The Truth About Emotional Heartbreak

WHEN A HEART IS ‘BROKEN’

Greetings brethren! I wish to commence with two distinct messages; what you owe me is to grant me a listening ear. Mind you, failure to be all ears might cost you an irreplaceable fortune. To before warned is to before armed.

First: don’t be afraid to give up the good and go for the great. On the other hand; every scar has a story, so you shouldn’t be afraid to tell it. Yes you ought not to be afraid to surrender any good thing in your possession in order to embrace great ones. Also, you mustn’t shy away from telling a story that you experienced no matter how it pains to do so.

Don’t forget; a person who chases two rabbits concurrently, catches neither. Thus you must let go of one of the rabbits if you really want to catch any. Furthermore, for everything you have lost, you have surely gained something else in return.

If you closely and wisely consider the above statements, you would notice that they are talking about two things. Of course the aforementioned messages are discussing the importance of two major factors, namely: sacrifice and sharing. Yes they are all preaching the essence of sacrifice or sharing, or the need to sacrifice something if you are determined to acquire something else as well as the need for one to share his/her bad experience with someone else.

Believe me, it is important to share a bad or unfair experience with someone because a word of encouragement after failure or having encountered a detour worth more than an hour of praise after success. Therefore share any experience with someone because if you wait until you’re ready, I’m afraid you may be waiting the rest of your life. In the same vein, there’s need to sacrifice something in order to obtain something great or for the sake of embracing the ‘Best’; Abraham laid a good example on sacrifice and we are expected to emulate that.

Three weeks ago, I was opportune to find myself in Abuja – the Nigerian capital territory for a certain convention. During the ceremony, which lasted for forty-eight hours, I ran into a colleague who confided in me and told me that he was passing through a heartbreak due to the ‘heartless’ gesture displayed by his purported fiancée. According to him, the lady in question left him for another man who resides in Germany without any prior notice or signal.

Heartbreak can be described as very great sadness or unhappiness. In other words, a heartbroken person is one who is extremely sad and upset. Among mankind, the term ‘heartbreak’ is often used when one is passing through an emotional trauma having being hurt by his/her love-partner; and this is the area where the context of this edition lies. Let’s ride on!

In recent times, heartbreak attributed to love-affairs has taken a different dimension in such a manner that most youths see it as a way of life. This alarming shape of heartbreak has prompted several reactions and counter-reactions among psychoanalysts. Frankly the ongoing mode of heartbreak as a result of love-affairs has called for urgent attention from all concerned institutions and stakeholders.

In this edition, I only have a candid note for that person who thinks that his heart has broken because he/she is being ‘dumped’ by his/her so called love-partner or fiancée as the case might be. I’m personally more concerned in this aspect because I’m of the view that many people have ended up ostracizing themselves or even committing suicide, all in the name of ‘heartbreak’.

If I may ask, what makes you think that your precious life has come to an end because someone just left it? How could you in your right senses think that someone leaving your life is a sign of ‘End of the road’ or ‘End time’? Don’t you know that someone leaving your life could be a sign of blessing? Thus, it often calls for thanksgiving whenever a certain fellow/partner has left our lives, unless in the case of death or eternal demise.

I know it is not easy to completely forget the good moments you have shared with your loved one, but sometimes we should be ready to let go; because the person’s departure could be an avenue of ushering in a better fellow or the person you’re destined to spend the rest of your life with. Therefore we must always be willing and prepared to sacrifice someone for another. If someone leaves your life, it implies that, he/she doesn’t deserve you; and that’s the way you’re expected to see it, rather than witch-hunting yourself.      

Even if the person left your life due to a spell casted on him/her or as a result of ill-health, the only thing you owe him/her is nothing but prayers. And as you pray, you must remain faithful because faith conquers everything. Believe me, faith is the most ultimate among all spiritual factors; it yields patience, optimism, determination, and what have you. I want you to note that despair is one of the greatest sins, if not the greatest, in existence.

And we ought to endeavour to share our experiences with other persons close to our lives, because a problem shared is half solved. The person you shared your plight with, might be the one that would help you to be free from the trauma. For instance, sharing a spiritual problem with your spiritual director or a man of God is definitely a pathway to solving or unravelling the predicament. Also, sharing your emotional plight with a psychoanalyst or psychologist, or an inspirational tutor, is no doubt an avenue required to solve the problem in question.

If death has robbed you of a partner or a loved one, leave everything for God. After all, He was the one who provided the person for you; so He must have a reason for taking him/her away from your life. Besides, death is a certainty and an inevitable scenario, so we must at all time be ready to absorb the pains it brings.

Sometimes we pour too many words on a certain unfavourable circumstance or whenever we are passing through an emotional trauma, thereby constituting more problems not just for ourselves but for generations yet unborn. Most times the only remedy to a predicament is simply silence and prayer coupled with faith. In most cases, silence is expected to be broken when the person involved intends to share his plight with a concerned fellow or one who could be of help.

Sincerely, it is time we started seeing some estrangement as a mark of blessing. At this point I repeat; don’t be afraid to give up the ‘Good’ and go for the ‘Great’. Think about it.

 

FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com 

+2348028608056     

Demeaning Reading Culture Among The Youth

DEMEANING READING CULTURE AMONG THE YOUTH

Brethren, have you ever in your lonely mood imagined being blind? I know the question might sound a bit weird considering the gravity of the imagination in question. Please don’t get me wrong; I’m only trying to fathom a certain vague phenomenon that’s presently telling on my person.

Penultimate week during a moment of solitude, I took my precious time right in my humble abode to romance over some ongoing anomalies passing through most societies in the world. Prior to that moment, I was personally and deeply affected by the said factor, which I lately tagged ‘a societal canker’.

Honestly, some of us who found ourselves in the writing profession (field) may on a very fateful day decide to quit or take an eternal leave from the field. I’m glad you actually know the difference between French leave and eternal leave; therefore there’s no need throwing more light.

Of course if writers are not being read by their target audience, then the writing profession would be considered to be worthless by the writers themselves. Same scenario is not unlike seeing a fashion designer whose wares are not being admired by the members of the public.

Frankly, the current demeaning reading culture among the youth is not only negatively affecting the writers, bloggers, journalists, or as the case may be, but the society at large. No doubt, it has eaten deep in the blood vessel of the countries concerned.

The lack of reading habit found amongst our teens is solely attributed to the aforementioned anomaly (culture). Yes, how do you expect the teenagers to appreciate reading whilst the set of people they are meant to look up to is nothing to write home about as regards reading?

Without mincing words, our youths have really derailed in regard to reading, education generally. None of them, or only a few, wishes or thrives towards actualization of academic success via hard work; rather, they prefer indulging in impersonation, examination malpractice, sorting, among others. It is even more pathetic to notice that the so-called parents or guardians seem impervious to these naughty and shameful acts. Let’s ride on!

Even those who spend virtually twenty-four (24) hours daily on the social media find it difficult to digest any educative or informative article/opinion, instead they prefer going through series of gossips, pornographic images, silly write-ups and what have you, as well as watching several indecent movies.

In spite of the fact that the newspapers, magazines and other periodicals can also be read or accessed on the internet or the social media, still you hardly see any youth that takes time to digest the contents of any publication online. The idea of publishing the softcopy of news bulletins online was considered worthwhile by the publishers owing to the fact that many people could not afford to purchase a hardcopy of any of the newspapers/magazines; yet our young ones find it difficult to be informed by those costless news. It is really disheartening.

Each time I remember that my country, Nigeria is taking a lead in this absurd and disgusting tradition, I end up shedding immeasurable bloods. It is no longer news that most Nigerians are invariably misinformed and/or uneducated; this is why they often indulge in inconsequential and childish discussions or debates thereby constituting societal mayhem.

Mind you, being educated doesn’t imply that one had successfully spent some desirable or required number of years in a certain citadel of higher learning. Being educated simply means that the person in question is knowledgeable or learned. And such knowledge is not acquired by attending classes, rather by indulging in enormous study and research works. Thus, learning is not all about attending classes but telling yourself that you ought to know that which you’re yet and meant to know.

At this juncture, I call on various concerned groups and stakeholders such as the civil societies, religious bodies, inspirational speakers, teachers unions, to carry out a holistic crusade, either individually or collectively, with the aim of elevating the level of reading habit among our young ones. They can actualize this by organizing series of seminars, workshops, conventions, conferences, et cetera towards sensitizing the people involved on the dangers of lack of information or knowledge as well as illiteracy.

I want to tell you unequivocally that anyone who lacks knowledge is simply like a blind man. And knowledge or appropriate information can never be acquired by shying away from reading. Think about it!

 

FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056     

2014 World Diabetes Day (Aired News-Commentary)

THE NEED TO INTENSIFY AWARENESS ON DIABETES
       

Diabetes is a lifelong medical condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is often caused by the insufficiency or lack of the hormone known as insulin, which is produced by the pancreas – a gland found behind the stomach.

The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by insulin. When food is digested and enters the bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it’s broken down to produce the required energy.

However this implies that, if one has diabetes, his/her body is unable to break down glucose into energy; because there’s either not enough insulin to move the glucose or the insulin being produced doesn’t work properly.

There are two main types of diabetes namely: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. The former is usually more delicate than the latter which is far more common.

In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. As no insulin is produced, the victim’s glucose level increases, which can seriously damage his body’s organs. Type 1 diabetes is often regarded as Insulin-dependent diabetes; it is also sometimes recognized as Juvenile diabetes or Early-onset diabetes, because it mostly develops before the age of forty (40) or usually during the teenage years.

If one is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, he would need insulin injections for the rest of his life. He would also need to pay very close attention to certain aspects of his lifestyle and health, to ensure that his blood glucose levels stay balanced at all times.

Type 2 diabetes takes place when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or it cells don’t react to insulin. This type of diabetes is generally known as Insulin-resistant diabetes. Since Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, the patient may eventually need medication mainly in the form of tablets.

Type 2 diabetes is in most cases associated with obesity. Obesity-related diabetes is sometimes referred to as Maturity-onset diabetes owing to the fact that it is more common in older people.

During pregnancy, some women possess high levels of blood glucose, which makes their body unable to produce enough insulin to absorb it all. Such condition is known as Gestational diabetes and it affects up to 18 in 100 women during pregnancy. Pregnancy can as well make existing Type 1 diabetes worse.

Gestational diabetes can increase the risk of health problems developing in an unborn baby, therefore it’s very necessary for a pregnant woman to keep her blood glucose levels under control. In several cases, gestational diabetes develops during the second trimester of pregnancy, which is weeks 14 to 26, and disappears after the baby is born. But the truth remains that, women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

The general symptoms of diabetes, which often take place simultaneously, are as follows:

v Feeling very thirsty.

v Urinating more frequently than usual, particularly at night.

v Feeling very tired.

v Weight loss and loss of muscle bulk.

v Cuts or wounds that heal slowly.

v Blurred vision, caused by the lens of the eye becoming dry.

v Itching around the private part or frequent episodes of thrush.

Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days. Whilst, many people may have Type 2 diabetes for years without realizing it because the early symptoms tend to be friendly.

Statistics, according to World Health Organization (WHO), show that about 347 million people worldwide are presently suffering from diabetes. In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high fasting blood sugar. The most devastating aspect of diabetes is that, almost half of the people suffering from it do not know that they have the disease. In view of this, WHO stipulates that diabetes would be the 7^th leading cause of death by the year 2030.

Many more people worldwide have blood sugar levels above the normal range, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. This is referred to as Pre-diabetes. If your blood sugar level is above the normal range, your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased. Thus, it’s absolutely very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as early as possible because it would get progressively worse if left untreated.

In general, diabetes carriers are advised to eat healthily, take regular exercise and carry out regular blood tests in order to ensure that their blood glucose levels remain balanced. Above all, they are also advised to maintain a very cordial relationship with their doctors or health experts.

Penultimate two weeks, Friday November 14 precisely, the world over commemorated the 2014 World Diabetes Day. The World Diabetes Day, which is an annual and international commemoration, was instituted in the year 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to help in raising public awareness on the dangers and control of diabetes.

World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations (UN) Day in 2007 through the passage of the UN Resolution. The day was chosen in honour of the birthday of Frederick Banting who along with Charles Best first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921. The campaign attached to the World Diabetes Day draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes community and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight.

As the global community commemorates the World Diabetes Day anniversary, I’m using this avenue to urge the general public to endeavour to live a life that would exonerate them from contracting this dreaded disease that has claimed hundreds of millions of souls as well as maimed several lives both in the past and present. They can achieve this by ensuring that they consume balance diets or by staying away from constant intake of starchy or sugary foods without supplementing them with other required classes of foods.

The sufferers of the disease ought to also note that they can live as long as possible if necessary precautions are always taken, or if they continually stick to the modus operandi surrounding the disease, such as eating healthily, indulging in regular exercise, carrying out blood tests regularly, and consistent intake of the prescribed drugs or frequent consultation of a physician, among others.

Yes diabetes has no absolute cure but it can be prevented, or managed if contracted; thus it is worthy to acknowledge that we have every opportunity to live without the disease or live healthily if being attacked by it. Think about it!

 

         COMR FRED NWAOZOR

Public Affairs Analyst & Rights Activist

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             +2348028608056