#Ethiopia #SundayThoughts
My parents & grandparents generations lived beyond 80. Quite a few 90+. Some even 100+. They remained healthy & strong until the end. One famous uncle, devoid of any major illnesses up until he reached 96, said on his deathbed “በሽታ መጣ ሞት መጣ።“
My parents & grandparents generations lived beyond 80. Quite a few 90+. Some even 100+. They remained healthy & strong until the end. One famous uncle, devoid of any major illnesses up until he reached 96, said on his deathbed “በሽታ መጣ ሞት መጣ።“
Here’s what I saw the old timers do:
1. They were all deeply spiritual, attended church daily & prayed several times during a day. My grandma had a መቁጠሪያ which helped her focus. This was a form of meditation. She had also become መነኩሴ & entirely devoted to the spiritual
1. They were all deeply spiritual, attended church daily & prayed several times during a day. My grandma had a መቁጠሪያ which helped her focus. This was a form of meditation. She had also become መነኩሴ & entirely devoted to the spiritual
Family was everything to the old timers. They had big families & lived together. Much time was spent to celebrate, grieve w/family. Being together was like medicine. They believed “የሰው መድሃኒት ሰው ነው”...
... One uncle came to Addis when I was only a kid. He was told there was better medical care here. He eventually asked to go back to his family “አባይን እንደተሻገርኩ እድናለሁ። He was right!
As deeply Orthodox people, they fasted nearly half the year, avoiding animal products. Most also abstained from eating anything for at least half the day during fasting days. We are now fashionably calling it intermittent dieting. 😂 😂
They ate natural food. No chemical fertilizers. Sugar wasn’t available. They ate plenty of whole grains like Teff, barley, legumes, & vegetables. Even when not fasting, meat wasn’t always so affordable. When they ate meat, they actually preferred the fatty stuff to red meat 🥩
They lived physical lives. They didn’t have gyms but their daily lives constituted physical labor and movement, at least lots of walking. My grandma always started her day with a walk to church and back, a distance of at least 2.5kms, even after she moved to Addis.
They lived in a world without modern power. No TV, no internet, no fridge. Food was freshly made. Social gatherings were the only entertainment. So they went to bed early and woke up early. They were sufficiently rested. And their brains got all that it needed from sleep.
Let’s all be wise friends. Focus on what’s important. The rest is details you won’t even remember.
Here’s CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta on lessons from other places:
Here’s CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta on lessons from other places:
