Illness: Messenger or Curse? (creating health, balance and harmony - Part 1)

 Some theories:  1) People who believe in a random and unorganized universe tend to think illness is the result of bad luck.  Actually, some very religious folks subscribe to this theory as well, probably in order to avoid believing the next theory:  2) Illness is punishment from the angry and vengeful God.  The God from the bestselling book that says “forgive thy neighbor” and “turn the other cheek” but prefers not to follow His own advice.  

3) Another school of thought is that illness is a messenger from nature here to let us know about some kind of imbalance in the mind/body system that needs to be addressed immediately.  The body/ mind can be very forgiving.  I’ve met people who were heroin addicts for 10 years, were lost at sea for a week, or were prisoners of war, who somehow seem to be doing ok.  But because each of us is unique the breaking point of one person can be quite different than that of another.  One traumatic event can push some folks irreparably over the edge into illness or insanity while someone else can march across continents on bread and water to find a peaceful place to live.

 It seems that the stronger your filtering organs are, the better your digestive system, the more you can abuse your body and not feel the consequences immediately. Environmental and cultural toxins should also be factored in.  The limiting and dangerous habits and belief systems we inherit can also directly or indirectly imbalance our system and create an environment ripe for illness to grow in.  Many early settlers and explorers had a hard time finding anything to eat in the Americas because they couldn’t find any of the plants and animals they were used to.  Incredible as it sounds, many even starved to death.  This is a classic example of how cultural “training” can work against us. 

If we believe that nature is ordered and cooperative and that it seeks balance in all systems we can start to listen to our bodies keeping that in mind.  If, instead of turning a deaf ear, we hear the messages the mind/body is sending all along we can opt for taking action, in order to avoid getting to the point of chronic, or fatal illness. 

Here are a few things that stand in the way of us really hearing what the mind/body is saying:
1) Advertizing:  People think that if it is being sold to the general public it can’t be toxic or bad for you.  (antiperspirants, preservatives, cigarettes, artificial coloring, hydrogenated Trans fats, etc)  Or we end up thinking that it is better to tolerate a few toxins in order to fit in, be cool, or smell like everyone else.
2) Numbness:  Even those of us who do yoga or have had training on how to listen to the needs of the body often forget or go numb.  Rushing around trying to get things done, be responsible, produce, follow the rules, making other people happy, we often stress out our internal organs and nervous system by not eating when we are hungry, not going to the bathroom when we need to, not relaxing when we are tired.  Who has the time right? 
3)  Monkey Mind:  (the inner dialogue/critic etc) with its constant chatter of programmed ideas, borrowed belief systems, insecurities and fears, creates far too much noise in the head to be able to hear what is really going on.  This monkey is even smart enough to convince us that it IS telling us the truth.  As long as we are living in such a noisy head no wonder we can’t hear the rest of the body trying to tell us what it needs. 

If we care about the environment we have to start with our bodies.  What we do that is good for the earth is always good for ourselves.  What we do that is really good for ourselves is always good for the environment.  Are we eating nitrates, pesticides and preservatives but fighting global warming?  Are we buying fair trade and organic local food but spraying ourselves with chemicals, or living in toxic homes that knock the internal ecosystem off balance?  We can’t ignore the little messages and then be surprised when the big message hits us:  ILLNESS or NATURAL DISASTER (the same thing).  Global warming messages have been coming for a long time.  Now we are finally hearing the call to action. Take care of yourself too.  Mother earth will love you for it.