OUR BODIES, OUR LIVES, OUR WORLD
When we think of health, we usually are referring to how the human body appears to be functioning. As long as there are no especially painful or debilitating symptoms, we typically assume that we are healthy. This is looking at ourselves in a superficial and fragmented way. But as long as we are able to maintain the level of functioning that we are accustomed to, we generally see no reason to make any changes in our approach to life. Oh, we may have those little and various indications that we aren’t in perfect running order, but as long as they really don’t infringe upon our time or attention, we tend to just ignore them. As long as we are not in crisis, we just on on with things as they are. It is the ego’s job to keep things contained, controlled and just as they are .It is important to remember that human beings are not outside of nature. Our bodies operate inside of the laws of nature. We cannot control or change the forces of nature. We can only work with them. Even though the human body has a tremendous capacity to adapt and to cope, chronic abuse of it cannot have a positive or healthful effect upon it. It is actually amazing, when you think about it, how people can have such poor habits and survive. Abuse may come in many forms; what we put into our bodies, what we subject our bodies to both personally and environmentally, as well as what we put into our minds. It may come in the form of lack of exercise or insufficient rest. It may come in the form of holding onto grievances which are self-toxic. It comes from how we treat ourselves and how we don’t often care well for ourselves. But the abuse will eventually wear down the body, diminish the quality of life, weaken the spirit and probably shorten life itself.
Many people have taken to regular use of stimulants, such as caffeine, to help get them through the day. Once one is in this cycle, it is very hard to break free. In fact, it oftentimes becomes a balancing act between stimulants and depressants—trying to get through the day and then to wind down at the end. This is a type of programming of the body and alters the body’s natural cycles, which may be showing up in ways we don’t even recognize yet. This is an example of our culture’s predilection for focusing on symptoms rather than causes. As long as we continue to focus on symptoms we miss the bigger picture. We miss the opportunity.
Health and wholeness have the same root. Real health is more than simply a lack of symptoms in the body. Health is wellness, which is a harmonious and dynamic integration of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing. We cannot ultimately be healthy living in an unhealthy environment. We are not separate. The bubble we are living in is the earth itself. We are part of its web of life. This thing called Life really is precious and sacred. You cannot put a band-aid on a basically unhealthy lifestyle and expect it to heal the dis-ease. If one is not regularly connecting with the natural world and solely living in an artificial environment, can we wonder why our cycles are off, why we don’t feel well? When we ignore the facts of what we know we are doing with our bodies, our relationships, our lives, and our environment, we really have no one else to blame when we get sick. Individuals need to recognize that it is up to us to take responsibility to safeguard our well-being, and that we cannot truly thrive in a world where we are cut off from an intimate relationship with life; where we make short-term self-serving choices which have nothing to do with supporting life on this living planet. We must be conscious of the impact that each of our choices has on our own health and the impact these choices have in the collective picture. It takes courage. Courage is a path with heart. We must each make lifestyle changes which may be less convenient but ultimately lead us back to health, inner-peace, and a sense of true well-being. It is never only about us. We are part of an interconnected ecology and accountable for restoring the balance to the sanctity of life on this planet. Our individual health is not separate. There is no place to run away to. We only have one body. We only have one planet.
We must now let inspiration light us up and lift us collectively or as a species we are on a suicide mission. It may seem too big to us, or that we can’t really make a difference, but it is really the only thing that makes sense. Claim your wellness and in so doing you become a caretaker of the world, because we really are in this together. Let’s start today. Wake up.
When we think of health, we usually are referring to how the human body appears to be functioning. As long as there are no especially painful or debilitating symptoms, we typically assume that we are healthy. This is looking at ourselves in a superficial and fragmented way. But as long as we are able to maintain the level of functioning that we are accustomed to, we generally see no reason to make any changes in our approach to life. Oh, we may have those little and various indications that we aren’t in perfect running order, but as long as they really don’t infringe upon our time or attention, we tend to just ignore them. As long as we are not in crisis, we just on on with things as they are. It is the ego’s job to keep things contained, controlled and just as they are .It is important to remember that human beings are not outside of nature. Our bodies operate inside of the laws of nature. We cannot control or change the forces of nature. We can only work with them. Even though the human body has a tremendous capacity to adapt and to cope, chronic abuse of it cannot have a positive or healthful effect upon it. It is actually amazing, when you think about it, how people can have such poor habits and survive. Abuse may come in many forms; what we put into our bodies, what we subject our bodies to both personally and environmentally, as well as what we put into our minds. It may come in the form of lack of exercise or insufficient rest. It may come in the form of holding onto grievances which are self-toxic. It comes from how we treat ourselves and how we don’t often care well for ourselves. But the abuse will eventually wear down the body, diminish the quality of life, weaken the spirit and probably shorten life itself.
Many people have taken to regular use of stimulants, such as caffeine, to help get them through the day. Once one is in this cycle, it is very hard to break free. In fact, it oftentimes becomes a balancing act between stimulants and depressants—trying to get through the day and then to wind down at the end. This is a type of programming of the body and alters the body’s natural cycles, which may be showing up in ways we don’t even recognize yet. This is an example of our culture’s predilection for focusing on symptoms rather than causes. As long as we continue to focus on symptoms we miss the bigger picture. We miss the opportunity.
Health and wholeness have the same root. Real health is more than simply a lack of symptoms in the body. Health is wellness, which is a harmonious and dynamic integration of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing. We cannot ultimately be healthy living in an unhealthy environment. We are not separate. The bubble we are living in is the earth itself. We are part of its web of life. This thing called Life really is precious and sacred. You cannot put a band-aid on a basically unhealthy lifestyle and expect it to heal the dis-ease. If one is not regularly connecting with the natural world and solely living in an artificial environment, can we wonder why our cycles are off, why we don’t feel well? When we ignore the facts of what we know we are doing with our bodies, our relationships, our lives, and our environment, we really have no one else to blame when we get sick. Individuals need to recognize that it is up to us to take responsibility to safeguard our well-being, and that we cannot truly thrive in a world where we are cut off from an intimate relationship with life; where we make short-term self-serving choices which have nothing to do with supporting life on this living planet. We must be conscious of the impact that each of our choices has on our own health and the impact these choices have in the collective picture. It takes courage. Courage is a path with heart. We must each make lifestyle changes which may be less convenient but ultimately lead us back to health, inner-peace, and a sense of true well-being. It is never only about us. We are part of an interconnected ecology and accountable for restoring the balance to the sanctity of life on this planet. Our individual health is not separate. There is no place to run away to. We only have one body. We only have one planet.
We must now let inspiration light us up and lift us collectively or as a species we are on a suicide mission. It may seem too big to us, or that we can’t really make a difference, but it is really the only thing that makes sense. Claim your wellness and in so doing you become a caretaker of the world, because we really are in this together. Let’s start today. Wake up.
