What can help us develop a military mindset? The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave a very clear and simple instruction in “How to Eat to Live” Book One. He said, “Live right, think right, eat right, and do right.” (page 44)
Soldiers in the military are trained to hear and obey. The definition of a military, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “of or relating to soldiers, arms, or war.” However, the men and women in the Nation of Islam do not carry arms but are armed with truth. When you know what to do and how to do it and you do it, that is wisdom.
It is such a blessing that we are given the truth about God and our history. We are even blessed with the knowledge of how to nourish and feed our magnificent body in the books, “How to Eat to Live.” That truth contained in those books can be visibly seen when it is practiced.
In my recent interview with holistic wellness expert Queen Afua, she said one of the first two books that lead her on the journey of healing was a book by Dick Gregory and the other was “How to Eat to Live.” She said, “I saw the Nation (of Islam); I saw the women and the men looking so clean and clear … so upright. So, I knew that they tapped into a lifestyle that was totally all the way in.”
One area where the sharp dress meets the sharp mind is in drill. It is called the “exercise of the gods.” We are taught that “Drill is the foundation of disciplinary training, it compels a habit of obedience and stimulates a desire for cooperative strength, as a unit moves together as one.” Drilling is an exercise that helps us focus and keep moving militarily. The key word here is “moving.” I always enjoyed drilling because it is a condensed powerful workout. We shouldn’t take it for granted or dismiss its value.
When I asked Queen Afua about the value of exercise, she said, “That movement will get you to eating better, thinking better, feeling better, responding better because you’re not pent up. You’re flowing better. And if I had a secret to longevity, it would be to move. To eat well, but to move well. I move every day. I stretch, I walk, I climb … I use my body because the circulation keeps everything vibrant. If you don’t move, you become old quickly.”
Her comments bear witness to what the Honorable Minister Farrakhan said at the National Training Conference about training being coupled with eating to live. We should incorporate both in our lives.
My husband and I both enjoy working out. He loves boxing and soccer; I love kickboxing, dancing, and resistance training. His recent comments inspired the title of this article. He said that one of the things that he likes about training is it helps him develop a “military mindset.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, by disciplining the body, it increases your capacity to endure.” In essence, if you think like a soldier; it is simply part of what you do. Your mind becomes stronger.
In “Closing the Gap: Inner Views of the Heart, Mind & Soul of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,” by Minister Jabril Muhammad, it states that the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said: “When you go visit a person that is sick, if you put the right word in their ear, within eight minutes and twenty seconds you will see a change in the spirit of such person” (page 318).
Minister Farrakhan goes on to state his understanding of that fact. He said, “What that told me was that the level of energy, light, spiritual power that is contained in right words, communicated from the right motivation, energizes the brain of the recipient of such word. That energy is delivered to every part of the body, thereby increasing the energy level of that person” (page 318).
So, try to find someone or something (like a book) that you can get a good word from. Get energized and go to work to take care of your body. Try listening to Final Call Radio in the morning and go for a power walk. We are soldiers, right? Let’s keep that military mindset and train so that we can be quick and “fast-moving … right down to the modern times.” In this day and time, we are going to need it.
May Allah bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth, and happiness.
Dr. Audrey Muhammad is an educator, aerobics instructor, and author of “Get Fit to Live: Be Your Best You!” Contact her at [email protected]. Please consult a physician before beginning any new exercise or dietary program.
