Ideas rule the world. But have you ever stumbled on some ideas that are sold and bought, but turns out to be a monumental fraud? Much touted year 2000 mass
Impetus to accept a way of doing things is usually not without its philosophical underlay. This being the case, ourcurrent approach, we hope would purify our thinking from misconceptions. What about ridding the mind of someideas? Attaining that height would be interesting. Who knows a reader could immeasurably be on a plain that will deepen his perspectives. That would be a milestone!
If some African ways of living in the past had engendered good health, perhaps, longevity, then it can be a useful code for surviving the harsh world. It should not be cast into the dustbin of obsolete ideas. Primarily, Africans who are in a state of dualism – living in two competing worlds, need motivation to convince themselves that what was left behind can still meet some pressing health imperatives of the day. It needs to be re-engineered and branded. The basis of doing so should be evident.
Technology has contributed immensely to health; big buck for medical and pharmaceutical concerns of the western world and lately the Chinese. Would some analysis of aspects of African survival codes to good health proffer useful hints towards the gnawing health needs of the continent and the world? This is not the case of ‘my Mercedes is bigger than yours’ mentality. As we are won’t to say in Africa, “Your father’s big farm is not sufficient reason to deny the existence of another man’s farm”. Africans are undeniably operating in the last stratum of the world’s political, economic and social ladder. The health sector is a big challenge. But some facts about our past and present ways of living can inform the present. The younger generation is largely marooned in discussions about healthcare needs of our time. Can they learn something different?Yes, they can be encouraged to synthesize divergent, oftentimes confusing thoughts arising from avalanche of information and misinformation.. Surely, decoding survival codes of African health is an invitation to unify mutilated ideas that can grow your thinking and health; who knows, longevity could result. Is that not a bonus in a continent carrying the burden of one of the World Health Organization (WHO) worst living index? That is enough motivation to digest it. Let us go.
Health and wellness are expanding industry across the world. Concerns for good health stretch millennia, attracting attention of slaves, nobles and kings. Kings have been known to organize alchemists for elixirs of life. In Africa, royalties have devoted prophets, clairvoyants and wise men to the major duties of life-extending delicacies and activities.
Aspects of modern technological advances in health are consciously dovetailed towards improvement of health, by implication extending longevity. It would elicit less controversy to aver that the entire human race seem to desire at varying level, good health, perhaps, for many long life. Sterile debates on the desirability or otherwise of longevity would surely engender heat and fury. It should not detain us here, It makes sense to agree that there are many philosophical positions on this debate. However, desirability of good health seems to attract lesser debate. Obviously, unhealthy body and mind could hardly attain some level of aspirations since in such sub-optimal, incapacitated situation, aspirations, tend to lower and deem. Even for those who may claim higher thrust for achievement under depressed condition, ill health and un-wellness easily work as disabling forces towards the capacity to aspire and attain higher goals.
Really, state of health and wellness transcends religious, intellectual and philosophical argumentations. Some may debate what good health means. A sick person may not always know he is sick, but as the situation deteriorates, the body could give away indications of degeneration. Hence people may say one looks sick while others who out of their religious convictions would admit “it is well”. Admitting such a state consciously is an acceptance of achanged state – some may call sickness, un-wellness or body and spirit disequilibrium.
Medical science approaches in many societies are oriented towards diagnosis with a view to helping the sick. Admittedly, ill-health and un-wellness have many causative factors and identifying such state in some cases goes beyond admissibility of such a state by the affected person. Yet, if ill-health and wellness are mere philosophical and spiritual speculations, as some would posit, individual, state and multilateral budgets devoted to this would be mere exercise in futility. Besides, budgetary and compensatory allocations for health in employment situations would question man’s rationality. In business, profit motive is dominant road way to decision making. We are saying that as in generations past, we agree that there is a state of good health. Some are in this state and those who find themselves outside this zone, no matter the length of time, aspire to return to it. Efforts are made through various methods to attain it.
Various opinions often characterize the affairs of mankind. Our analysis is not which one is superior to the other. Oftentimes, various schools of health improvement have erroneously devoted valuable time to this unprofitable debate. It usually ends in mudslinging, up-man-ship and great losses to the constituency such debaters’ claim they want to assist – unwell and unhealthy mankind. Perhaps, if such time is used at improving specific area of competences, it may help mankind. We know that underlying strength to these arguments find their names in self interest which could be political, economic, financial and social. We aspire to distance ourselves from this heat and fury.
