Smokers Are Liable To Die Young

 

Smokers are liable to die young. But smokable substances are everywhere, easily accessible, and readily available.

Óméwétuna'jo y'éni oñu lé atula (A chick is burning in the fire, yet it claims it undergoes rendering).

RENDERING is a local procedure we use in extracting fats from animals or even insects like crickets, it is done by subjecting them to a reasonable amount of heat which causes the fats to drip off. The tragedy of this procedure is that the animal eventually dies. 

Smokers are liable to die young. This warning is boldly written on cigarette packs, impossible to miss, deliberately frightening.  The images of a healthy and an unhealthy lung are openly displayed on the packs respectively. Yet, for many users, it has become just background noise. it is seen but not heard, read but not believed.

Addiction has a strange way of dulling fear. It convinces the mind that danger is exaggerated, distant, or meant for others. Some smokers live long lives, and this reality is often used as a shield against the warning. 

Sadly, the human mind clings to exceptions and ignores patterns. While death is certain for all, the illusion created is that smoking merely walks alongside life, not against it. The label on the park screams danger, but habit whispers comfort, and habit often wins.

I don't deny that many people smoke for decades and die from causes unrelated to tobacco, hemp or and other substances abused on daily basis. But this argument misses the deeper issue. Smoking does not operate like a switch that turns life off instantly. It works slowly, quietly, eroding health, strength, and resilience. Smoking increases risk, not certainty. And risk, though not visible, is very powerful. 

The lungs may endure, the heart may cope, but the body always pays a price. Addiction ensures that even when the damage is known, stopping feels like losing a part of oneself. And what usually began as curiosity, peer pressure, or stress relief becomes dependency, and dependency becomes IDENTITY.

Honestly, our modern day Society's response to this problem is disturbingly passive. Cigarettes, tobacco, marijuana, and other abused substances circulate freely, normalized by culture and silence.

Moral outrage is rare, and when it appears, it often comes wrapped in religious language or health campaigns that most times, fail to reach the addicted mind. There is little collective shame attached to smoking, unlike other harmful behaviors. 

Young people watch, learn, and imitate. When society shrugs, addiction spreads. Silence becomes approval, and tolerance becomes encouragement. We condemn loudly what offends our morals, but we whisper about what destroys our bodies.

The role of constituted authorities of all levels and strata of our human community in this matter raises uncomfortable questions. Authorities that exist to protect the wellbeing of its people, yet harmful substances are taxed, sold, advertised, and regulated rather than truly confronted. Revenue often speaks louder than health. Warnings are printed, but prevention is weak. Rehabilitation is scarce, education is shallow, and enforcement is selective. 

The result is a cycle where addiction thrives under the guise of personal choice. But when a choice is fueled by dependency and ignorance, how free is it really? Until society and authorities take a firmer, more honest stance, the warning on the cigarette pack will remain what it currently is, 'a truth acknowledged, but largely ignored'.

Óméwékineju k'oñu dómó atula, Iko eyikiyanma, yaya ge n.

(The chick that believes it is only rendering eventually learns the truth too late)

®Ahmed Salim Jn ✍️ 

#Uloko