I was driving to work the other day and was thinking about the variety of health-related non-profit organizations out there; the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Lung Association, American Diabetes Association, etcetera, etcetera. It’s amazing when we think about how much time, effort and resources each of these organizations contribute. What’s also interesting to me is just how closely many of these disease processes are related. Granted, I understand that cancer is different than heart disease yet how different are they really?
Before I delve into answering this question let me share a little about my past. My parent’s divorced when I was young and so I spent time between my mom and step-dads house in Oregon and visited my father in Ventura County during the summer and holiday season. I grew up in a fairly conservative religious household with my mom and step-father, and my dad was…well…not what you’d call conservative. Year after year I grew up with mixed messages; you should believe this, you should believe that, this is wrong, this is right, don’t do this or else, don’t worry about that, that’s OK. Are you getting my point? A few weeks ago I asked a member of our club (who happens to be Muslim) a couple questions regarding her religious beliefs. At the end of the conversation she said, “You know, we all have much more in common than we do differences.” I couldn’t agree more. While some may disagree, if you spend any time studying religious history and philosophy you may find yourself surprised. It’s taken me years to finally become comfortable with developing my own belief system and I think my experience has also shaped my view on health.
This discussion is not an attempt to tout my personal religious philosophy; rather, it’s an attempt to set the stage for a larger concept. Given that we have limited space I’ll continue this column in the next issue. We’ll continue by discussing the concept of health and then consider how our concept may limit or hinder our ability to attain optimal health. We’ll then discuss some other viewpoints that may help us to expand our perception assisting us in creating a more holistic approach to our personal wellness.
What is Health?
This may seem like a simple question but if you know me, I love to overcomplicate things. I know plenty of thin people who can eat and drink whatever they want, never had braces, have perfectly straight teeth, no cavities, don’t exercise and have good skin. Yes, I know, these people are quite annoying to us regular folks but just because they look good without trying it doesn’t mean their insides look pretty. On the other hand I know of several people who I considered to be the epitome of health who succumbed to cancer or a sudden heart attack. Health is not just the absence of disease. True health permeates all levels of being and include how we deal with stress, how we communicate, how we accept love, what we accept in general, our level of education, our social circle, how we treat others, how we deal with how they treat us…and then of course our lipid profile, nutrition and exercise. I’m not trying to minimize the importance of exercise and a balanced diet; I’m simply suggesting that it’s wise to realize how our thoughts, emotions and fears impact our health. Let’s take a little quiz to explore.
Is This You?
You’re unhappy with your job. Everyday is boring and you simply can’t wait to get home. Weekends are the only thing you can think about since it means being away from work. If you could, you’d quit at the first opportunity but it just doesn’t seem like the best move right now so you just suck it up and deal day in and day out. If one word could sum up your emotion it may be ‘numb.’
Does this seem eerily familiar? If so, how is your situation affecting other aspects of your life? Do you feel a sense of unhappiness, fear, frustration or disappointment? Have you looked into how these emotions affect your level of stress or health?
I have a close family member of mine who has been a business owner for years and over the last 6-8 years has absolutely despised going into work everyday. This lack of connection with his career has seeped into his relationships with family and friends. While it’s easy for me to see where he may be able to improve things he isn’t comfortable asking for help and generally turns down any offer to do so. So where has this left him? He’s unhappy, has had a heart attack, and has high-blood pressure and Type II diabetes. He’s miserable in his career and unwilling to do something about it. He’s afraid of change and this fear is killing his opportunity to truly be happy and live a life where work ceases to be work and becomes a passion.
If you’ve managed to create a quite different scenario, one where you’ve found yourself in a meaningful career, a circle of close loving friends, a beautiful family, challenge yourself intellectually, find time for your own health, exercise and communicate well than you deserve a pat on the back. Be proud and grateful of what you have and where you are as many people haven’t yet realized this potential. The point thus far is that everything is connected. We tend to forget that this world has been here a lot longer than we have and will continue to be here a lot longer after we leave. Sometimes we view life, health and spirituality through a finite lens rather than viewing life as one with infinite possibilities. In my first paragraph I discussed many different health related organizations and that each has a very specific focus on health. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we just had one organization such as the Worldwide Institute for Health & Happiness? Certainly within this organization we’d be forced to contemplate not only our health but also our happiness and everything that true happiness entails. They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world; someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. I will argue that these three things will also lead one to optimal health. In our next discussion we’ll continue to discuss more in depth some of the key areas of Zen and how they are related to wellness.
