God Reveals True Health
Written by Okada Mokichi, 1950
I will conclude my wiring by introducing how I keep fit. I will be sixty-seven years old this year. I am still vigorous and as strong as a young man. I am a better walker than young people. Therefore, I try to climb the mountain, which we are reclaiming now, at their pace. People often say, “You must be tired.” Honestly, I am not tired at all and therefore, I don’t know how to answer it. I usually go to sleep at 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. and get up at 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. It means I sleep four or four and a half hours a night. My close associates know very much that I do the work for ten people. Therefore, younger people cannot catch up with me. They seem to be in trouble with that but it cannot be helped. So, I ask them to bear with me.
In this way, I am very healthy, which might be owed to my health-promoting method. My method is just the opposite of the way modern people do. Here I would like to introduce mine so that many people use it.
To promote one’s health, modern medicine encourages people not to overdo anything. It encourages them not to use their brains too much, either. It also encourages them to sleep well, to have enough nutrition, to chew the food well, and so on. However, my health promotion method is just the opposite. First of all, I do overwork. The harder people work, the healthier they become. In my case, it is painful if I do it too much. So, I do hard work while adjusting it to some extent. Sleeping time depends on the person’s age. At around my age, four or five hours are ideal. As for food, I am worried to be overnourished. It sounds funny but I actually receive a lot of food as offerings from our believers. I try to have each of them even a little. So, I am a kind of gourmet. I always eat a considerable amount of sweet potatoes after breakfast not to get overnourished. I also often have rice in green tea and never fail to have sweet red bean soup before going to sleep. There are yin and yang food and people should eat both in a well-balanced manner. Roughly speaking, vegetables are yin food and fish and meats are yang food. I eat them in a balanced way. For breakfast, I eat yin food and yang food at a ratio of 7: 3. For lunch, I eat the same ratio of yin and yang food. For dinner, I eat yin food and yang food at a ratio of 3: 7. There are also the yin and yang pickles. Pickled green-leaf vegetables are yin food and white ones like radish or turnip are yang food. So, I eat the same amount of them. I don’t chew food well but only chew it half. When chewing food well, the stomach becomes weak. I don’t have a rest after a meal, either. I soon work after the meal so that the stomach becomes stronger. This method worked very much so that I cured my stomach disease. I never decide how much I will eat. I eat what I want as much as when I want. This is the principle of my diet. Having said that, I cannot actually do such a selfish thing. So, I am doing it appropriately.
Here I tell you what you might be surprised by. You should use your brain as much as possible. That is a kind of health-promoting method. People who use their brains very much live longer. However, you shouldn’t use your brain for worries. You just use your brain with fun and enjoyment. In this regard, you also find value in religions. When a person has something to worry about, they intend to depend on God. Therefore, most of the anxiety disappears. It means the person has God share their anxiety. It sounds lazy but God is rather pleased with such laziness. I always go out at least once a day. I never fail to do whether it rains or the wind blows. I go out and walk as much as possible. I often hear that people who walk a lot become healthier as they get older. As for alcoholic beverages, I drink three sake cups of Japanese sake and a glass of beer every day. I smoke cigarettes as much as ordinary people do.
This is my health-promoting method. I don’t care about bacteria at all. General people might think that I am maintaining my health badly but that is a true health-promoting method. I guarantee that everyone becomes healthy when following my method. Please don’t worry that you will never become an intelligent-like person with a pale face. So, please do it without any worry.
Translated by N.H.