What does health look like? What does it feel like? Is it all about not feeling sick? Can you be sick and feel healthy? Do we remember what good health is? Maybe some of us have never really experienced it.
In good health a person experiences a strong vitality, good appetite, good sleep, good memory, calmness and patience, joyfulness and alertness, and has endless appreciation. In good health a person is energetic, active, and has the ability to adapt to challenges and find the harmony in them. There is a physical and mental balance that has flexibility combined with a solid form and control. Life is an adventure that one is excited to participate in. In good health, a person enjoys and looks forward to nourishment in the form of food as well as friendships, activity, sexuality, knowledge, work, experiences, freedom, and growth. This is an appetite that is almost satiated…but still has a slight yearning, yet is fulfilled. In good health a person will experience a state of slumber that is deep and restful. A sleep that occurs soon after laying down for the evening and one that continues uninterrupted until it time to rise. In good health a person is able to make sound decisions in the present through memory of experiences in the past. The memory is clear and concise. In good health a person is calm and patient. A person has the ability to adapt to situations with a tranquil and serene presence.
“Health is the capacity to accept all circumstances with a smile, change difficulties into opportunities, and turn enemies into friends.”
— MichioKushi
In good health a person is joyous and alert. A person easily expresses joyfulness, which then in turn attracts the energy of joy. A person has the alertness to respond to the ever changing life sphere in a timely and clear manner. In good health a person has an endless appreciation for all that life offers. Gratitude is experienced in all opportunities that encourage or challenge us to grow. Disharmony is an opportunity to not only re-discover harmony but also to discover how disharmony came to be. Through transformation difficulties turn into blessings. A person in good health notices all of this through clear observation.
In sickness, we experience symptoms in our physical body and in our life sphere from imbalances. All sicknesses have symptoms: uncomfortable, abnormal bodily reactions, conditions: situations that cause the symptoms, cause: our tendencies especially how they relate to the quality of our blood, and origin: daily habits, dietary practice, exercise, mental activity, emotions, general view of life. When in some way we are living “not” according to the laws of nature and the Order of the Universe we experience disharmony.
Disease, which can be physical, mental, or spiritual, has a progressive development. Generally illness will develop through seven stages. However, sometimes symptoms remain dormant in some of the stages.
1st Stage: General Fatigue – physical and mental tiredness
2nd Stage: Aches and Pains – muscular pain, cramps, headaches, chills, fever, etc
3rd Stage: Blood Disease – quality of blood
4th Stage: Emotional Disorder – short temper, excitement, anger, frustration, melancholy, despair
5th Stage: Organ Disease – structural changes, malfunctions, degeneration of organs
6th Stage: Nervous Disorder – physical paralysis, Alzheimer’s, mental illnesses, etc
7th Stage: Arrogance – selfishness, egocentricity, vanity, self-pride, exclusivity, self-justification, etc
In the world today, we have access to just about anything we want…which may not be what we need…but we like it. We have artificial environments, artificial food, artificial body care, and so on. This leads to imbalance. It’s difficult when we have enticing choices. When its 98 degrees out most of us enjoy the invention of air conditioning instead of just sweating it out. Air conditioning is very beneficial for some people because of health issues…which stem from other imbalances over time. When we think of artificial food, what might come to mind could be Starburst candy and whatever that is made of that makes it so tangy and colorful. But of greater concern would be genetically modified fruits, vegetables, grains and the gmo diets that are fed to our livestock which in turn affects the quality of the animal and a lot of this ends up on your meal plate and most people in the United States are unaware. How many women dye their hair and don’t think twice about what is in the dye and how that may affect their physiology. What is in our shampoo, body wash, hair spray? How about what is in our underarm deodorants and how does that affect our state of health? As I point out these examples, I am not trying to be judgmental, I am being observational. Personally, I enjoy air conditioning on a 98 degree day. I definitely sleep better at night when the air is cool. I am grateful that I am aware of GMO foods and the importance of nutrition but I remember what a red Starburst tastes like…and I liked it. And when Halloween comes around it would be very challenging and maybe even mean to keep your kids away from trick or treating. Playing around with hair color is a fun thing to do and at a certain point in your life hair color has a psychological component. It’s nice to know I have a choice with organic salons. In the United States, body odor is considered an issue that could really distance a person from other people and even employment. Deodorant is important here.
My point is, it would be very challenging to live, eat, play, interact and just be totally in accordance to the “Order of the Universe” in the world today. Perhaps the “Order of the Universe” is evolving and is asking mankind to learn how manage access to vast amounts of food choices, environmental choices, chemical choices, religious freedoms, social differences, choices in approaches to health care, etc. This is an opportunity to express gratitude for the challenges and responsibilities associated with all the wonderful choices we get to make. Through the observation of the “Laws of Nature” we can choose practices that support life and health in a positive way while we walk through modern times. This is an opportunity to mature in responsibility as we watch all the ways disharmony entices us and to grow in our ability to find balance. Perhaps this is our current lesson.