THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9601310168
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEAN GEDDES, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
John Dabul, author, philosopher and retired business executive, says a person can live to be 100 or more through proper diet and exercise.
At 92, Dabul doesn't have far to go.
He believes his premise so strongly that he has devoted a chapter to it in his forthcoming book, ``The Golden Age Book.''
That's where he shares the plan he says has worked successfully to keep him active, strong and enjoying a healthy life.
``I eat little meat, many vegetables, lots of salads, beans and yogurt (which his wife of 71 years, Amelia, makes daily) and eat a clove of garlic at noon and in the evening,'' he says. He also exercises 15 minutes each morning and night and rides a stationary bike for several minutes at noontime.
He calls the new book, his third, ``a mini encyclopedia of true stories, essays and anecdotes. I also include proverbs, advice on health.''
Lebanese by birth, Dabul has lived in Italy, Spain and Cuba as well as the United States, and business dealings often took him to South America and Mexico. Self-educated, he taught himself to speak English, Spanish, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese and some Greek.
A Virginia Beach resident since 1980, he has much to say on world peace, politics and the future.
The adventure stories in his book, which has not been published, are the story of his life based on his firsthand experiences of living under five cultures and governments.
Vivid, compelling and often shocking, these stories could be made into an action-adventure film, he said.
His introduction into the cruelties of life began when he was 12 and one day sat peacefully fishing on the banks of a river in Lebanon. Suddenly, three Turkish soldiers appeared behind him and throwing an explosive into the water to stir up fish, demanded that he dive for some for their dinner. When he complained that it was too cold, they commanded him to remove his clothes and go for the fish. As he did this, they gathered his belongings, tied them around a large stone and hurled them into the water.
``I dove and came up with one fish, which I threw at them. Then I hurried out of the water and ran as fast as I could home, dodging the bullets they fired after me,'' he said from his Virginia Beach home.
That was the beginning of the atrocities he would witness, experience and learn about during his life.
Born in Lebanon in 1903, he was raised by his grandparents. He stayed in that country until 1934. He later left for Cuba, with only $20 in his pocket, to join other members of his family. He first worked with his brother in the grocery business and later went into the restaurant business.
When, under the Castro regime, it was learned that his wife was born in America, the family was asked to leave the country. They left with only two sets of clothing each, leaving behind $4 million in real estate and personal property, he said.
Arriving first in Miami, they later came to Norfolk in 1963 where Dabul, with a loan of $1,200 from a friend in Miami, went into business, opening Dabul Ship Supplies. When he retired in 1985, it had become a multimillion dollar firm, he said.
``When I retired, I devoted my time to writing. One book was published in Brazil and now I have completed this one,'' he said, looking at the 200 page manuscript complete with illustrations.
In his book, he speaks bluntly about living under barbaric circumstances in different cultures, explaining that the first part of the book describes the cruelty and crimes of the Turkish government in Lebanon, the beheading of Christian priests and the slaughter of Armenian Christians. In World War I, he writes, a half-million Christian Lebanese died by starvation when the ports were blockaded. ``The people died on the roadside and their bodies were eaten by animals and birds. No one dared to bury them as they were frightened by the Turkish soldiers.''
The horrors did not end when he went to Cuba. There he witnessed the violence when 40 university students were hanged in trees.
Yet through it all, the author found peace of soul by studying the Bible, the Koran and the writings of great philosophers. Eventually, he came up with his own hard-earned philosophy of life as well as a daily routine for health that he passes along in his work. ``You learn from experience, it is best to laugh, not cry,'' he said thoughtfully.
Part of his book, however, is witty, wry and humorous as he relates various anecdotes. His love for family is apparent, and he shows great love for his wife and five children, now grown. His youngest son, Miguel, has recently been installed as pastor of the Rock Church in Norfolk. Another son, David, also lives in the area.
Dabul still writes daily. ``Every day I see something new,'' he said.
In this book, which he expects to be available in book stores, Dabul writes, ``King Solomon once said that all is vanity and the best thing a man can do in order to have a good life is to get a good woman and enjoy his life with her.'' Children, he said, are a gift of God.
He calls his secret of long life the Golden Age Method. Since it uses no medicines, there are no side effects, he said. He also says there are five man-killing elements: cholesterol, salt, coffee, sugar and tobacco.
``Keep your blood clear of these elements and you can live to be 100.''
He has great respect for women and humorously writes:
``Cars run by gas. Man runs by woman. Nobody can run a woman for she is run by remote control of the moon in the sky.'' MEMO: For further information about ``The Golden Age Book,'' write John Dabul,
P.O. Box 11182, Norfolk, Va. 23517 or call 467-3181.
by CNB