Power Ages Men

This will be Obama's year of election. In November 2012 he will have his acid test on his policies, his decisions and his so called rethoric on "Change", "Believe" and "Yes, We Can!" campaign slogans in 2008.

I am not going to talk about politics or the US primaries, but I wish to talk about one of the things that man crave for - POWER and AGE (being young without grey hairs or bald).

Being in my thirties, some say I look 25, some say I look older than my age. I realise that most of my soldier buddies age fast due to the military training, but when I see older Military officers, they somehow look younger than their age. Its either they owe it to their fitness level and taking good care of their health or simply just being young at heart.

Obama: Before his presidency, a year after, and now

I would like to share a research by the Wellness Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio on reasons why men age when they were in power. The research headed by Dr. Michael Roizan suggested that presidents of the US age every two years of their presidency, which means that when they take office at the age lets say 50, after their first term four years later, their real age is 54 but they look or feel like they're 58.

These factors according to the research is related to the stresses they face as the leader of the free world.

There are temporary stress, like the stresses you have from having a broken leg and thinking what are the obstacles you need to face to move around, or a death of a relative stress, money problems, moving to a new job or place kind of stress.

Then there's the constant stress or unending stress. Stresses in making decisions for the country, stresses in the media and the constant pressure from opposing parties. People like you and me tend to share the burden with our spouses, our circle of friends, but presidents do not have that privilege of sharing - lets say asking his college buddy: "Hey, Bibi Netanyahu is in town, what'dya think I say to him about Israel and the West Bank? My advisors said...." well you get the point.

Back to the aging process.

The research pointed out on the health related issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and life-style as one of the factors that most leaders are constantly monitored for. They have to keep in shape and have a clean bill of health.

Obama looks a bit greyish on his hairline and the wrinkles have started to show.

Obama in 2011

George W. Bush ages from 2001 to 2009
- sometimes I miss him, who else can we mock a US President if we don't have good ol' Dubya!

This is also true to the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak who has been in politics since he was in his early twenties. He became the youngest Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Pahang, but being the number one in the government has also taken its toll in terms of aging. 



The young Dato' Sri Mohd Najib in his twenties (Standing second from left)



With greyer and lesser hair during his tenure as the Minister of Defense



The sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia aging gracefully at 58 years old
Born 23 July 1953

In a sense, being in power makes one wiser and sometimes older than one's real age. Some like the pressure and the demands of staying in power. Some may just be there for a while and eventually gets tired of it.

As the fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said to Malaysians in Korea during his visit a fortnight ago, "You must always have the power of love, more than the love of power."

Serve to Lead.