We Need to STOP Shooting the Messenger
“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses.” ~Hippocrates
What do I mean when I say we need to stop shooting the messenger, you are surely asking. What I mean by this is a paradox as it is both quite simple and rather complicated. It is simple in theory and complicated in practice.
Let’s look at simple first and then we can touch on complicated.
In simple terms, stop shooting the messenger means to stop blaming anything or anyone for our health issues and to start taking personal responsibility instead. This will be a hard pill for many to swallow because when we take responsibility it means we must make choices and sometimes very tough choices. We need to change whatever mental patterns, lifestyle choices, stressors, or toxins environmental or otherwise that have contributed to our health challenges. We need to give our own bodies the tools in which to heal itself.
Illness and disease is our body’s way of telling us whatever lifestyle we are living, whatever we are holding onto emotionally, or whatever we have going on in our lives is not serving us and our health. While illness and disease of any kind are horrible, sometimes deadly and “suck” as many people proclaim; that is the messenger and we need to start listening to what it is telling us.
It is no secret the top leading diseases are often preventable and lifestyle created diseases. The stats on this are staggering. I am not going to throw out numbers here or quote sites, you can do your own research as this is not the point of this article. But, this is now where things get complicated.
Here are some of the dynamics that make the creation of health so complicated.
Conflicts of Interest
This is probably the biggest creator of the perpetuation of disease on the planet. Let’s face it, the ‘health’ industry is big business. There is more money and profits to be gained in people getting and remaining sick and needing drugs and treatment for their illnesses and disease than there is in a healthy population not requiring drugs and/or treatments.
True prevention and cures, natural or not, are just not profitable to the industries that benefit from you being sick. Sickness is big business and there is no denying the truth in this.
Ignorance is Bliss and Misguided Trust
When we put blind faith and complete trust into the industries profiting from our being sick, we don’t have to take responsibility. We don’t have to do our own homework or even work on prevention because we trust when, not if anymore, we do get sick ‘they’ will fix us. We can remain ignorant and continue to live a disease creating lifestyle no more the wiser, playing Russian roulette with our health and life hoping we will be one of the ‘lucky ones’ who escape the ravages of disease. The sad part is; however, the statistics are gloomy at best and living a lifestyle based on prevention truly is our best hope.
Being Part of a Fight for the ‘Cure’
Millions upon millions of dollars are raised annually to find a cure for disease, and we all like to feel we are doing our part and belong to something bigger than ourselves. The ‘Fight’ against any disease, you name it, gives us a sense of belonging and contribution. The sad reality however is prevention is the best cure and there are in fact many proven natural non-intrusive cures globally already out there and they have been for decades. Again, do your own homework.
This ‘Fight’ band wagon is socially promoted and highly acknowledged; it is a difficult wagon to jump off and takes some courage, strength and resolve. For those who have, they haven’t looked back, they enjoy brilliant health and happiness and many are trying to promote what they have learned from their own experiences. You get to choose who you decided to trust. One lends itself to a low level of personal responsibility and the other is about complete responsibility. One is about control and the other is about freedom of choice.
Personally, I have chosen to put my efforts towards finding the truth and building my own knowledge, taking responsibility for my overall health, and listening to the messenger and not shooting it.
Recently, it was found I have a very serious condition in my digestive track, it was good news to me as it finally explained so many chronic issues I was dealing with. My impulse was not to wage a fight or war against my condition, or to feel sorry for myself and become a victim. I consciously chose to roll up my sleeves and do whatever I can do naturally and holistically to deal with what I was/am facing.
This has been a challenging journey with a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice. It has challenged me physically and forced to deal with and take responsibility for my choices past, present and future. It has challenged me emotionally and encouraged me to deal with old emotional debris that was still lingering around, as well as my current emotional landscape and tending to my present garden with greater conviction and resolve.
Following the words of Hippocrates quoted above has been a gift. I am grateful that I have chosen to listen to my messenger and not shoot it.
“Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease.” ~Hippocrates