Just this morning, my 11-year-old son shared with me a “really sad dream”. Keep in mind that this is from a boy who watches very little war news, who rarely hears his parents talk of war, who has no relatives personally involved in the war. The dream went something like this:

All the fifth-grade boys from his school were soldiers in the war. Dylan and my son were on the Ukrainian side. Alex and others were fighting together with the Russians. These and other friends were found on both sides of the conflict, but none of them wanted to kill each other. They were actually trying to help and protect one another. Then a Russian soldier who was not someone the boys knew attacked Dylan. Alex and Andrew tried to warn Dylan and stop the attack, but it was too late. Dylan died. And it was very sad.

Besides the emotional power of the distant war expressing itself in my son’s life, what impressed me about his dream was that there were good people fighting on both sides. Is that an 11-year-old’s myth, or could it really be true? I affirmed (肯定) his concern for all the people directly involved in the war, all of which was pretty much in line with what the experts advise.

My son doesn’t get much news exposure from television, vastly preferring kid entertainment when he has a choice. And that’s. just as well. In fact, limiting children’s media exposure to war is one of the key suggestions the experts make.

However, there are questions and concerns. For weeks, my son has been praying daily that we will not go to war. Now he prays the war will end soon, and that people will not get hurt or killed. A few days ago, he voiced the almost casual question, “Will the war come to Oklahoma?” I answered no, and we agreed that we are fortunate to be far from the war. And yet, I think my son already understands that disaster — including the intentional horror of terrorism — can happen anywhere, like New York, Washington or even Oklahoma City. But still, that’s hardly the same as living with a daily personal fear or expectation of war reaching your home.

Tonight I kissed my boy goodnight and put him to bed, as again he prayed that God would help the war to end soon. I wonder how many more nights he will have to say that prayer…

With the recent discussion about the health benefits of fish oil and other wellness plans, it can make you feel less worried to know that one thing never changes: Exercise is good for your health. Any movement, even walking, brings about a host of cardiovascular(心血管的)effects that can help you live longer, feel better, and not run out of breath when chasing children or small animals.

The question of how much exercise is best, though, is open to discussion. The answer often depends on your goals. For heart health, sessions four to five times weekly might be perfect. For mental health? As The Independent reports, scientists believe there’s a pretty specific prescription(处方): Exercising for 45 minutes three to five times a week.

Researchers at Yale University and the University of Oxford made the study. They examined 1.2 million subjects(实验对象)who filled out the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey at two-year intervals(间隔时间)between 2011 and 2015.

Subjects who didn’t exercise at all had an average of three-and-a-half days per month when they felt mentally unwell — stressed, depressed, or suffering from emotional problems — while those who exercised regularly reported an average of just two days.

The study found that having three to five 45-minute sessions of exercise a week was best for reducing the reported problems of feeling stressed or depressed. Exercising for longer periods — some subjects reported more than 90 minutes in the gym — was connected with a drop-off in mental health benefits. Subjects who spent three hours at a time exercising actually reported an increase in depressive symptoms(症状).

Researchers also found that the kind of exercise undertaken made a difference. While all kinds of exercise helped, people who took part in team sports promoting social communication and gym classes like cycling described greater self-satisfaction with mental health.

Because the study included self-reported outcomes and exercise wasn’t monitored, it’s possible that the subjects could have misread the amount of exercise performed. The study, however, makes a convincing case for a popular opinion: If exercise were a pill, doctors everywhere would be prescribing it.