Arts and Reviews

Learning how to age gracefully

Published by

A review of Ilemobayo Ehinmosan’s book, Graceful Ageing (A Compendium of Divine, Natural and Scientific Principles for Longevity) by Adekunle Olatumile.

Human beings by their nature are mortal. The process of death starts from the moment a baby is conceived in the womb to the day he/she breathes the last. Hence, it is appointed unto men once to die (Hebrew 9:27) and so death is inevitable.

Man is not created to die young as evidenced in the great books and expounded by different religions; for example, the Holy Bible gave the benchmark of between 70 and 120 years as the lifespan of man in this age.

To ensure  longevity for mankind, mother nature has provided resources for sustaining it: We have resources like potable water, clean air, sunlight, fertile land, forest resources, fruits and vegetables, herbs for medical care, fishes and animals for consumption. With all these resources in place and utlised moderately, man is expected to live a long and healthy life. Based on experience and observation in recent time, can we say man has been living a reasonably long and healthy life? The answer will probably be in the negative.

The United Nations 2021 data on life expectancy at birth in Nigeria was about 60.87 years. More specifically, this figure equaled to 59 years for males and 63 years for females.

According to the United Nations, life expectancy at birth in Nigeria is among the lowest in Africa, as well as in the world.

It is against this background that the author came up with the book. The 276-page book is published in Akure by Stebak Books and Publisher in 2021, and the ideas therein are presented in 16 chapters.

In the book, the author chronologises the trend of longevity in the Holy Bible down to our forefathers, then to the present generation.

The author cites and borrows from various sources to marshal his position. He quotes copiously from the following sources – The Holy Bible, books and journals, for example, Awake Magazine, Tribune Newspapers, etc, journalists and columnists, men of God, among others.

The author acknowledges and references the sources and authors of the materials, hence, the book is devoid of plagiarism.

The author provides definition and explanation of concepts and also presents balanced judgment in his position on issues. On pages 134-139, the author identifies family members as probable agents of early death.

He explains ways by which husbands kill their wives and by which wives kill their husbands. This is a deviation from the primordial bias among Ikale peope that when a man dies, the wife in most cases is accused of being responsible for the death, whereas when a woman dies, the husband is never accused of being the cause, even if it is glaring that the husband is remotely responsible.

The author is also humorous in his narratives, for example, on pages 65 and 66, he gives the narrative of a lady who is complaining about her big breasts and asking for drugs she can use to reduce the size so as to be attractive to men.

The book is replete with pragmatic counseling, suggestions and admonition, such that as a reader adheres to them, they will definitely enhance his good health and longevity. He also successfully provides education directed at combating the two main factors that impact on morality and longevity. These are diet and lifestyle

Therefore, for mankind to live a healthy and long life, there is need to put a lot of factors into consideration – spiritual, physical, denial, attitudinal, psychological, sociological and philosophical. The author has presented these in clear, lucid, poignant and explicit terms.

The author deserves commendation. His pedigree in academic, legal profession, public service, religious life and community service has imbued him with a great deal of life experiences and this, coupled with hardwork, he has presented himself as a prolific writer who does not put pen on paper just for the sake of writing, but writes on themes and issues that shape mankind and human society.

I, therefore, recommend this book to anybody who wants to live a healthy and long life.

  • Professor Olatumile is of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.

 

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

I study 10 hours, sleep 5 hours daily — Imo first-class graduate with perfect 5.0 GPA, Igboanugo

Igboanugo Annastatia, who graduated with first-class honours, in this interview, reminisced about memorable moments that

PHOTOS: How Aquatech College was demolished ‘with students on site’

It was a traumatic experience for students of Aquatech College of Agriculture and Technology on Thursday, as

OFFCUT: You are only seeking relevance, ministerial position — Netizens slam Fayose’s support for Tinubu

Nigerians have slammed Former Governor of Ekiti State Ayodele Fayose over his sudden support for President Bola Tinubu, saying he only

VIDEO: My father deflowered me at 10, made love to me thrice weekly, Lady opens up

A young Nigerian Lady identified as Precious has revealed the horrifying ordeal of how she has been sexually abused by

Ronaldo beats Messi to become world’s highest-paid athlete

For the first time since 2017 (and third time overall), Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, earning

The anarchy in the South-East

THE ongoing horror in the South-East being perpetrated by suspected members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of

Recent Posts

Niger govt allocates N3m for ward devt projects across 274 wards

The Niger State Government has announced the disbursement of three million Naira (₦3,000,000) to each…

2 minutes ago

PDP chieftain distributes water to Sokoto residents

As part of measures aimed at alleviating the ongoing water scarcity in Sokoto metropolis, Alhaji…

4 minutes ago

US, Iran close to nuclear agreement — Trump

He described the latest negotiations as “very serious” and aimed at achieving “long-term peace.”

6 minutes ago

SEDC: Group cautions against blackmails, falsehood

"We cannot under any guise become our own enemies, we have it on good authority…

8 minutes ago

IYC calls for restoration of democracy in Rivers

“The people of Rivers state deserve lawful governance that will give the people the needed…

13 minutes ago

Peace talks: Ukraine, Russia trade words over Putin’s absence

“At first Zelensky made some kind of statements that demanded Putin come personally. Well, a…

27 minutes ago

Welcome

Install

This website uses cookies.