Only for the dead!

Probably under-rated with all the people smoking and abusing their health.

Not at all. It's under-rated because people dopn't take it seriously enough. They smoke, they live with air pollutants, they don't breathe deeply, oxygenating their whole body. Cancer cells can't live in a well oxygenated body so why don't we care more about our breathing?

It's an addiction. Probably one of the of the least often recognized afflictions. Victims can carry on with their daily lives almost unaffected, as long as they have unrestricted access to breathable air. Apparatuses have even been developed to allow swimmers to take supplies of air underwater so they can continue breathing. TO the breathing addict, nothing is ever allowed to interfere with breathing. Usually an addict uses regular breathing which most find quite inoffensive, but under certain stressful situations, an addict will resort to heavy breathing which can interfere with speech and has mixed effects on others in the vicinity. Some may take offence leading to a rapid exit, sharp words and on occasion, even physical violence. At other times, another addict may choose to participate in a joint heavy breathing experience where close oral contact occurs, a strange act which interferes further with 'normal' breathing and apparently greatly enhances the heavy breathing experience. During this time, logical thought seems to become impaired and participants may attempt to occupy the same physical space. This is of course impossible, but that does not stop the addicts making increasingly vigorous attempts to achieve it. On rare occasions an addict may indulge in running (or any of a number of related activities), which takes the addict through heavy breathing to a stage of wild uncontrolled breathing, called panting. Such is the power of panting that after a period of intense exercise, the addict will often cease all activity for a while to yield fully to the panting experience. It's not a pretty sight. It is worth noting that as with all addictions, the rewards lessen with frequent use. A runner may achieve panting after a few minutes at first, but if he persists in running, the time taken will inevitably increase in time. Sometimes an expert runner can run almost indefinitely without overt signs of panting, but now the insidious nature of the breathing addiction manifests itself. The addict enters a new phase and experiences 'runner's high.' Such a person is now irretrievable. It should be noted that the breathing addiction is so strong that any attempt to kick breathing is likely to prove fatal. Certain religious/philosophical groups have developed techniques that allow the practitioner to suspend breathing, but the relief is only temporary and breathing is always resumed after a distressingly short period of time.

No, but living sure is.

I hope not! could get risky if I tried to give it up!

try holding your breath for a couple minutes and tell me what you think...

Only if you would rather be dead.

Obsolutely! I gave it up years ago. :o)

Breathing creates Carbon Dioxide -- a known "pollutant" in the near-sighted world view of anthropogenic global warming zealots! These people encourage us all to reduce our "carbon footprints". Therefore, it may be safe to assume that they will soon beg us all to stop breathing, to save the planet or save the environment. To avoid the climate catastrophe they claim will occur, may I suggest that we begin by asphyxiating all environmentalists. (Breathing is indeed, overrated.) ;-)

Oops. This was supposed to have been a comment. Sorry.

I have asthma and trust me breathing is NOT over rated.