World Mental Health Day~ 10th Oct 2014

Have you ever wondered why whenever someone gets a broken leg or arm, everyone starts to ask questions as to how they can help and this is always a case of concern. But when it has to do with the brain, people often give that look as though the person maybe crazy. The brain is the most important organ likewise the heart. If someone's Brain isn't functioning well, it automatically destroys every aspect of that individual, they could sometimes be 'lost' or 'broken' because what happens in the brain controls our entire body. Mental health has emotional, internal and physical impact. 

Today is marked as the "World Mental Health Day". It is aimed at promoting the issues regarding mental health and breaking the stigma facing people with mental health issues. The world is a tough enough place without kindness of others, we all face and fight inner battles no one knows about. But there are people fighting these battles with the feeling that they can't win, but will. They are worth being a global concern, cos the stigma and how we view mental health needs to change. Let's help raise this awareness and care for people who are in need of it.

The Independence we want~ Healthy Independence (Nigeria @54)

It's that time of the year once more where a giant nation Nigeria, celebrates its Independence Day. Our journey of striving and sacrifice, corruption, great achievements and missed opportunities dotted with the threat of terrorism, yet we are sailing through the verge of new opportunities. As the nation celebrates its 54th Independence Day, there is a sense of pessimism that swirls the current state of affairs in the country. Be it the economic realities or the political discourse in our strong and influential country; the general impression is that positive things about the country are hardly heard in news discourse.

Hence the spirit of Independence Day is not just to celebrate our "officially becoming a country", it also boils down to celebrating the values that this great nation was founded upon. The independence declaration was constituted with the theory that every individual has inherent rights; which includes "right to good health". In other words every individual has a right to live healthy and the government is obligated to provide access to quality healthcare among other social amenities to its citizenry in a convenient environment and at affordable costs. A country's healthcare system is expected to gear its focus on health protection, promotion and prevention and the government's responsibility to achieve these objectives cuts across its different tiers. Presently, health care in Nigeria is a privilege because only people who are wealthy enough to pay for the services have access to medical care, hence, the essence of "right" is denied. However, guaranteeing access to and controlling the costs of health care is complex undertaking that is uncertain. But to successfully build Nigeria's health care, we must first realize that no health care system is perfect even the most developed countries, cos each health care system tries to meet certain priorities, and in doing so each has disadvantages and advantages. According to Barack Obama, "Health care is the economy," and fixing it would free up money for other priorities, such as education, industrial innovation and social amenities. Therefore, it is clear that both Health and Economic growth are fundamental determinants of the human right to "life": Poor health obviously shortens human life, and so does economic poverty.

In summary, let's all strive for a HEALTHY INDEPENDENCE rather than a "jolly"(merry) independence, by doing so, we are paying tribute to those who struggled for the freedom of our nation and those who laid down their lives for liberating our motherland. Let’s walk together to enable each other share the progress and prosperity of the nation. One Love, One Nigeria.

FLOspiration...

“MY BIRTHDAY THOUGHTS"

Rather than money, than fame, than love…give me truth.” ~ Flo
I woke up this morning and my biological clock ticked, firstly I spent about three hours in the early hours to sing praises and give thanks to the Lord for his mercies so far. After which I dozed off.....

 Waking up again at past 5 o' clock, the first idea that popped into my head was to pack a small suitcase, get on the train and move to city far from Nottingham, if possible change my physical appearance such as my name, hair colour (or do a plastic surgery if needed) that simply means starting life from the scratch. Sincerely, I shy away from life when It gets difficult on how to deal with it and most times fight the ones that are not tough enough.
But I just realized that am old enough(LOL) to be used to all the dark moments of life including the good times and am still young enough to absorb more, this is because am of the belief that inside every old man is a young dude, wondering what the hell happened… But I wouldn't win a gold medal even, by disappearing from challenges in life, cos a true warrior moves through with and for life.
Well, this was a wired thought cos, I jumped up from my medium size bed and washed my face, weighed the cost of running away and fighting these issues, I had a cup of squeezed orange juice and contemplated on a third option.

I know this is how most of all feel in life most times, your life is a house and all other things are just mere projections, shadows of greater structures, a constant process, even our beliefs, deepest thoughts, are just subject of interpretation. All our constructions of reality, all the words and ideas we use to understand the world are fragile and temporary, they are a medium, they’re not the end, but just another way to understand our journey in life. This simply gives you the freedom to adapt to any unexpected changes and to even pick them up when the smallest, sudden movement, brings down any of your structures.

Loving the questions means to love yourself. ‘As much as you know you’re the biggest question mark the world has ever known.


So here is the only thing I could think of blogging today, let's do it together: a tweak to your usual bucket list. Some questions I should myself and likely you too can join to ask ourselves (hopefully) before we depart. Grab your note. Turn this into a self-inquiry exercise. You will be surprised at all the subterranean world that comes out of you. And it might just save your life  by bringing it back on track right:
‘Cause there is no truth other than your truth – as long as you exist. Somebody else’s won’t do. And you know how most doors are opened? Not by struggling to find the right keys. All you have to do is knock.

I'd like to re-evaluate the meaning of life and knock on doors I don’t have a key for. Maybe my higher self will open and we’ll sit and chat, and between one aha and another, we’ll have a sip of truth that feels like home.
Please not that: You may have asked yourself or are in the process of answering some of these questions. If so, a bit of repetition will only help you get clearer with yourself. If not, they should be in our starter school curriculum. But most of us get to 30, 40, 50 or even spend our entire lives as strangers to ourselves. So shall we get re-introduced?
How much have you loved? Count the people. Add it up. When it comes to love, I’ve always felt in red numbers. I’ve been so focused on the minuses, I have no idea how to answer this; and these minuses, all based on the not-enoughness – the virus most of us suffer from, the glass half-empty, glass half full, the “but” – the “won’t” – the “can’t” – the “don’t” — the “what if",  why not", when will".

So if you’re in red numbers too, let’s put the ball back in our court. How much have you loved? Have you loved even when it hurts, when you can’t, when you shouldn’t, when you wouldn’t, when you didn’t – just because love is a verb not a noun and it’s the hardest and most amazing gift of life, most importantly God is love. If so, you are actually more rich than you can imagine.

What do you love doing that you aren’t doing? Furthermore, how could you get paid for doing what you love or how can you earn a living out of what you love doing? Let’s brainstorm. God has given you the right to be alive every second of the day. You’re not supposed to spend 8 hours in chains and the remaining 4 getting high on mental and physical distraction to cope with the depression of not doing what you should, what you want, what you need to be doing, what the world expects of you.

What person or type of person would you choose as a life companion? For the singles...A witness to your life? Forget the should / the cant's / the wont / the impossibles. Who would you love and who would love you back if you could have a say in it? Cause see, your say in this makes all the difference. When you say your dreams out loud, you turn on the engine. It’s like this whole life is waiting to come rushing out of you and in wishing it — out loud — you open the gates and give it permission to happen.

Where do you want to live? Are you happy with your life where you are? Could you be happier somewhere else? It’s true that you can be home wherever you are. But it’s also true that some places are more in tune with the kind of life that comes bursting out of you. There’s nothing more inspiring and motivating than good company and an environment that reflect and support your mission.

What do you want to accomplish? And most importantly, why — what’s your motivation? Be unrealistic. Life itself is unrealistic. Your very existence is as random, impossible and unrealistic as it gets. Only unrealistic people accomplish extraordinary things.

What do you want to be remembered for? Write it down. This is the man / the woman who _______________. Take your time.

What kind of life would make you jealous? And why? If you could start over, what would your life look like, right now? (pss…you can – but shh, don’t let your doubts in on this yet – they’re going to ruin everything).

What adventures do you want to have? Can you list five? Adventures aren't’ just for children — or maybe the 10-year old in us never dies. And it’s that inner child that really loves and lives life for what it is: the greatest adventure in the universe.

If you had to add something to humanity, what would your one contribution be? List it. The world doesn't owe you. You owe the world for living in it... The good news is that whatever the answer to this question, you’ll enjoy doing it. Your mission is encrypted in your blueprint.

What are your ghosts? Your unspoken demons? The stuff you keep in your closet under a lock? What are you most deeply afraid of? Say it out loud. Get real with yourself. It’s how you conquer them.

Who do you love the most? What 10 people would you put on a lifeboat in case of a universal tsunami / unexpected tornado / zombie attack or any other realistic end of the world? Make a list. You can have a million friends on Social media, but at the end of the day, you’re lucky if you can find 10 people you would die for and who would die for you. Email them as soon as you can. Remind them that if the world ends tomorrow, they’d be on your lifeboat.

Truth is…you never know if the world will end tomorrow. At least for you. And human beings are the most forgetful animals. Do you eat, drink and sleep every day? Then love everyday too.

What worries you the most? Why? Worry comes from fear. And most fear is imaginary. Fear of the Thing is not the Thing itself. Learn to distinguish one from the other. It’s as simple as asking Why.

Life is a constant flow of questions – meaning is always in the making and it is constantly being created as we speak. The ultimate meaning of life then is the One that creates meaning: the traveller (not the journey), the subject (not its objects, ideas, circumstances, possessions), the lover (not the love), the way seer (not the way), the warrior (not the battle)…you...

It's my birthday and I paused to think about these thing. It must not be your birthday for you to do this.... Thanks to Angela who shared her thoughts as well. Have a blissful year.