The hustle and bustle of life. The rush and rustle in human existence. But why do human beings get immersed in the hustle, bustle, rustle, and rush of life? I know why. It’s a strife to survive today and secure tomorrow. No one abhors a breakthrough. None detests success.Show me that man or woman who wants to make life’s back-of-the-bus their abode. None that I know. Everybody wants to make it in life. No one wants to be left behind and left out of what makes life a beauty. That is why we struggle and hustle. But must you kill yourself?
In the process of striving to hit the goldmine, men work hard. In the onerous odyssey into the land of milk-and-honey, men sweat. Men toil. Men lose sleep. Men burn the midnight candle. And then, men burn out and burn up. They break their bones and mash their marrows. They get sick and ill. They get afflicted bodily and infirmed spiritually all because they have compromised on rest and restfulness. They believe they are invincible. They believe they are supermen who will forever be young and strong. They believe they are immortal as their bodies react in protestation to the inner bodily battery and exhaustion as a result of overworking the frail human frame. And they believe that routine medical check-ups are not even necessary. What a warped belief.
And then one day, bodily organs that once worked droop and drop in functionalities. It’s commonsense, isn’t it? Body organs immersed in pernicious pressure get choked up in the pressure-cooker of life. When men are supposed to put their feet on the brakes, they slam on the throttle. Instead of going at 45 miles per hour, they dash daringly at 100mph. Then they lose control. They lose their minds. And they lose their lives. Just because they could not discern when not to put their feet on the brakes and get them off the throttle. Must you kill yourself?
I read up on this story from an anonymous source. I crave your indulgence as I share it with you.
An Airbus 380 was on its way across the Atlantic Ocean. It flew consistently at 800 km/h at 30,000 feet, when suddenly a Eurofighter with a Tempo Mach 2 appeared in the same skies. The pilot of the fighter jet slowed down, flew alongside the Airbus and greeted the pilot of the passenger plane by radio:
“Airbus, boring flight, isn’t it? Now have a look here!”
He rolled his jet on its back, accelerated, broke through the sound barrier, rose rapidly to a dizzying height, and then swooped down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He looped back next to the Airbus and asked:
“Well, how was that?”
“Very impressive, but watch this!” the airbus pilot answered.
The jet pilot watched the Airbus, but nothing happened. It continued to fly straight, at the same speed. After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radioed,
“Well, how was that?
Confused, the jet pilot asked, “What did you do?”
The Airbus pilot laughed and said:
“I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the washroom, then got a cup of coffee and a chocolate fudge pastry.”
When you’re young, speed and the adrenaline seem to be great. But as you get older and wiser, you learn that comfort and peace are more important. The average life span of a rat that runs from place to place is only 18 months. The shrew runs 30mph; and eats double the size of its body weight. Its life span does not go beyond two years. Check out the hummingbird in a zoo near you. Its heart rate is 1200 beats per minute, it pants 250 breaths per minute; travels 30 mph; eats food half of its body weight on the dinner table; and then slumps in surrender to death at 3 years old. What about the robins that build their houses in only two weeks but only live up to 12 years?The monkey with banana in its mowing mouth jumps from tree-to-tree all his life but lives for only 12 years. You probably love the cheetah that speeds fastest at 75 mph. After the racy life, she lives only 12 years chasing something she never could catch. But visit the tortoise in its cave. It runs in no competition with the cheetahs or the monkey. On the highway of its shelly life, the tortoise takes it easy at 0.13 mile/hr. Must you then wonder why it lives for 200 years or more! Have you ever heard of live fast, die young? The more active the animal, the higher its metabolic rate. Animals with a high metabolic rate die early, and those that burn energy more slowly plod on for decades.
My friends, I know you want more. But don’t forget that rest is a fundamental part of success, health, and happiness. No matter what your schedule or task list may look like, resting and unplugging is vital to your long-term health.The human body is built to thrive in a series of short sprints, not a maddening marathon. This is why breaks are necessitous. When you rest and take requisite breaks, mental health is promoted, creativity is boosted, productivity is increased, and stress is reduced. Adequate rest helps your body activate its inner healing cascade and return to a state of homeostasis. This is when your body can repair and recover. After much hustle, bustle, rustle and rush to hit the goldmine, rest is best, my friend. You must live, and not die before your time.
Years of life do take their toll and human vigour wanes. Vision dims and the world blurs while the winter years keep you close to the fire. In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.The shades are pulled down on the world.You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.The hum of the household fades away.You are wakened now by bird-song.Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.Your hair turns apple-blossom white. Those who are older and weaker rebel against this life’s reality. In their younger years they sped like the cheetah. In their older years, they strive to keep the same velocity instead of moving like the turtle. Why must you kill yourself before time?
Twitter: @FolaOjotweet
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