Liberia: On Keeping Healthy While Aging

By the Grace of God, July 17, makes me 81 years of age. Some friends have advised me to share my secret about keeping healthy while aging. I am taking their advice by writing this commentary, ‘On Keeping Healthy While Aging’, because I am very fortunate to be reading without eyeglasses and driving to Nimba at midnight without glasses.

The most important aspect of keeping healthy while aging is Trust in God because God is the only one who creates us and God is the only one who can take us away from Planet Earth. This Role of God is found in the Scriptures of the Holy Books of all religions. In the Holy Bible, from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Chapter 22, Verses 34 to 40, Jesus Christ, the only child of God who came to Earth in human form to Save Lives engaged in sin, worshiping false gods, says that the most important Commandment of God is to Love God first and then your neighbor as yourself. From these words, it is most important to Walk The Talk of the words, “Not For Self But For Others."

Many refer to Africans, including Liberians, wrongly as heathens with no belief in God when, in fact, the belief in God's response of nearly all Liberians is found in the Liberian languages, such as Ngala kpor ga, “God bless you” (Kpelle); Ah po Glaypor nzuo, “we thank God” (Bassa), Kamba mu tayee beh, “God be with you” (Vehyee, wrongly called Vai) and Ah bisiaye Nyihnswa, “we praise God” (Kraowihn, wrongly called Kru).

With the Trust in God, we can Walk The Talk of the Romans through their language spoken before the coming of Jesus Christ and the coming of Mohammed: Mens Sana en Corpus Sana, a Sound Mind in a Sound Body. These words tell us that a Sound Mind and a Sound Body work together. Keeping mentally alert helps one to be physically alert and keeping physically fit helps one to be mentally awake. From my Grandparents and my Parents, with their religious background, I learned to trust in God and follow this learning. 

No wonder my Parents were Teachers and my Father was a Founder of the Legendary Bame Football Team, which got its name from Kraowihn, meaning Bameh Pleh, we are prepared to die for our victory. In my Walk The Talk about learning from my parents, I played football at the College of West Africa (CWA) and tennis as well as while winning a scholarship to study economics in the USA. There in the USA, I had an academic scholarship and a sports scholarship, making it possible for me to study well and complete the doctorate degree in economics at the age of 27.

Prior to returning to Liberia, I worked for a year in an advisory capacity with the anti-poverty program of the USA under the USA Office of Economic Opportunity, USA Presidency. Upon my return to Liberia, I taught economics at the University of Liberia and served as Advisor to the President of Liberia. In sports, I concentrated on tennis and became the tennis champion of Liberia and retired undefeated in 30 years (1964 to 1994). During those years, I played international tennis and played against two world tennis champions, Arhur Ashe of the USA and Fred Stolle of Australia.

Recently, someone saw me and told me that my Wife, Fatu, was treating me badly because I was not fat in body. I shook the person's hand and squeezed it. Immediately, the person yelled telling me to stop the hand squeezing. Then I asked the person: "what do you prefer, fat or fit? The person responded “fit”. Then I said, “I am fit.” My Wife, Fatu, plays a major role in keeping me fit mentally and physically. She and I are on the same morality page. We see family as not only related to blood.

In fact, 17 persons who lived in her parents’ home were not blood-related to them. 15 persons who lived in my parents’ home were not blood-related to them. We have devotions regularly, thanking God for all conditions of life. Fatu, with Bachelor and Master Degrees in Management and International Relations, respectively, is a good manager. When we have occasions in our home, market people, workers, students, and former Presidents of nations are treated the same.

No food goes to waste in our home because we give food to our neighbors frequently and help neighbors with advice and examples of how to get food. The best way to help anyone with food is not to just give food but to help the person to know how to grow food so that the person will not be depending on you for food and being a sycophant, saying yes when the answer should be no because the person wants to be getting your food.  

Finally, what matters most is Trust in God. Then do good not for yourself but for others. Family is not by blood alone. Marry a good woman because a good woman is a Wife and a Mother, who cares and saves lives. Be faithful to your Spouse. Be at home every day and night after working outside to earn a living. Stay away from drinking liquor, smoking, and taking dangerous drugs. Exercise regularly, like walking, stretching, strengthening muscles by pressing on walls, and doing some push-ups. Eat cassava, local potatoes, and cereals for breakfast. Have some rice but mostly vegetables and soups for lunch. Eat fruits at night before eight, at least three hours before sleeping. Sleep for at least six hours. 

Remember that God does not give you a burden that you can not bear as long as you do the Will of God.