Stretch Your Mind - Weekly Food For Thought 9ja2020

Too often we adults become complacent with our learning. We are content, folding our hands, feelings as if we know so much already. We think because we have a university degree (or several) then we Know-It-All already. Yet, the challenges of Life, in particular of Nigeria, demand that we continue to grow and stretch our minds. The easiest, most affordable way to continued education is through READING books. In the words of the children’s author Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.” To take YOUR future to new heights you must open your mind and learn. Each person who knows how to read has tremendous power to explore the world sitting right in your home!To take a lead in transforming NIGERIA you must have a voracious appetite for knowledge and wisdom. The books you read today are crucial to establish yourself as a progressive, determined focused leader.Choose your books wisely. Here are some suggestions to get you started this week:
1. Why not read the stories of leaders who were able to transform nations in the midst of terrible circumstances –those like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela?
2. How about The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind -- the story of a young African boy named William Kamkwamba who was considered crazy in his village for dreaming of and then building a windmill that powered lights and water pumps in his community?
3. Get inspired by people worldwide who are finding solutions to local problems. You can find many of these stories of local heroes at CNN (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive09/index.html . Be challenged out of your complacency and despair by hearing of ordinary people who are living heroic lives! If they can do it, you can too!
4. Study current events and find out how Brazil and India have progressed and developed their nations so quickly in the past decade.I BEG, (Let me use my Nigerian idioms for you), yes, I BEG, start somewhere this week. Surround yourself by good books and periodicals. Sit down and read rather than watching TV. Share the books you have already read with people who would enjoy them!You, your family, your community and your nation will benefit greatly if you make this simple choice.


Reading with you,
Patricia Omoqui,
The Thought Dr.
www.patriciaomoqui.com

(PANORAMA)

BY REBECCA AKINMOLAYAN

A RESPONSE to my last week’s article is that was it actually meant for Nigerians, how many Nigerians will enroll for a course in the Red Cross?What makes some people live long while their mates do not? It is a question that has dogged some of the finest minds for generations. A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits. If you adopt the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are that you may live up to the century mark. Though many are responding to the call to change in diet and exercise, the guarantee of living a long life goes beyond these rituals. Experts reveal that our position in the hierarchy of long life is influenced by two things — how much control we have over our lives and what role we play in society. This holds true for every group in society, from politicians to those living in poverty.It is all about our mindsets too. One thing everybody should know is that they own their bodies and are therefore responsible for what ever happens to them. Our thoughts lead to our actions and if you do not value your self, how can your take care of your body? Everyone should realise that he or she should exercise a level of control over his or her bodies. This was the original reason for the article. Also, anyone who wants to live long will not take unnecessary health risks. Tell some people to stay clear of tobacco; it is akin to banishing them to Antarctica. Limit the intake of alcohol, another no-go area and they want to live long. These are attractive poisons with chronic effects, that is, the results of their damage does not come immediately but many years later when you are counting your years and wishing to add more to them.How much do you know of your body? With so much information, ‘in the air’, many are still ignorant of how the body they carry around everyday works. And that is every small pain takes them to the dispensary and thereby render themselves open to exploitation by the unscrupulous. Study your body, it will save you time and money. It is not uncommon to hear many people when they return from overseas boasting of the superb treatment they got over there. Ask them about the treatment and the reason for it, they become speechless. When you visit the hospital, ask questions, and don’t let your body be used for guesswork or experiments.Be immunised; not against polio or tetanus this time but against the negative influence of life and the bad-belle people aroundFinally, enjoy your life, you only have one go at it.