HEALTHY LIVING MILEAGE – SAFE AT ANY SPEED?

                 Healthy Living Mileage – Safe At Any Speed?

 By  Chukwuma Osondu

To understand life well is an ongoing journey. It could be hard without the right knowledge. Experience may not totally hold the key. Still it gives an offer that could make a difference. Yet those who out of immodesty claim mastery of it all are sometimes shown their limitations in a bold relief or in subtle ways.

So where does the man with unwashed hands stand in his desire to dine with the emperor?

Who really qualifies to say a word about healthy living?

Is it only for experts? When should our youths begin to think and live healthy?

We know experts are trained on their jobs. Often, their ways are varied, changing with time, opinion, environment and circumstances.

The internet’s “this is right for you any time” is there too to contend. Ever sprouting up advice on healthy living, some are with meaning, others meaningless – even ridiculous.

What about our older folks with experience? Do they instill in our youths enough healthy living consciousness at an early age? Do they engage in any advocacy in this matter?

In some way of life they do.

Even if they don’t, try to be like the wise slave who learns as sons of the free are instructed. Wise persons these days don’t wait till 40s and 50s of age to start thinking how to make money or succeed. They aspire to succeed early and retire early. Entrepreneurship is now taught even at home before school.

What about living and eating healthy?  Many youths and their parents leave this out to experts even in our traditional societies. Many young persons wait to think about it later when the body is facing the consequences of youth.

 What can help one make healthy living decisions at an early age? This is not a very easy subject. But as we glide, perhaps, we may make some sense that could add meaning.

Life of a youth is buffeted. Youth implies bubble, delight, and confusion. It is ears without hearing. Eyes without seeing. Sight without insight. Action without forethought. Exuberance and tears.  Yet, this mix is the soil on which the seed of the future is sown or crippled.

It reminds me of a teenager who every day rattles with his power bike he proudly calls ” super machine”. Any time he visits, he riles us with his ‘super machine stories’. In a care free manner, he puffs cigarettes as he declares his mileage with his machine. He gives the air that burning of a candle at both ends makes it last longer! Watching the teenager in his vain, an old man sitting nearby would softly but sadly say “unsafe at any speed”, “youths dalliance with Devil” “O! dinner with the devil is no dinner”

Healthy living for young people? Can you discern the mismatch above?

Yeah.

Your acceptance today that there is a natural over look, a delusion, a disposition to screen off issues, darken opinions, shifts responsibility on healthy living as a young person perhaps, delivers the import of this page.

If you capture this you have won the battle.

Even with this victory, achieving your health mileage is dependent on many factors. Some within you and with you, others perhaps beyond.

Good.

Begin to observe your healthy living mileage as you drive through life.

Inheriting a strong gene – genetic generosity in your health mileage is great, experts say. But like great wealth it could be wasted.

A guy proudly but ignorantly tells you “my father smoked and lived for 100 years.”

Does this illusion hold? You may as well type, click or punch 1000 Amen on a symbol, picture or name in the Internet as some of our locals do to bring a change instead of positive action you are capable for right outcome. Or as you travel in your car, speed dangerously while playing local gospel songs as some public transport drivers do, thinking it averts accidents. “Charlie”, that gives you no real boom but a bang especially in youths healthy living.

The power of faith is great.

 However, take action.  Do the right thing early. Prayer they say is not a substitute for earnest effort. There are facets to your father’s life or the old generation you may not clearly know. Don’t waste your genetic generosity.

You wouldn’t want to throw away your bonus to the dogs!

Some youths confuse good lifestyles of their folks as family heritage.

I know a family reputed to produce oldest men and women in a community – brothers, sisters, cousins. Longevity seems to be their birthright.  They ensure they have dinner ahead of twilight. When they see others cook late in the night, they enquire if it is for breakfast. Life style and other factors left with them what many thought a heritage.

But what happened years later? Generations after could not sustain the tradition – folk’s good life style.

New ways have wasted old ways. This seeming birthright has disappeared.

 Any thought provoked or lesson learnt? Provide your own answer. You are involved.

Inclusive in healthy living is physical, spiritual and environmental factors. They all meet beyond simple knowledge. The physical is seen. The spiritual- unseen (thoughts, ideas, values,) guides your physical. The trio can affect each other for good or bad.

Endeavor to put the three in perspective while reviewing your health millage.

The elderly, the wise, in this journey can tell us a lot more how life style impacts on healthy living. It speaks volumes as one age. Do not wait till this time to appreciate life style great relationships. My folks used to say that if  you don’t like a good thing done early, then “kill  your firstborn son at birth.”

Hardly.

 “You cannot feature in a future you cannot picture”.

As I stated elsewhere we think in pictures. Let healthy living be a constant picture on your mind, especially in your early years. Don’t misuse your genetic generosity if you have any.

Healthy living is a broad experience you should not leave to experts or surrender to online horde.  Take action and responsibility.

You have a hand.

Discriminate to imbibe and imbibe to discriminate.

Read more in my book, The Way Up Connecting the Dots

The Author is a blogger – imaife.com