There is an old Jamaican saying which states, “Old but no’ cold.” The phrase describes an elderly person, about sixty and over, who is very strong and active and has no desire to die anytime soon. Unlike many of their counterparts who are either nursing old age diseases or complaining of various aches and pains.

I often wonder why there is such a difference among the elderlies. I believe it has a lot to do with how individuals take care of their bodies. I have seen so many people in their fifties who are crippled with all sort of infirmities and the main reason for this is that they abuse their bodies in their youth with alcohol, drugs or a wild lifestyle.

Studies have shown that premature aging can result from stress, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, ill health, overwork. Unfortunately, in our society maintaining good health is costly and so the poor usually aged more rapidly than the wealthy.

Since last year, I have been paying close attention to the politics in the USA. I am not an American, so I do not have an affiliation with any political party. However, I cannot help but admire Bernie Sanders. He is the oldest candidate running for president of the USA.

I decided to do a little research on Bernie to see the reason he has been able to find the strength and courage to run for the highest but, in my opinion, the most stressful position in America.

Bernie and I share a birthday, so I guess we may have something in common. He was born September 8, 1941, in New York. He was the youngest of two sons of a Jewish immigrant from Poland.

Sanders grew up in Brooklyn and attended both high school and college in Brooklyn. Then he was transferred to the University of Chicago. It was during this time of his life that he became involved in the civil rights movements. Sanders believed in equal rights for all and was very active in the marches and protests against inequality in the 60’s.

In 1971, Sanders began his political career as a member of the Liberty Union Party and ran as a candidate for governor and senator of Vermont in the 70’s. In 1980, Sanders ran for Major of Burlington, Vermont. He was 39 years old at the time. He won the election by ten votes.

Sanders has socialist political views and has a Major he oversees many revitalization projects in the city of Vermont. In 1988, he became the first elected independent representative in the US House of Representative. Since then Sanders political career excelled until he became the senator of Vermont in 2006 and was reelected in 2012.

Bernie Sanders being sworn in as a U.S. Senator by then Vice President Dick Cheney in the Old Senate Chamber, January 2007. Image courtesy of wikipedia.org

Senator Sanders, in his sixties, was very active in his political career when most people at his age were either retired or looking to retire. Finally on April 30, 2015, Sanders at age74, announced that he would seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, and his campaign was officially launched the following month.

So far, Sanders campaign has raised over 73 million dollars in donations, and he has gained millions of followers particularly with the young people. To date, he has won 8 states and 571 delegates.

How has Bernie at the age of 74 find the energy to be running such a vigorous election campaign? How is he able to maintain his health and stress level without falling apart?

Possible reasons could be his stable family life. He is married to his wife Jane o” Meara for 27 years. He has one son, three stepchildren and seven grandchildren.

According to the people.com, he appeared to be a humble person who occasionally do the laundry and is generally helpful at home. He sticks to a healthy diet of meat and vegetables and fewer carbohydrates

Mr. Sanders believes that he is blessed with good health and endurance. His overall health record from his doctor stated that apart from minor ailments such as gout and acid reflux disorder he was in overall good health with normal blood pressure, echocardiogram, and cholesterol with no history of cardiovascular disease. He has been consistent with his medical check-up with his physician.

Bernie Sanders campaign slogan. Image courtesy of imgur.

I am proud of Senator Bernie Sanders for his motivation and sincere desire to help make a positive difference to his country. At the age of 74 when many elderly people have given up on life, he is ready to take on the world and serve his people.

For this main reason, I believe he must be applauded and encouraged. I think he is a great example, regardless of his religious belief, of the plan that God has regarding the elderly.

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalms 94: 12-15)

Senator Sanders is flourishing and bearing good fruits in his old age. The Lord is taking care of him for a purpose. Even if he does not become the president of the USA, his participation has increased the size of the Democratic Party, especially among the younger generation. His commitment and dedication to what he believes in are prime examples that we all should try to emulate.

I hope that Bernie Saunders will recognize and be grateful to the Lord for blessing him with strength and vitality. He is my perfect example of an elderly who is, ‘Old but no’ cold.’

via giphy.com

References: Bernie Sanders – wikipedia.org; Time.com; Biography.com

Featured image courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Published by Beverley

Beverley has been serving the Lord since she was a child. At an early age, she recognized that God had a special plan for her life, but it was not until in her adulthood that she surrendered her total life to God and accepted the mandate that God placed on her life. The Lord called her into His Kingdom to be an encourager, intercessor, teacher, scribe, priest, and to proclaim the Word of God. Since then, Beverly has established a blog to teach us to become the oil and wine. The oil and wine are purified and mature products, which is the advanced level that the Lord expected of us. In 2017, Beverley published her first book, Harm Not The Oil And Wine. In it, she described her trials and how God helped her to overcome them, and to live more victoriously. The book also exposed the enemy of our souls with detailed information about his past defeats and future extinction. Wright spents most of her time studying the Bible to know the truth of God’s Word. She believes that only God’s truth can expose the deception of the enemy, and uproot and tear down spiritual strongholds. You can learn more about Beverley’s life and testimony on her website becomingtheoilandwine.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Google+ under the name of her blog, and on Twitter as @Theoilandwine. View all posts by Beverley