Bravery over wisdom.

Noone can ever tell me that wisdom and bravery go hand in hand. My great uncle was a lot of things but wise was not one of them. His official positions in our rural community included village headman and herbalist. Between the two roles he played, i could only trust him with one. Headmanship. This is not because he wasnt a good herbalist, i just was a little sceptical of his unconventional ways of treating people. 

My uncle, his son once stayed in bed for a solid fortnight while my great uncle treated his malaria. Growing up in my rural home area meant you had at least once been treated for malaria and also knew someone who had died from it. It was a common ailment, yet so deadly. I was diagnosed with malaria at least twice in my life. My older brother once suffered from something called cerebral malaria which is way worse than the regular one. Legend has it that he, my brother whilst suffering from the deadly disease was given a roasted mealie cob to snack on and he threw it right out of the window of a moving vehicle. I dont know if it was reflex or the boy was actually losing his mind. Sometimes i think pain really makes you do crazy things. 

So when my great uncle decided not to take his son to the hospital like a normal human being, i really started questioning his life choices and wisdom. I do not have a problem with traditional medicine at all. However i do not get why people choose not to do both. My uncle recovered. However it took time for him to regain his glow and weight. 

My great uncle once treated his daughter in law who had been bitten by a snake while out relieving herself in the fields. The snake bit the woman right where no self respecting snake could ever think of biting. Her derriere. My great uncle nursed the wound and up to this day, the lady will forever be grateful. 

People would call my great uncle a herbalist. I would say he was a reckless yet lucky son of a gun. I always went to our rural home during the school holidays, so these accounts are the major ones that stayed with me right into adulthood. 

As years passed, my great uncle grew older and even less wiser. He fell sick. It took a lot for his children to get him to the local hospital and seek treatment. It actually was a good thing that he fell ill when all his children were older, this way he couldn't dispute their suggestions for a hospital consultation. The man was diagnosed with sugar diabetes. After such a serious diagnosis you would think the great herbalist would take his medicine and diet seriously right? You guessed wrong. My great uncle was such a foodie. He really appreciated fine things in life. So with two wives to cook for him, the man lived a comfortable life. No child was nearby to take heed of his daily life and his wives could never tell him what to do. A few years after his diagnosis, we heard that my great uncle was in the worst state there could ever be. His wish was to talk to my eldest sister. Portia, being the responsible and caring person she has always been, called to talk to him. As a sick person you would probably guess that my great uncle needed help with medical treatment and the like. Right? 

Wrong. My great uncle needed Portia to get him a portable radio and a small mobile phone. His children were disappointed in him. My sister was baffled by such an unusual request. I on the other hand was slightly amused if not impressed. I mean, this man was hanging onto his last chance at life. Yet he was not worried about that. He did not care about his medication. He didnt really like the food served to diabetic people. He wasnt scared of losing his leg to the disease. My great uncle was more concerned about owning a phone and a working radio. The bravery. This man could fight goliath without the magic catapult. My sister, being the noble one, bless her, did manage to send him his requested gifts. I  have never heard of  anymore more thankful my entire life. He was over the moon. 

A few months later, the village headman passed away. He totally ignored the doctors orders and succumbed to the deadly chronic illness. While the world was going one way, my great uncle risked everything and went in the opposite direction. Looking back now, i think wisdom is subjective. This man was not afraid of dying. This man wanted to go on his own terms. Listening to a cheap radio with a bad connection was his own way of handling the entire situation. I do hope the new headman will make wiser life choices.