaus / © Anita Affentranger