Ich Bin Ein Nephron

JFK’s famous speech in Berlin brought reassurance to the population resisting the Soviet threat of the time. He was making it clear that the US intended to oppose any attempt to overrun the city or starve it into submission. Berlin was a front line hotspot during the Cold War and fortunately an open conflict was avoided. The symbolism of the era is as important today. A major power identified with a relatively small community to appreciate its contribution and guarantee its safety. A similar protection is afforded whenever we take the trouble to nurture every cell of the body and protect their right to life. There is physical assistance from appropriate nutrition to parallel the US airlift, and there is an unambiguous message from a conscious mind instructing the subconscious to protect cells and organs from attack and promote healing.

For years I’ve had a ‘Big Picture’ view of the world and tended to subsume the identity of the individual toward the common good. I used to say things like “I’m first a European and then an Irishman”. Or “I’m first a businessman, then an engineer”. While such an approach has merit, it is also dangerous if it requires individuals to go along with an idea against their will.  In such a situation there is an opportunity for dissatisfaction, even enmity, to foment. Sadly this is generally the outcome of our system of polarised politics when an election majority is taken as an excuse to trample the interests of those holding an opposing view. Nations suffer when the contributions of its citizens are denied. Similarly families can suffer if one partner is domineering – even unwittingly. At the level of the individual the same philosophy holds true when the mind is divided against itself or the body’s tissues are subjected to a barrage of toxins masquerading as ‘food’.

Yesterday I was delighted to watch a recording of Satish Kumar’s address at the TEDx Exeter event in which he promoted a call for a 21^st century revolution – ‘Soil, Soul and Society’. Kumar speaks passionately about a truth I have come to appreciate. All of humanity, and the earth in which we live, are one. When we exploit natural resources without consideration of the sustainability of such practice then we are effectively poisoning our planet. When one society attempts to suppress or deny another we foment anger, discontent and risk conflict. If within our individual bodies we tolerate chronic stress or ingest unnatural foods we ravage our health and usher in disease. We are overdue for a change of perspective and as the scales on my eyes fall away I recognise that it’s been here all along.

On discovering that I had a high blood pressure problem I chose to adopt a natural approach to bring it under control. Instead of medicating symptoms I chose to address the cause and my journey to health has been very rewarding. Today I try to look out for the health of every cell in my body appreciating that each has a unique role to play. As a nephron I cannot be a braincell nor part of a mitral valve but my contribution to the health of the body is vital. Similarly every individual on our planet has a unique role to play as part of the oneness of humanity. There cannot be a truly healthy body where one organ claims supremacy over another or grows at another’s expense.

“Ich bin ein Nephron” is my call to recognise the unique role that each individual plays and to take a personal stand for sustainability, -  soil, soul and society.