8/25/2009
Dear Shari and Toby,
WHAT
IS WHOLENESS?
I intensely dislike buzz-words and clichés. They sound so hollow. But, I know of no other word which will better describe the desired condition of health.
I had chronic bronchitis until I was twelve years old. This left me with a diminished lung capacity limiting my capabilities in sports. My left knee has been broken and repaired by surgery twice. Between operations for fissures, hemorrhoids and appendicitis, sinus infections, colds, flu, , IBS, colitis, migraine, tendonitis, broken bones, boils, cysts, melanoma cancer and every day aging, I have had personal experience with a broad range of illnesses. Eliminating the accidental broken bones and knees and looking back at my eating, drinking and daily habits, I can now see where most, if not all, of the remaining illnesses could have been avoided with a combination of diet, exercise and attitude. Ironically, when my attitude was in good condition, I managed to eat too much of the wrong foods and still became ill. When my attitude was not good and my diet centered on the wrong foods I incurred my worst illnesses and recovery did not start until I changed both. One thing I have come to know is the physical body reacts to mental attitudes and is controlled by them. If the body is controlled by the mind, the mind is controlled by the attitude or spirit. Please note that one’s spirit is different from his soul. The spirit acts as a filter between the five senses and the mind. Only predetermined information is allowed through and it is modified by the filter to match what is useable by the mind. I have learned that my health will diminish if I choose to eat the wrong foods or hold on to a bad attitude. To function at my best, my spirit, mind and body must each be in a healthy condition. These three do not have to be perfect to allow me to function well. But, all three have to be at an acceptable level for wholeness to occur. One person’s acceptable levels will be different from someone else’s. There is no yard stick to measure a person’s spirit and determine if it is adequate. We can measure his blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital statistics to determine if the body is in adequate condition. This may give a false feeling of security if the spirit is troubled or he is in the habit of making poor decisions. We see people every day who are physically functioning adequately but their attitude or daily decisions are slowly depleting the body’s resources and will eventually result in serious illness. In these cases, the illness is in progress but undetected or not noticeable. Wholeness is attained when the person’s spirit, mind, and body are able to maintain an acceptable level of health at a steady state or improving level. This definition of wholeness is quite different from the teachings of the medical profession today. Whether or not the levels of spirit, mind, and body are acceptable can only be determined by the person himself. In order to stay healthy, all three must be evaluated and balanced by the person on a constant basis.
In order to return to wholeness, the source of the illness should be located and fully understood. This can be difficult due to the many variations and combinations provided by our physical, mental, and spiritual interactions with others and within ourselves. Overwhelming symptoms in the physical body with drugs and therapies is the common treatment for illnesses today. This allows someone else to accept responsibility for our well being while we continue with our poor choices or attitudes which caused the problem originally. Conversely, to expect a cancer patient to survive by only adjusting his attitude or just rethinking what he eats will not produce wholeness. Exceptions to this are abundant. Accidents causing lacerations and broken bones may only require physical repair. However, if certain organs are damaged which affect the mind and spirit’s ability to interact, significant changes in the mental and spiritual attitudes may be required to bring about a functional whole person. This is the reverse of a poor attitude producing illness. Accidental damage many times causes a change in attitude for better or worse. In most cases, symptoms must be treated while treating the underlying cause. An abused organ will need special nutrition and probably physical stimulus to rebuild. All these efforts will be in vain if the original cause of the deficiency is ignored. In order to maintain or return to wholeness it is necessary to understand what causes disease or sickness.
WHAT IS WHOLENESS.HTM