Page 100 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 4

FEATURES
LIVING
SIMPLE: Learn to breathe
Samuel Phillips
o inhale is to live while
to exhale is to die. No
one knows which of
Tthese two one will do
next, therefore one must live
prepared in God.
This statement crept into my
thoughts a while ago while I
was preparing for this issue of
the magazine. I can’t tell per se,
if I got it from somewhere or if
they came to me as fresh words,
but in any case I loved them in-
stantly because it sounded po-
etic to me. I realized how deep
the statement was the moment
I stopped to pay attention. At
first it sounded like just a poet- words from someone we inter-
ic phrase that speaks of natural
death or the absence of life or
the end of life as we know it. But
I think it’s a little bit simpler than
that. Not complex at all. And
100 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika
FEATURES
"To inhale is to live
while to exhale is to
die. No one knows
which of these two
one will do next,
therefore one must
live prepared in God.
yeah, life and death are pretty its setbacks. Ranging from too
deep. much noise, air pollution from
In a very simple form, it appears machines, too much unnatu-
to me that often times we are so ral light which creates so much
caught up with lots of activities electrical energy around, a vast
that we forget how to breathe. I atmosphere of conflicting elec-
am not saying this like you will tromagnetic waves coming from
hear someone say to breathe so many communication devic-
when in some form of emotional es and the many other emo-
stress. I literally mean we forget tional conflicts that arise from
how good fresh air, sea breeze, competition to achieve and the
forest air smells or feels like on pain of wanting to conform to
the skin. It is very therapeutic what one sees. In fact, city life
and healing. And this is not just makes you measure yourself by
about some ancient Afrikan or the everyday standards of oth-
Asian theory, it’s scientifically ers. It has its bit of goodness if
proven and I will share a few well managed, in that it creates
competition for innovation and
viewed some time ago. excellence, but only if the com-
City life is good for whatever petition is healthy. But overall,
it is good for, with all its hustle there is no wisdom in measur-
and bustle to achieve set goals ing oneself with others. You are
and stuff. But it also comes with simply you and they are simply
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