Privilege

As I write this I find myself enjoying the company of two energetic teenagers who are giving me the opportunity to relive my earlier life. After weeks on a course designed to challenge them and apply their energies, they are taking a few moments to reflect on their achievements. They have planted trees, built paths in the mountains, learned about heathland fauna, cut trees and cleared beaches. At 16 years they have a practical experience of ecological issues that did not cross my mind at the same age. Every day I’m confronted by the dark side of our everyday life. I’m aware of dangers in our foodstuffs, in our air and water and in our cultural norms which threaten our future. But when I see that the following generations are already aware of these threats then I know our future is in good hands. In another piece I will expand on my metaphor of life and operational amplifiers. – In summary I’m struck by the similarity between energy in the young and gain at DC and how best this can be harnessed to provide the functionality we need. Few of us appreciate our potential as we grow to maturity. Indeed, it is often said that many of us grow old without ever growing up. I am privileged as a coach to support individuals as they awaken to their potential, restore their health and grow in confidence. I get to witness the flowering of health and the application of enthusiasm. When it comes right for a client, a winter’s day is turned to spring. Walking with these client’s is to walk on hallowed ground. It seems to me that the human pursuit of happiness lies at the heart of continual professional development. When we experience the reward of our work as the growth of others then we naturally want to understand how to maintain or enhance outcomes for our clients. It is a privilege also to serve our time doing what we love and to contribute to the co-creation of our world. As a young father I had little understanding of human transience. For a few short years in early adulthood we bathe in bliss and are invincible. Unconsciously we apply ‘hard-wired’ patterns of behaviour from our childhood without truly understanding that we are equipping our replacements with the life skills, beliefs and human empathy that give meaning to lives. In recent years I have had the privilege of watching my elderly parents confront the challenges of old age. Their dignity in the face of debilitating illness has been both admirable and deeply challenging; they are a hard act to follow. Whereas in younger days behaviour is unconscious, even instinctual, by middle age we are more aware of the realities of life and its implications. There is a natural pull to be over-concerned about the future and sometimes remorseful of the past. It’s comforting then to remember the privilege of living today, one day at a time and to enjoy life moment by moment. Whatever tomorrow brings may I always remember that, more than any fortunate circumstances of family origin, my greatest privilege has been life itself. ©Paul Curran

Surviving Christmas

I’ve never been in favour of prohibition and most people accept that everything is fine in moderation. I agree most of the time but for me the saying breaks down when I ask “What’s a moderate amount of Cocaine?” yet few people realise that sugar is thought to be many times more addictive and there’s seldom a shortage of sugar treats at Christmas. Sugar not only makes us fat, it makes us sick as well. In the immediate aftermath of a sugar treat our immune systems are disabled and we are vulnerable to infection. Sugar is a poison. The toxicity comes from the fructose molecule which the body can only metabolise slowly and in small amounts. In our diet we typically eat far more fructose than we can manage so many people are suffering needlessly from the diseases it causes. So, I for one, will choose a low-sugar Christmas but I don’t expect others will, so my aim here is to help folk to enjoy Christmas while minimising any lasting harm. Here I find Paul McKenna’s advice to be very simple and true – • Only eat when you’re hungry • Savour every mouthful • When you’ve eaten enough, stop eating! Our intention here is to build a right relationship with food where we can appreciate its life-sustaining function and deeply enjoy it. Ask yourself another question – “Will eating this lead me to the health I want?” Christmas is a time of new beginnings. We have the image of a vulnerable infant born into a new family. Our natural instinct is to be loving and caring, full of wonder and awe. Christmas is an opportunity for families of all ages to be loving and caring together. So let’s have that quality-time experience –whether it’s helping in the kitchen, building model railways, walking with children as they ride their new bikes, sharing time with the elderly etc. The aim is fun, relaxation and happiness, which reflects a deep love and respect for ourselves, our families, our communities and the broader society in which we live. Since we are what we ingest, let us take care to nurture ourselves properly in body, mind and soul. Let’s eat life-giving food, think our best thoughts and acknowledge our common humanity through acts of charity. Together we can build right relationship not just with food, but with our families, neighbours and communities in a way that changes the world. If we can do this, then we will not just survive Christmas but truly thrive. I wish you a Happiness, Peace and Deep Healing.

Portrait of a Killer

Imagine a team of forensic psychiatrists, working on a murder enquiry, drawing up a profile of the killer. There is a sense of urgency about their work as they try to prevent further attacks and of outrage as the killer also taunts the investigators by leaving clues to his identity. Often the case is solved by some breakthrough piece of evidence or of an intuitive hunch which puts the detectives in front of the killer in the final phase of the show. We go off to our beds knowing that the bad guy has been caught and that the world is a safer place without him. But what if the happy ending is thwarted when it is discovered that the prime suspect has Diplomatic Immunity or otherwise enjoys the protection of privilege or the state? Imagine that the boundaries of responsibility are further blurred through state collusion. What anger and outrage would result? What would we do about it? How much worse does it feel when it turns out that the killing has been going on for years and instead of a handful of gruesome murders the evidence reveals that millions have been dying over decades? This would escalate the conspiracy to a matter of international concern, but still nothing would be done about it. This is not the plot of some new best-seller but the day to day stuff of food production in the world today. Edible substances have multiplied in efforts to increase market share and corporate profits. Their composition has changed as they vie to proclaim the exclusivity of their brands or simply to enhance their addictive qualities. There are many suspect practices but the number one villain in our food supply is sugar. In every age sugar has caused massive loss of life. The slave trade that established forced labour for the plantations may be gone but mankind is no less enslaved today through its addiction to sugar with its devastating outcomes for health. It is the root cause of many of our rapidly escalating rates of chronic disease including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, NAFLD and dementia. The dangers are well known to governments but the culprit hides in plain sight – on every food package label adorning our supermarket shelves. The impact of healthy eating would usher in another economic crisis as the agrochemical, pharmaceutical, food production and ‘Healthcare’ industries found their operations slashed. The bottom line is that there’s no money to be made in preventing or curing illness but millions to be made by managing it. Have we really arrived at a state where we’re content not to rock the boat in order to feed corporate greed? Have we somehow come to believe that it’s better to suffer within this system than to change it? On a personal level will we continue to lie to ourselves by denying that our behaviour affects our health or utter the words of ultimate cop-out – ‘A little of what you fancy does you good’. The Christmas story is one of new beginnings. We can choose to start afresh anytime we like and to build a healthful future that will allow us to truly appreciate the gift of life. A good first step is to identify the killer as sugar and remove it from our lives. © Paul Curran 6th December 2014