Choice is a gift to humanity from ages past that can either make or mar us, and we are constantly bombarded with choices to make. Choices come when there is life and when that life is healthy. Have you seen a man with a terminal illness? Do you wonder what choice he would have if he were given one? You guessed right. Even if he has all the wealth in the world and has the choice to recuperate from his sick bed as a poor man, I bet you that he will. And I am certain you have heard or seen people die despite huge financial fulfillment concerning their ailments. This is a reminder that health is wealth, and anyone would choose to live a long life.
In Nigeria, long life is commensurate with good health and not necessarily wealth; hence, if I were to choose between wealth and long life, I would not think twice about embracing long life. Life may be worthless retrospectively in some parts or to some people (especially terrorists), but life in itself cannot be bought. The life expectancy of men and women in Nigeria has declined significantly, and on my part as a medic, I have seen young people die from ailments known to be common among the elderly.
Wealth is relative, and some can have their wealth in assets, banks, or even knowledge. Most of the time, wealth is tangible and is constantly recycled among people, day after day, years after years, and centuries after centuries. Wealth has significance only where it exists. Fine, we may have heard of the wealth of some people, the likes of Solomon and Job in the Bible, Jeff Bzos, Bill Gates, Aliko Dangote, etc., but these are little compared to living a long life. Long life in itself is a blessing that money cannot buy. The late Michael Jackson is a typical example; he had all the wealth he could muster to get the best treatment, but as earlier mentioned, long life is a gift that cannot be bought. Wealth, no doubt, has its role in prolonging life, but it can be very useless when fate beckons man to the world beyond.
Living a long life would enable me to see different phases of life, a touch of the young and the old. It would be interesting to see another generation of people in some hundred years impart knowledge or even learn from their new ways of life.
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