The interview with possibly the oldest woman in the world was an interesting one but it raised some real issues as well.

Not very many Jamaicans can live to the ripe old age of 100 years old, much less 121. But Ida Stewart has defied that. Among the interesting things said by the woman was the reason she gave for living this long. According to Ms. stewart, it was a reward for the respect she showed her parents and how she lived her life.

These are tenets that most Jamaicans seem to have forgotten all about. We are quick to dump all sorts of junk into our bodies and seem to believe that the way we treat people will not affect our mental health.

The way we allow everything to anger us and are quick to retaliate does affect our mental health and inevitably, the length of our lives.

It is clear from the interview that the woman also has quite a good memory - once again something that she achieved only by caring for her body. As our society becomes more com-mercialised and modernised, more and more persons are not eating healthily and exercising less and less. This is all to their disadvantage.

Sexual health was also something she hinted at, noting that she did not "box-box bout her body". This is clearly as important as healthy eating and mental health. We should all strive to take care of all aspects of our health - physical, mental, sexual and social.