[Mb-civic] A Sense Of Futerlessness

[Ian]

Cheeseburger:

You said: "Someone once said that the body is relatively "a perfect
machine," quite capable of healing itself.  If one can find the correct
valuations of perfect symmetry to personally calm onself down, breathe, and
coordinate such healings, doctors would be obsolete."

Indeed, almost every day, the media - including the respected medical
journals - provide new evidence that the strict reliance and adherence to
"Western" medicine, whether preventative or curative, is less efficacious
than generally believed.  There are many "Western" doctors, health
technicians, etc. who are finding, seeing and applying the true value of
"holistic" healing, using a combination of Western practices;
natural/organic preventatives, palliatives and cures; Eastern practices
(specifically including "breathing," yoga (or similar exercise) and
meditation); and psychology (i.e., "mind over matter").  With respect to the
last (psychology), many oncologists and other cancer doctors are finding
that a "positive mental attitude" not only helps those living with cancer
(including terminal cancer) maintain a more peaceful and even happy demeanor
during their final months or weeks, but can actually assist in putting
cancer into remission.  Even the power of laughter has been shown to have
marked affects on those with cancer and other terminal diseases.  And
although none of these have been subjected to "formal" scientific/medical
studies, there seems no question that "Western medicine" clearly does not
"know everything."

In these regards, while doctors might not exactly become "obsolete," their
"mission" - their medical approach - would change dramatically.  It might
even make more of them "honest."

I apologize if any of this dredges up bad memories.  It is obviously not
meant to.  It is simply in response to your comment.  Forgive me if I should
have kept my mouth shut...

Peace.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cheeseburger" <maxfury at granderiver.net>
To: "mb-civic" <mb-civic at islandlists.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 4:36 AM
Subject: [Mb-civic] A Sense Of Futerlessness


> Re:  A Sense Of Futurelessness
>
>
>
> Ian wrote:
>
> =====
> You speak of "re-creating" oneself in order to "keep sane in the midst of
> madness."
>
> When I studied yoga and Eastern philosophy with Swami Satchidananda, he
had
> a really great "homily" of sorts.  It went something like this:
>
> "When we are born, we are "fine"; we are simply the "I am."  As we grow,
we
> begin to "de-fine" ourselves: "I am" alive, "I am" a boy, "I am" white, "I
> am" small, etc.  As we get older, we continue this "de-fining" process: I
am
> a human being, I am an American, I am a New Yorker, I am a doctor, I am
> smart, etc.  The process of "de-fining" creates constant stress.  At some
> point, we find that we have so "de-fined" ourselves that we realize we
need
> to start to "re-fine" ourselves, by stepping back from all the ways in
which
> we have "de-fined" the "I am."  Psychology calls this "getting in touch
with
> the child within."  Whatever one calls it, it is the only way to regain
> personal peace in our lives."
>
> I heard this when I was 17 years old.  I never forgot it.
> ========
>
>
>
> The only problem some people have with getting in touch with the child
> inside is that they find it is a spoiled egocentric tryrannical brat.
>
> Once they find it, it tears their hair out, and they quickly revert back
to
> the shelter of adulthood and all its unseemly trimmings.
>
> Others, on the other hand, find the inner child, and it is already just
one
> step short of Englightenment.
>
> The "Eastern" philosophies, yogas, practices, etc, are invaluable, you are
> correct.
>
> If only "The West" had been en massely privy to and practicing them long
> ago, rather than raping the East as much as they could, many things would
be
> quite different now than they are.
>
> Some people say Breathing is a key to all sorts of things, from the yang
or
> zen aspects of the martial arts, to simple yoga, to various meditation
> techniques.
>
> It also helps to calm down stress, whether one focuses on a mantra,
mandela,
> or whatever in the process, simple calm breathing often changes one's
entire
> outlook on just about everything, even in the middle of a battlefield
> sometimes.
>
> Let's just face it, however, The West is basically, as a whole, extremely
> uneducated as far as Eastern "techniques", and by the time a majority even
> discover the benefits of them, we will be overswamped with stress,
> technology, and relatively irreversible tyranny, just as we are now.
>
> However, it is said, that if a butterfly lands just perfectly on a branch
> in, say, China, that somewhere in, say, Ohio, a flower is born as a
result.
>
> So, the actual Power of Positive Thinking, Faith if you will, just might
> have something to it that is beneficial globally, as well as individually.
>
> "All ya gotta do is believe, pal..."
>
> I continue to agree, the Eastern "techniques" are invaluable as far as
> "inner exploration" goes, and finding a balance between the world of
> whirling buzzers and clanging bells we are obligated to answer each day,
and
> the peace we know is somewhere but have forgotten the path to its door,
and
> how to open it.
>
> Such peace, also, remains invaluable to not only spiritual and mental
> healing, but physical healing as well.
>
> Someone once said that the body is relatively "a perfect machine", quite
> capable of healing itself.  If one can find the correct valuations of
> perfect symmetry to personally calm onself down, breathe, and coordinate
> such healings, doctors would be obsolete.
>
> If we could only do that with governments, militaries, and corporations,
> we'd really have something.
>
> A major problem with that, although it can be overcome by sheer will along
> with the correct practices, techniques, is that just about every inch of
> earth is now bombarded by so many microwaves, radars, experimental waves,
> satellite waves, secret waves, transmissions of all kinds, who knows what,
> that to find inner peace without intercepting a call from Ruthie to Don in
> the fillings of one's teeth appears to be almost impossible, especially
> since a majority of them are inaudible and unable to be seen as well
(unless
> yer a dog or a parrot).
>
> These techniques, which continue to be beneficial not only personally but
> globally as well (if one truly believes), can actually be mastered, even
by
> a Westerner, or at least brought to such a level that they are practically
> applicable to health on all levels, one only has to find the time though.
A
> few minutes a day at "practice" can change one's world.
>
> But then again, who in The West has "time".  All our time appears to be
> allocated to this that or them or those, it seems sometimes.
>
> Sometimes one just has to say "STOP!!!!", shut the door, turn the lamp
down
> low, put on your favorite soft music, and just sit there, empty your mind,
> completely (that within itself is an entire meditation), fill your body
with
> light, completely, and just breathe.
>
> All the rest is pudding.
>
> Oh well, I've typed too much on this one, suffice it to say that in a
> question of balance between positive and negative, I once heard someone
say
> that that is what the war of Love is for.
>
> To win back and restore that which was stolen and destroyed.
>
> Hey, if I can see through walls, then someone somewhere should be able to
> figure out how to accomplish that small task...
>
> :)
>
> All one has to do is educate Western people in the Eastern techniques of
> being-centering, transcendence, breathing, and meditation, etc.
>
> However, they can't even see far enough to not re-elect negatives like
Bush,
> Cheney, and Rumsfeld, so how they are going to find their inner childs
> without a hundred lighthouses should be interesting to watch.
>
>
>
>
>
> Cheeseburger
>
> - I knew you would find some way to turn something simple like Breathing
> into something political.  I knew it.  Didn't I tell you I knew it?  Yes,
> yes you did.  Well, then, allright, next time I get to type.  Ok, ok, ok,
I
> agree, just calm down and breathe a little.   Ok............
>
> .
>
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