The Last Day

Bruce Lipton starts his Spontaneous Evolution lectures with a Good News / Bad News joke, first the bad news – “The world as we know it is coming to an end”. Now the good news – “The world as we know it is coming to an end”. We are certainly living in interesting times and, when we look at all the extreme weather events around the world, it is clear that we need to act urgently to avoid disaster through Global Warming. As ever, wars and international tensions cause hardship and dislocation for millions of people. In 2015 Europe was presented with a huge refugee crisis precipitated by the war in Syria and continuing insecurity in Libya. The world paused at the sight of a 5 year old child, dead and face down in the sand, before renewing hostilities and passing on the blame. Wars diminish humanity. How much of a wake-up call do we need? As we give thanks for the many good things that happened in 2015 including the simple acts of opening our eyes in the morning or being able to live without pain let us resolve to multiply such experiences in 2016 and to bring more happiness into our lives. We can also leave divisions of the ego behind and the selfish behaviours that result. Instead let us celebrate our Oneness with each other and all creation and put our collective powers to the task of saving the world in which we live. Let today be the last day of our corrupt thinking, the last day we turn a blind eye to suffering, the last day we ignore the acts of governments to remove our liberties, poison our food or wage wars in our name. That the world as we have known it is coming to an end is good news indeed. Now is the time to follow Ghandi’s call to “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

Birth and Growth

The most wonderful thing I have ever seen is the birth of a child. I have had that privilege three times, each occasion as special as before. I was filled with awe, wonder, excitement and love at each new addition to our family. Seeing my wife in labor was harrowing but as her pain turned to joy there were only smiles and cuddles for our new arrivals. We had three beautiful boys. Our families rejoiced and shortly after many relatives joined us to celebrate and to mark the beginning of their spiritual journeys. Although there had been great physical pain there was also great joy. It is increasingly understood how important the natural childbirth process is for the development of the immune system. During the passage through the birth canal mother endows baby with a vast number of bacteria to provide immunity against the harsh conditions of the outside world. There are also bacteria that the child will need to help it digest mother’s milk and in the first days of life this milk provides additional bacteria to establish the colonies necessary for healthy digestion and immune function. It is now known that children born by C section have incomplete bacterial protection and are much more prone to autoimmune problems in later life brought on by intestinal permeability or Leaky Gut. Growth is truly miraculous. Watching children start to walk, to speak and play with complete immersion and abandon is one of the greatest pleasures of a parent. The parent–child bond provides the ultimate learning environment nurturing confidence and curiosity in its world. Even as the children grow to maturity and are adapted for interfacing with the world of their time, parents continue to watch them from afar, still in awe at their abilities. Recently I’ve pondered on the similarity between childbirth and the trauma of mental and spiritual growth. Imagine the difficulty of a doctor, trained exclusively in the pharmaceutical approach, to come to the realisation that basic nutrition can resolve most chronic illnesses without any side effects. Everything that he/she has believed for years is suddenly challenged by a new reality. As they say – ‘It’s very hard for a person to understand something when their livelihood depends on their not understanding’. It makes me more appreciative of those many courageous medical doctors who are innovating with complementary treatments to heal the gut, prevent heart disease and cure cancer etc. The inertia of the system is not easily overcome. Their efforts, especially in the treatment of cancer, are met with derision and contempt if not outright hostility. They endure great pain before they see their efforts rewarded in the smiling faces of their cured patients. Patient by patient they are returning life to the world. Some years ago my marriage ended plunging me into a very dark place. The comfort I had become used to was torn away, my environment changed forever. I cried with the intensity of any newborn but even in my pain and anguish a new life was beginning. It took a total dislocation for me to awaken to a new spiritual dimension in my life. The pain of my birthing experience has sown a full quota of emotional tools that now populate my psyche providing a well-trained immunity. That’s not to say that I’m immune to upset, far from it; but I’m better able to cope with it; I’m more emotionally aware than before. Could it be that a rebound relationship provides a ‘spiritual C section’ that impedes healthy emotional development? Just as an infant deprived of love from a primary caregiver will die, so I have come to understand that throughout my trials I was deeply cared for by a creator God who wants me to have health and happiness. She also wants my efforts, as an adult, to act courageously in bringing this truth to others and to be a living an example of healing. Every day’s a school day!

Mission Impossible

This popular TV series, and Tom Cruise’s later movie trilogy, presents us with the idea that anything is possible and the team is challenged to show us how. During each nail-biting episode our heroes overcome the seemingly insurmountable, even making it look easy. These stories are captivating because of the extreme difficulty they seem to present to ordinary folk and they are far removed from the challenges of everyday life. What we fail to understand however, is that despite being well equipped to meet most challenges that come our way we often choose instead to accept a diagnosis, a label, that justifies the medications we take and absolves us of the personal effort required to heal naturally. Just as in the movie series, where the team show great ingenuity and courage, personal change requires effort to find out how best to resolve our health issues. Often the most beneficial approach is not what’s on offer from a time-pressured GP. Recovering one’s health and discarding a label is often possible however. It requires that we ‘Stop Getting Sick’; that we then ‘Remove the Toxins that are keeping us Sick’. And finally, when the preparation work is complete, we can ‘Use the Best Building Materials’ to restore our health. When we address the whole person in terms of Body, Mind and Spirit then we are rewarded with a sustainable lifestyle and resilience against relapse. It’s only to be expected that during challenging situations we require support. Illness can be very distressing and none of us alone have the resources to recover in every case. Perhaps the first thing to do is to seek help. Next we need judgement to discern the appropriateness of what’s on offer. A useful question to ask is ‘Who’s interests are being served here?’. Nowadays an important consideration to me is to know is – ‘Will this course of action lead to a cure of my ailment or will it merely manage my illness?’. The Serenity Prayer will keep us right – ‘Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change those I can and the wisdom to know the difference’ Good health is God’s gift. It’s generally available for the asking and when people want it enough to do the necessary work the mission usually is possible.

Advent

The approaching season of Christmas is preceded, in the Christian calendar, by a period of preparation called Advent. In practical terms it is less well known than the season of Lent, preceding Easter, which is associated with penance and sacrifice. Instead it is a marketer’s dream; a time of year when traders thrive and advertising budgets are unleashed on the world to stimulate sales of everything from toys, to cologne and alcohol. This is undoubtedly a perversion of the original intention. It has long been known that sugar plays a central role in the development of cancer but this aspect of the disease is little spoken of. There is constant discussion of the genetic research that will one day provide a cure for the disease and millions of people around the world contribute their time and energies raising funds to fight it. Many, or most, of its victims will be lost to the disease after fighting heroically for years. As in the mindless trench warfare of World War One, choosing not to fight is not an option. We are told that not to submit to surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy is to hasten our death. That we return home maimed is just the cost of doing business. When Geoffrey Howe resigned from Margaret Thatcher’s government he delivered a speech in Parliament in which he likened ministerial life under Thatcher to a team of cricketers whose captain had broken their bats before the game. It seems to me that any Prime Minister who commissions a study into the possible health benefits of introducing a sugar tax but then dismisses the medical report without even reading it is doing the same thing – but on a national scale. After 30 years of painstaking research into the genetic fingerprints of cancer, which was hoped would herald the arrival of new targeted chemotherapy drugs, little progress has been made. The research has revealed cancer to be the ultimate chameleon. It is an extremely complex disease with many types of cell permutation even within the same tumour. Targeted therapies like Herceptin have proven to be less of a ‘smart bomb’ and more like an ineffective single bullet against the rapidly growing threat of cancer around the world. Yet other researchers exploring the metabolic nature of cancer have struggled to gain the funding their research needs. Since the 1931 Nobel prizewinner, Otto Warburg, discovered the anaerobic nature of the cancer cell and its prodigious demands for glucose many others have continued his work. Their proposed therapies are comparatively simple yet staggeringly effective. So simple in fact that it puts cancer prevention firmly in the hands of the public. The calorie restricted Ketone Diet starves cancer cells by cutting off their supply of glucose while promoting the growth of healthy cells by converting their fuel source to Ketone bodies, from simple fats, which cancer cells cannot use. The cellular use of ketone bodies is stimulated by fasting which prompts the cells to hunt for fuel. In all major religions fasting has been known to be good for health and for centuries this has been enshrined in observances such as Ramadan, Lent and Advent. It is a scandal that the benefits of fasting are misunderstood and squandered in the sugar fuelled binges that follow these seasons. It’s even worse that the benefits are masked from future generations by the now ubiquitous Advent Calendar which counts down to Christmas with their daily chocolate sugar fixes. The seasonal observance of fasting can indeed usher in new life, not only spiritually but mentally and physically as well. Health is God’s gift. It’s freely given to those who want it.

Uisneach

It is said that in ancient Ireland the fifth province was centred at Uisneach in Westmeath. It is a site of great archaeological interest but, as Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, tells us – ‘The fifth province is not some place here or there, North, South, East or West. It is a place within each of us. That place which is open to the other, the swinging door that allows us to venture out and others to venture in.’ It might be considered our psychological interface in a similar way as to how Uisneach was earlier thought of as the sacred interface between the physical world and the hereafter. It has been known for many years that a human cell can function normally with its nucleus removed. It is unable to replicate of course, but it is through its interface with the cells around it that allows it to contribute to the health of the whole. That physical whole may be an organ within a larger animal or human being. The psychological whole may be our personal psyche, the cultural psyche of our community or a Greater Whole known to many as God, a Divine presence within each of us through which we are united with everything. Clearly the interfaces we maintain with others and with our environment are all important for our health both physically and emotionally. In my years working as an electronics designer, designing interface circuitry was a daily activity. I remember my astonishment at the elegance of the theorem of conjugate matching which showed that when any part of a passive circuit is conjugately matched then the whole network is conjugately matched. For me this theorem has always had an importance far beyond electronic communications. It suggests to me a parallel for human interaction in general such that when there is complete and true harmony between any two individuals then there is complete harmony between all peoples. Interestingly the theorem can only hold true at a single frequency, or one person at a time. This is a leap of the imagination for sure but a sound principle to apply to our attempts to bring about the world we want to live in. Consider also that matching radio circuits deals in the manipulation of ‘Real’ and ‘Imaginary’ impedances. In every walk of life then very real results flow from paying attention to what cannot be seen. Mapping the human genome has now been cracked but similarly mapping the genes of mutated cancer cells has revealed that this ‘Emperor of Maladies’ is extremely complex and defies the attempts of researchers to produce silver bullet chemotherapy agents. Perhaps our attention has been distracted away from the truth that the cure for cancer lies in our interface to the world – our internal and external environments. The science of Epigenetics reveals that how our genes are expressed depends on the environmental conditions prevailing around our cells. This again appears like an application of the theorem of conjugate matching – If a cell is optimally matched to its environment then the whole body is optimally matched. Cancer and other chronic disease cannot develop in a healthy environment. Mary Robinson was right to think of the Fifth Province as a place inside each of us open to the other. Whether physical or psychological, our health is determined by the quality of our environment and our interfaces with it.

Source Code

Some years ago, in the depths of despair, a friend howled at God – “If you’re so _______ clever, you sort it out”. In his core he immediately felt the response “Move over and let me take the wheel”. So he did and from that moment his life changed for the better. He still faces all the challenges that life presents but he is connected to source and everything is possible. Through his daily meditation practice he ‘downloads his code’ then goes about his day with calm and confidence knowing that he is being steered by the ultimate driver. His only prayer is that he follow the guidance of his divine presence without question. That way, whatever happens, only a divine outcome can occur. So often we behave like children learning to swim or ride a bike. We want a bar to hold onto or a floor below us. We want stabilisers. The joy that comes from ‘letting go, letting God’ is very real. Facing our fears can be terrifying but it is the path to growth. ‘False Expectations Appearing Real’ often paralyse and confine us. When this happens it’s probably a good indication that we need to download new software.

You Can

This last week I was privileged to be involved with a group of individuals who want to make a difference in our community. At first our gatherings were opportunities to vent frustration but as we grew in appreciation of our shared perspective we also grew in confidence that we are enormously powerful. The name ‘You Can’ was chosen to describe this simple truth. Our group represents a local manifestation of a worldwide shift in consciousness. There are groups everywhere living in different places, speaking different languages and with different issues of concern – just like a body composed of different yet interdependent parts. Our thirst is for community, a sense of equality and justice for all. We reject all barriers, false partitions and separations. When the veils fall we realise that paradise is here and now. We simply have to feel it enough to act with authenticity. We can live as Ghandi told us – “Be the change you want to see in the world” Why would we not want to live our highest truth? Who are we not to? We are in our infancy, but the first step has been taken; we are awake.

It's All In Your Head

I wonder how many of us have been told this after a lengthy series of medical tests have failed to explain a constant feeling of fatigue and listlessness? Hal Huggins, a dentist, wrote a book with this title in an attempt to draw awareness to the dangers of mercury toxicity from dental amalgam fillings. I found the book scary because I realised that after many years of private dental treatment, and thousands of pounds invested, I had been completely unaware of the threat and now had potentially multiple sources of infection in my head only two inches from my brain. He also attributed so many illnesses to mercury that one is left thinking that everyone is suffering to some degree. Indeed Huggins, now deceased, had found that very many of his patients recovered from chronic illness after having their amalgam fillings removed. It’s a shame that the British Dental Association and the American Dental Association still cling to the mantra that mercury is stable when mixed in amalgams despite so much evidence to the contrary. These professional bodies are destroying their credibility and fighting a rearguard action that must ultimately end in ignominious defeat. It cannot happen fast enough. Here in the UK, dentists carrying out work for the National Health Service can only fit mercury amalgam fillings in molar teeth and each fitting degrades the life of its recipient, often setting them up for the onset of chronic disease. ‘The Truth About Cancer – A Global Quest’ is an excellent series of documentaries presenting a wide range of therapies that have proven successful in the treatment of cancer. The conventional media are unlikely to discuss anything that departs from the teaching of conventional oncology whose ineffective offerings subject millions of people to misery and death each year. I have come to understand that the pharmaceutical businesses supplying poisonous chemotherapy agents to practitioners are driven purely by profit motives and not by health. They get away with it because of the blind faith we have in our medical professionals most of whom are well meaning, dedicated people. As Ty Bollinger, the producer of the series, comments ‘If an aeroplane gets hijacked it’s not the pilot’s fault’. Rather than mercury amalgams physically in their heads they have powerful memes and mantras that have locked them, and us, into a narrow worldview within which they must remain if they want to keep their licence to practice. Being subjected to treatments through uninformed consent, or blinded by fear and ignorance of available medical alternatives, is largely out of our control – or so we think. What’s indisputably within our control is what we choose to fill our heads with through our TV viewing habits and pastimes. Social engineering through ‘Reality TV’ shows is lobotomising a generation and a couch potato culture is leading to indolence and a lack of aspiration. The attendant lack of exercise invites the development of toxic lymph systems and disease. Throughout the world rising rates of obesity are leading inexorably to the full panoply of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Even the biggest of trees will eventually fall when rotten on the inside and there are so many problems induced through our modern lifestyle that the corrupt institutions behind it too must soon come crashing down. When we become aware of the forces that sustain corruption it’s easy to see that we’re not to blame. We are however responsible. With a new spirit of participation and mutual support we can manifest a loving and sustainable society. As Bart Simpson puts it “Every time I put some new stuff into my head, some old stuff falls out”. That’s exactly what we need to do now. – Pay closer attention to what’s in our heads and what we choose to let in.

Kindfulness

This term, coined by monk Ajahn Brahm, speaks of a kindly, non-judgmental curiosity of things, exactly as they are, which develops inner peace and gentleness. This is the natural outcome of a mindful approach to living. A few moments of meditation and prayer at the start of the day raises our game and positions us to bring peace and kindness to everyone we meet. There is no downside. We have a better day as does everyone around us. So why wouldn’t we do it? Might it just be a force of habit? – Do we leap out of bed at 7am and turn on the TV to a news digest of war, labour conflict, political corruption or migrant crises etc? What sort of day are we heading into if we’re carrying the woes of the world before we’re even dressed? It’s not that the horrors of the world are not a reality of our temporal existence. We should acknowledge them but not dwell on them. Rather, we can use them to impel us to do what we can to bring peace into the world in which we live. Let us choose to live in Love rather than Fear. ‘Newsworthy’ items tend not to dwell on the good in our world. Shame, there’s a lot of it. Nature is beautiful at all times of the year. We all have a special place where we feel grounded, that evokes the best in us, that helps us appreciate life itself in all its variety. And spring brings such abundance that spending time in the outdoors is almost overwhelming. Personally it’s like a chord is struck in me, with which I resonate and want to propagate the vibes throughout my day. Nature is my go-to ‘filling station’ for peace. Parenthood is perhaps the richest expression of human love. A newborn infant has no interest in world affairs, only the close attention and love of its parents. It may sound gushy and sentimental to coo and giggle with a baby but we would quickly mistrust anyone who didn’t spontaneously warm to one. All infants live in the Now trusting totally in the parents to provide the nourishment and love needed to sustain it. In the earliest days there is no sense of ‘me’ or ‘other’; there is only oneness. Through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood we develop our individuality and agency in the world. This is absolutely necessary to equip us to be productive but can lead us astray if we simply become acquisitive consumers driven by greed. Instead there needs to come a point where we recognise, or indeed remember, that we are all one and that our true needs are at all times met by a Higher Power in whom we can trust like an infant. Each cell in the body will naturally perform its function at its best when its environment allows it to. The science of Epigenetics is discovering the dominance of the environment, rather than DNA alone, in the expression of the genes. The cell in the big toe has never met his brother in the kidney or the brain but regardless of location (birthright) each cell needs every other in order for a body to be whole. The function and needs of each cell are defined and met by the innate intelligence that brought them into being. This kindly presence sustains our existence and when, through mindful awareness, we bring our efforts into alignment with it then we move toward a greater harmony and best expression of our humanity. It is through ‘Kindfulness’ that we can productively join in the co-creation of our world. One final thought: If Paul looks like a monk, lives like a monk and talks like a monk, perhaps he is a monk? – Please be kind to him though, he’s very much a novice 

Sideways to the Sun

One of my favourite Irish bands, from yesteryear, is Horslips. They recorded ‘Sideways to the Sun on their ‘Book of Invasions’ album telling the story of the fairy-like Tuatha dé Danann people of Ireland, who faded from view when they were defeated by the Milesians. ‘We stay around, to watch you laugh, destroy yourselves for fun. But you won’t see us, we’ve grown, sideways to the sun’. If the Dé Danann managed to survive by melting away as the culture changed then their fate was much kinder than that suffered by Native Americans, Aboriginals, the Zulus and many other peoples. Like most Western children of the 60s, I grew up playing ‘Cowboys and Indians’ where the Indians were always the bad guys. It was only right that these savages had only bows and arrows or they could have inflicted greater carnage on those brave frontiersmen as they drove out West. Only decades later can I understand the settling of the New World as a tragedy. As a species we have not learned to accept others unlike ourselves. This leads to prejudice, hate crimes and violence the world over. Is war fuelled by the greed of the invaders or by the pride of natives defending a cherished way of life? Winners write the history books and children immortalise the outcomes in their games. Cultural influences run deep in the human psyche. It is extremely difficult for us to bridge the divide even when we can see the innocent suffer. The Holocaust is probably the worst example of attempted cultural extermination but Apartheid in South Africa tried to legitimise racial segregation, the Hutus and Tutsis went on a rampage, the Middle East is a tinderbox, the Ukraine is extremely tense and recently the town of Charlestown in South Carolina showed us continuing race hatred in America. Even here in Ulster, our recent history has been shameful and in several areas mistrust and tensions remain. As humanity has evolved we developed the abilities to both grow and defend. It’s easy enough to understand when we lived as hunter gatherer communities constantly in danger of becoming dinner to something more dangerous. But now as we inhabit every part of the planet, and have the ability to communicate as never before, surely the time is ripe for us to evolve a greater consciousness so that we can appreciate the rich diversity of humankind and the environment in which we live? We are losing animal species at a higher rate than ever as the world is ravaged by insatiable greed. The environment is now so poisoned, and the very air we breathe so polluted, that we are risking our own extinction. As Alan Deutschman puts it – ‘When the stakes are so high, knowledge isn’t power, it’s anxiety. My hope with this piece is not to deal in Deutschman’s 3 Fs: Fear, Facts and Force but rather to adopt his 3Rs of Relate, Repeat and Reframe. Instead of waiting for the world to change we must recognise that it is our task to change it; we are responsible. Each of us, in our own way, must be courageous enough to do what we can to restore this paradise we live in. Start today with a smile to a stranger, an outstretched hand of peace and the breaking of bread together. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let us not follow the Tuatha dé Danann underground.

Surgical Strike

We’re supposed to be impressed by the precision of military smart bombs and to swallow the myth that these help to make our world a safer place. Computer screen pilots guide drones to their targets 10,000 miles away so that terrorists stay off our streets in the West. We’ve learned to use the most sophisticated technology to get our revenge in first but we’re slow to understand the connection between stirring up wars and coping with the resulting refugee crisis. For several years I’ve used the idea of a healthy human body as a metaphor for how things can be done right. I’ve also come to understand that our allopathic approach to cancer and most chronic diseases is wrong. Culturally we’re fed the idea that the ‘War against cancer’ will one day be won and we’re encouraged to wear our pink ribbons and donate generously for research into the cure. In the meantime improving technology allows us to accurately locate the tumours so that precision surgery can remove them while chemotherapy mops up any residual cancer cells. Modern oncology over-claims for the effectiveness of its ‘one-two’ knockout procedures and tens of thousands are enslaved to lifelong prescriptions for drugs with debilitating side effects. No thank you, there has to be a better way. Surprisingly, just by scratching below the surface, one finds that there are many complimentary therapies with much more favourable outcomes. By far the most effective preventive measure is good nutrition. Not only does it prevent most chronic diseases, but it can often reverse long established disease processes and offer a drug-free and healthy life. But it certainly doesn’t stop with physical nutrition. Mental and Spiritual nutrition equips us to think clearly and to question the cultural memes that unconsciously control our everyday existence. Stressful living causes chronic disease by constantly flooding the body with hormones intended to provide protection against short term threats. Rather than medicating the symptoms we should be removing the causes of illness. No illness means no need of medication – and there’s the catch. If no one’s sick then there’s no money to be made, nor intrusive surgical procedures to be performed. We all know that ‘Your Health is Your Wealth’, but our economy requires that we make people sick – Shame! Just as there’s no money in health, there’s no money in peace. Peace doesn’t sell bombs. If peace broke out the world might build respect and communication among its peoples. We might turn our energies to solving our problems instead of profiting from them. That’s a truly subversive idea. You’d think that having pondered such ideas for millennia, we’d have started to do what works? Nope; it’s too difficult and there’s no money in it. Anyway, a peaceful world makes for a boring 6 o’clock news. Humanity’s greed is rapidly consuming available resources and destroying the natural habitat of thousands of species the world over. Rather than celebrating and protecting the diversity of the natural world we seem hell bent on its exploitation, even to the point of death. We show the same contempt for our own species as we spread fear of others and respond with protectionism. Apartheid, between ‘Haves and Have Nots’ is alive and well. But let’s not change course too rapidly. Instead let’s, poison some cells, cut out some tumours, drop some more smart bombs, kill some baddies and tell the masses that we’re winning. It’s better for the quarterly results.

Corporate Meditation

How might an organisation become mindful of its performance and just Be? Increasingly Western cultures are accepting that meditation can have profound health benefits through the reduction of stress. It’s still a long way from routine use by mainstream medicine but today’s practitioners do not attract the ridicule they might once have done. Indeed there may even be mild admiration for those who appear to live in a disciplined way. They are mostly well-adjusted, calm, inwardly serene and outwardly successful. What’s not to like about that? In Tatiana Bachkirova’s book ‘Developmental Coaching’ she describes how the personal debates that go on in our heads are a natural way for the disparate parts of our unconscious to bring their concerns for consideration and adjudication. She explores the concept of mini-selves as messengers from the subconscious or elephant and the conscious mind as the elephant’s rider, responsible for giving direction. There is a tacit understanding that the rider will always get the best performance from the elephant when the animal is properly looked after. Expanding this idea to the ‘organ-isation’, or corporate body, we can think of the continuing operations and the prevailing culture as the elephant and the senior management team (SMT) as the rider. The only sustainable way for the organisation to thrive is for the SMT to be well attuned to the situations within the organisation and to be responsive to its needs. This ‘listening’ to the body is what we do in a meditative body-scan. Rather than randomly reacting to every itch or discomfort as they present, we work our way through the body noting any sensations, resolving to attend to specifics when the meditation practice is complete. – It’s rather like a corporate audit. Just as a body scan sets us on a mindful course for our day, erasing the stresses of yesterday and allowing us to be with ourselves in the moment, so too mindful reflections in the boardroom potentially offer the organisation a way to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts throughout the business day by day and then to consciously forge ahead with a balanced and collectively supported programme of development. This should be distinguished from the purpose of the now commonplace ‘Management Away-days’ every quarter, where executives actively consider options for enhancing business performance and growth. Rather I’m suggesting that twenty minutes devoted to a daily appreciation of what’s already going right is a strong way of building a sense of connection with the workforce which is deeply satisfying and fuels goodwill. Think of it as creating corporate level Oxytocin! Shareholders with the motivation of ‘enlightened self-interest’ will not punish the boardroom team that works well together. How is appreciation shown and felt in your organisation? Does your organisation meditate?

Greece Says No!

In a surprise outcome for many in the EU the Greek people have voted not to accept the austerity packages being proposed in return for further bailout funding. I’m glad not to be living under such pressures, the situation will get worse before it gets better, but I applaud their courage. The parallel to me is one of rejecting chemotherapy – a rejection of the idea that someone can get well by taking poison. My model for health requires that – 1. We Stop Getting Sick No more punitive austerity to service unpayable debts 2. Remove the Toxins Keeping us Sick Sweep away failed methods and institutions whose sole interest is in maintaining the status quo rather than providing the Greek people with hope for a sustainable future. 3. Use the Best Building Materials to restore health Engage the willing participation of the Greek people to define the best way to rebuild their economy and provide them with markets for their goods and respect for their independence. Although this crisis does pose great hardship for the Greek people, and consternation in the money markets, it potentially offers us an opportunity to re-examine our ideas around the European Union as a group of collaborating states serving the whole while honouring and contributing uniqueness. No healthy body can exist without a full complement of organs maintained in harmonious balance. The big questions for a stable recovery are - ‘How can we create the conditions in which such economic chaos cannot reoccur? What changes will the Greek people determine that will prove their ability to manage their own affairs? Perhaps most importantly – How much does the EU respect the rule of democracy over domination by financial institutions? Time to remove the tumour and cancel the debt? We are certainly living in interesting times.

Checkpoint

Every once in a while we are stopped dead in our tracks and invited to assess our direction of travel. I had such an experience recently when a trusted friend gave me some painful feedback. It was interesting to follow my emotions as they developed. It may also have opened a door to a deeper understanding of my formative years and an investigation that will continue for a long time. Elisabeth Kübler Ross writes of the stages of change as Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance and Growth. I am aware of these stages already at work, but perhaps because of having walked similar roads before, I’m better prepared for the journey and will try to negotiate them with equanimity. It may also be that with a level of insight, that was previously unavailable, my passage through these times will be quicker. My first reaction (Denial) told me – That’s unfair, he’s got it all wrong. How dare he! An examination of the facts however upheld his observation. I liken the experience to getting a ticket for doing 36mph in a 30mph zone. It stings, but facts are facts. The Bargaining, such as it was, went on in my head. Had he not made a similar observation of another person that very day? What made my transgression an occasion for reprimand – since it was obviously less serious? Putting on my friends’ shoes for a moment however gave the lie to this stance. My transgression affected him directly and it’s inappropriate to use my personal yardstick to measure the strength of his emotions. The Anger kicked in quite quickly. I did indeed feel unfairly treated. In earlier times I might have lashed out instinctively and fuelled the fire now burning in my head. I did have some blows of my own to land but instead chose to roll with the punch and to pick myself off the floor some distance away where the situation would look different. Despite enjoying a beautiful spell of summer weather, a dark cloud descended on my day. Depression weighed in with a vengeance. My greatest tormentor was my own conscience at the thought of having caused such upset to a friend. Another factor was confronting the fact that my measuring stick was so grossly inaccurate. Up to this I’d always been amazed at how often my friend and I shared a common perspective on life. Acceptance is an essential component in a change programme and is intimately linked with taking responsibility for moving forward. It might often require us to endure a ‘sackcloth and ashes’ period as we take ownership for our shortcomings. Closely linked to Forgiveness it requires us to ‘lay down arms’ and renounce all expectation of redress. Today is Monday and the sky is grey but already the world beyond my laptop is going about its business and so must I. Growth requires that I identify small sustainable practices that I can take to embed new patterns of behaviour. It also reminds me that however much I ‘Big Myself Up’ in my own mind, it is an external jury of opinion that adjudicates my performance. I may even find that, despite my best efforts, these are ‘my spots’, a shadow of my personality that I must accept and incorporate. Investigation of my formative years continues. Another aspect has been illuminated for deeper examination but for now I’m through today’s checkpoint and can proceed with caution.

White Holes

Cosmologists have speculated about the essence of the black holes they think are located at the centre of every galaxy. They say a black hole forms when collapsing planets form such dense concentrations of matter that the gravitational pull created prevents even light from escaping. Such extreme forces are at the very limits of our imagination. Some theorists extend this thought further in claiming that Black Holes play a vital part in the creation of matter and that streams of energy emerge from black holes tangentially to their orbit of spin, rather like the axle of a wheel. There may be lots of complex mathematics to predict such behaviour which draws gifted thinkers together in the quest for ever deeper understanding of our universe. So be it. It is the imagery which is of value to me. In particular I ponder on the model of a ‘White Hole’ as a reverse vortex of infinite power, whose energy flows in along the axle and which then radiates tangentially outwards. For me the power is Love itself. I breathe it in through the top of my head as if in a stream of blinding light and then radiate it outward in waves / wishes of warmth and wellbeing to all creation. In its own way this force of Divine love forms a protective field within which each of us is free to express the Divine purpose of creation itself. At once I’ve collapsed the galactic scale of the black hole into a tangible concept for right living in harmony and love. Perhaps even more amazing is that I no longer have hair into which to plant flowers and I’ve never taken LSD. Recently I began to investigate Mindfulness as a means of applying the curiosity of ‘the Beginner’s Mind’ to the creation of an exquisite level of awareness of the NOW. Several of us are being expertly guided into this reality by a seasoned seeker. As the weeks have passed and we learn to sit in meditation I feel an ever stronger bond not only to my colleagues but to all creation. This seems to fit comfortably within my being as though I am in fact only an infinitesimally small and very transient part of creation and that radiating love and appreciation to others is to bathe in such love radiating eternally back to me. To walk in the hills and forests of my home-place immerses me in the perfection of the natural world. At every turn the unfolding panorama is breathtakingly beautiful and this comes freely and abundantly to me with every step. I feel truly blessed, very privileged and deeply protective. Beside such majesty I am humbled and, without the intelligence to create a tree, a bird, babbling brook or humming bee, am reduced to contributing in the only way I know how; I collect litter. I cannot improve on the perfection of nature but I certainly have a responsibility to protect it. The White Hole has been a useful idea in support of my Mindfulness journey and a component part of my developing practice of ‘Spiritual Detoxification’. I’m starting to feel its value in allowing me to release myself from the hold of formative, often painful, experiences in my life so that I can enter into new situations equipped with lightweight learning rather than being hindered by heavy baggage. Only today I mused at what a spectacle I must appear as I run around filling plastic bags with rubbish. This evening I can grin at the thought that the majority of people watching me would be bewildered but if they knew what I was thinking it might just confirm their suspicions, - Paul’s harmless, but truly bonkers 

OTT - Oxytocin Tops Testosterone

Paul Zak’s fabulous book ‘The Moral Molecule’ presents an explanation of how these powerful hormones have contributed to human evolution from the first Hunter Gatherer tribes to our modern society. It’s a story of Yin and Yang of Competition and Collaboration of Differentiation and Integration. Throughout history societal health has been optimised when these hormones have been in balance. The understanding afforded by Zak’s work offers us an opportunity to choose the type of society that will best suit our future development. Are we best served by a continuation of the Dog-Eat-Dog stock market economics that almost brought us to ruin or is it time to forge a new era of co-opetition where we sincerely seek human fulfilment? Around the world we pay homage to Mammon with steel and glass cities built by greed. Communities that have cultivated the lands for centuries get bulldozed aside in the name of progress. The weak get trampled over, rights are ignored or ruthlessly redefined so that the rich can get richer as testosterone triumphs. Deep in our hearts we each know that greed diminishes us if not physically, through illness or wars of attrition, then spiritually through corruption and loss of human dignity. The truth is easily ignored however when big money’s involved and forever we have been devising ways to ensnare humanity with alluring visions of la dolce vita tied to crippling financial burdens. I believe that although the world has always loved a winner it loves lovers even more. There’s something so intoxicating about being in love that when we recognise it in young lovers we are invariably happy for them. It’s the one form of madness that society is entirely happy with. At its core it’s what drives our propagation as a species. Oxytocin, the family hormone, is released in response to lovemaking and stimulates lactation in the mother at the sound of her infant crying. It encourages bonding, togetherness and community building. We all want it. Genocidal acts and atrocities of war can result when the meme of oxytocin fragments societies such that if you’re not one of us, you’re the enemy. Tribalism has been the cause of some of humanity’s worst crimes as though the bonding effects of oxytocin establish clear demarcation lines between communities and testosterone then rallies to ‘protect’ them. The history books are filled with the most apocalyptic accounts from the crusades to world wars and other acts of barbarism. The rapid expansion of the internet and social media provides humanity with an extremely powerful tool with which to enhance our sense of Oneness and community in this global village. We can use it to serve humanity or, unconsciously, to hasten its destruction if we allow it to be exploited as a propaganda tool or worse. Weaponising the internet to inflict cyber attack on foreign infrastructure is a very real danger but arguably its more corrosive effects result from daily acts of cyber-bullying on social media. Human evolution has taken us far from the hunter gatherer tribes that evolved through the beneficial effects of oxytocin balanced with testosterone but today’s society needs this family hormone more than ever. We need to recognise the international family of humanity as a component of creation rather than its master. Let the meme of oxytocin encourage harmonious relationships between nations and with nature itself and bring a new meaning to ‘OTT’.

How Are The Mighty Fallen

These are the words spoken to me today as I tried to explain something of my perspective on life and what I currently see as my role in helping to make this world a better place. I was reminded that just a few short years ago I had a good job, a young family, a nice car and a desirable home. Indeed, I enjoyed all the trappings of worldly success. To my friend I was wasting my education and now pursuing a fantasy in my belief in nutrition and natural approaches to health. “Don’t you think you might be more credible if you were a proper doctor?” I think my “No I don’t” response just confirmed my madness. Certainly the paradigm in which I’m living today is so far removed from that to which I was formerly shackled, and in which my family and friends still believe, that I’m not surprised at their misunderstanding. In their eyes I’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’,’ gone on a trip’, lost the plot’ etc. In my reality I’ve discovered a precious stone and will sell everything to buy the field in which it lies. The change has cost me more than money – the point at which it’s recommended one stops drinking. But I don’t drink and I don’t smoke. My behaviour is tolerated as that of a mild eccentric so that many long standing friends no longer call. Yes, it’s a lonely station at times, but I’m strangely happy. I am blessed to have everything I need and to live in a society which supports those it knows are making an effort. I’m learning to live frugally and to know the value of things that have no price. My only sorrow is that I didn’t reach this point 20 years earlier. I’m forever grateful to my many teachers in life; they helped me to become who I am today. But I know not to look backwards; it won’t help me to see where I’m going.

Rock Bottom

I have long understood that there are only two true constants in the universe – the love of God and change. It amazes me how much effort we make to avoid them. We simply can’t. In the first lecture of my coaching studies, many years ago, introducing the theory of adult learning, we met the truism that bounds our work ‘Adults only learn what they want to learn’. This is true both for individuals and for whole societies where culturally accepted norms seem to make progress almost impossible. Some years ago I personally reached ‘rock bottom’ when I collapsed into hospital for nine weeks. The UK National Health Service saved my life with emergency surgery followed by expert nursing care. I am forever in their debt. Strangely they could offer no explanation as to why I got ill nor make any recommendations on how I might avoid a future recurrence. It was almost two years later before I began to join the dots for myself and started my journey into Functional Medicine. As I reflect on the experience now I can see that even when I was at death’s door I didn’t realise that my illness was self-inflicted and afterwards I carried on my lifestyle as before. When today I see this behaviour all around me I feel great frustration. The essential difference, I tell myself, is that when I did discover a plausible explanation for my illness I set about addressing it. Among the majority of the population however life continues unchanged regardless of the health challenges that result. It’s as though we’re heading lemming-like for the cliff, hell-bent on our collective demise if not mass extinction. While we see individuals reach their personal ‘rock bottom’ as they struggle with addictions (mine was to sugar), we ignore the signs of societal decay that undermine our future and which could easily plunge us into chaos. We have a collective addiction to cultural memes such as expecting modern medicine to ‘have a pill for every ill’ or that society’s problems are caused by one group or another who are different from us. Such thinking absolves us of personal responsibility for our health and of the need to make a personal contribution to building the society we want to live in. Next month the UK will have a general election and pundits are busily arguing over the popularity of the several parties and their manifesto promises. Unfortunately the climate is one where many feel disenfranchised to the point of choosing not to vote at all. This is a cop out. Even with all its weaknesses the democratic system is our best immediate hope for building the society we want and avoiding the plunge into chaos that would result if our society truly hit rock bottom. Just as someone in recovery lives in the day, we too can aspire to serve the greater good of society on a daily basis. By all means cast your vote, but for more immediate benefit, consider the contribution you can make to your community today and then ask the same questions every day. There are many wars raging in the world today that give examples of societies hitting rock bottom. Instead let’s choose a healing path and make the investments in our communities that ease tensions, reduce stresses and allow us to appreciate the true gift that life really is.

Crossroads

Every day we make decisions about what’s happening in our lives. Most of these are routine and get made on auto-pilot. We are creatures of habit after all. More thought is needed however for issues affecting our lives. So how do we make our decisions? My engineering training brought a strong analytical focus to my deliberations. Over time however it may have distorted my perspective and relegated emotional considerations to a much lower importance. It didn’t occur to me, during my marketing training, that the analytical and emotional are inseparable. Perhaps because I was marketing within an engineering firm the emphasis was still on the analytical whereas the consumer sector, as witnessed in our shopping malls, emphasises the emotional. It’s undeniable however that the really important decisions in life are made with the heart rather than the head – How we choose our life partners, where we choose to live, the names we give our children right down to how we express ourselves through dress, music and art. The crossroads in our lives tend not to have simple signposts marked ‘Pleasure or Pain’. More likely they could be read ‘Good, Better or Best’. What tools then are the most useful for helping us to choose which direction to take? Time Today I give myself time for decisions to emerge. If the matter under consideration is important then I aim to be unhurried so that the correct answer has time to grow. Guiding Purpose Here I want to be guided by principle toward making choices that support my higher purpose. So far as possible I want to make ‘Best’ decisions, - decisions that give rise to no dissonance within. I want that every decision is resonant with who I am so that others can see integrity in action. Joy I want to feel joyful in my choices. I allow my passions to play out so that I become fully immersed in my work and release full self-expression. Confidence When decisions are being made from a place of congruence with purpose and with passion then there need be no fear in the decision. It is not necessary that everything is predictable or in place. It is enough that I move consistently toward my goal and trust in Divine assistance. As I look back over these factors I’m struck by the fact that they are exclusively emotional and that analysis is subsumed within them. It is never the sole arbiter so although it is essential to ensure that we do not behave irresponsibly and live within our means, analysis need not impact on happiness. Act with purpose, integrity, joy and trust and remember that fortune favours the bold.

Indigestion?

It’s believed that the ‘middle age spread’ that we commonly experience comes about through festivals like Christmas where we over-indulge and never fully recover. Over a number of years the pounds build up to give us a ‘well rounded’ appearance. These patterns of behaviour are dangerous but are culturally ingrained. Health gradually suffers and is attributed to having had too many birthdays – never to an abusive lifestyle. With careful adjustment of diet, it is often possible to regain much of your health. The trouble is - ‘most people would rather leave the planet than change.’ A young child is totally dependent on its parents to grow safely and he does so in the mould of his primary carers. It is a time of curiosity and vulnerability. By the time the child has become adult and is starting a family of his own, he is not truly independent, but instead is largely reflecting the social norms of his upbringing. Thereafter he progressively becomes schooled to become a ‘good citizen’. As an adult he can reassess his beliefs and allegiances and choose to change if he wants, but usually he doesn’t, which leads the psychologists to muse - “Growing Old is Inevitable, but Growing-Up is Optional”. A Developmental Coaching Journey invites us to make a new beginning by entering into a state of heightened curiosity and vulnerability and to trust like a child. That said, a coaching journey is very much an adult experience as the coaching client retains responsibility at all times for her choices and her progress. Adults only learn what they want to learn, hence the ancient Chinese expression – “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. When it comes to Health Coaching the coachee will make the most rapid progress when she is curious enough to ‘unlearn’ what she thought she knew and to be open to new thinking and behaviour. I want my clients to think for themselves and to listen to their bodies where our innate intelligence is constantly seeking to protect us. So now let us develop a new relationship with food. Remember what Hippocrates, the first acknowledged doctor said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Let us respect food for the life giving source it is and avoid overeating as we would avoid overfilling our cars. Indigestion is usually a signal of overindulgence or poor choices. Simply popping a pill to ignore its warning leads to other problems. Let us also avoid self medication for indigestion of the soul. Whether you’re a thrill seeker engaging in ever more dangerous behaviour to maintain your high, or you’re chronically addicted to meeting insatiable corporate demands, your lifestyle is killing you. It’s not a ‘quick fix pill’ we need, in the form of another drink, drug or job, but a full reassessment of what’s truly important in our lives. It’s tough enough to unlearn ideas about food and how it affects our bodies, but I believe this is easy compared to the challenge of examining our core values and taking the action our beliefs demand of us. Not to do so could lead to chronic VARD – Values Abandoned Reflux Disorder. Is the student ready?

He Moves In Mysterious Ways

After reading my posting ‘Volcano’, a friend challenged me as to whether refusing chemotherapy for a life threatening cancer would be equivalent to the Pastor’s refusal to leave the island at a time of imminent danger. Might not the bereaved relatives and friends legitimately ask why the cancer sufferer had disrupted their lives rather than submit to treatment? It was a good question and one with no easy answer. In his book ‘Wishes Fulfilled’ the spiritual teacher Wayne Dyer describes how as human beings we are intimately linked to the Divine and bring into existence that which is aligned to our highest purpose. Citing situations where cancer sufferers have the poorest of prognoses, yet have gone on to make complete recoveries, Dyer tells us that these recoveries occur despite inputs from the senses demanding action to avoid death. The two approaches appear to be dichotomous. Can this circle be squared? I have long considered myself a cell in the body of humanity. This perspective recognises that my health contributes to the health of the whole. It is both my duty and privilege to protect my health so that I can play the fullest part in my family, community and society. Somewhat paradoxically, it is by encouraging independence of the healthcare system that I can make my greatest contribution to it. When fewer people are draining the system, precious resources can be directed to areas of greatest need. Our health service can shift toward preventive medicine and emergency services. Through the example I live, others may recognise the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and choose similar action. When they too become healthier the ripples quickly spread across the community. Perhaps our problem resolves when, as with the cellular model, we see our interdependence as the Divine pattern by which we nurture one another. No one individual or group holds all the answers, but collectively we are capable of responding with greater intelligence to any situation. The dilemma still remains as to how to choose the most appropriate course of action. To help us here we might examine the origins of and motives behind the advice on offer. I believe that medical workers enter their profession in order to help people. They will act in good faith and offer advice from the best information available to them. Such is the trust between doctor and patient that, in effect, patient choice is determined by those providing the information to our GPs and specialist physicians. Unlike the doctors who feel a duty of care to their patients, suppliers of chemotherapy and other drugs only have a duty to their shareholders. There is more money to be made from managing the symptoms of disease than from curing it. There are vast numbers of cells being made by the body every day and some genetic errors are inevitable. A well functioning immune system is generally capable of detecting and eliminating defective cells so that the body remains healthy. Cancers only take hold where conditions permit. Often the patients have suffered prolonged periods of stress in their lives, either psychological or physiological, giving rise to imbalanced hormone expression and dis-ease. In such situations a cure requires that these stresses are relieved. When we can recognise the Divine in each member of our communities we will choose to interdependently support one another through our unique knowledge and skills. By presenting these as gifts rather than monetary transactions we will have the courage to accept God’s help from our, sometimes unconventional, fellow travellers, confident that we are all seeking to serve the body of humanity. Then when the island blows, all will be saved.

Cancerous Caliphate: The Spread of Cancer Part 2

New research on cancer suggests that its relentless growth is an imitation of a cellular defence mechanism that belongs in the prehistory of human development before cooperation and symbiotic existence arrived. It’s almost as if cancer is the inevitable result of years of neglect of the cellular environment so that cooperation is impossible. The emergence of the Islamic State mimics cancer at an international level. This is a very brutal organisation which seeks to apply extremist Islamic interpretations on society with zero tolerance of other religions or views. Although IS represents a most formidable challenge to humanity, its emergence was almost inevitable, such was the neglect and isolation of the Sunni population of Iraq following the war. Military options are the state’s equivalent of surgery on the individual and are always seen as easier than trying to solve the problems at source, either through political inclusion or lifestyle change. Temporary relief may be gained but at the expense of strengthening the ideology of oppressed peoples or prolonging the life-damaging habits of the individual. Military or surgical interventions alone can never secure a lasting peace or restore health. Instead we must find ways to grow together so that problems can be addressed at a societal level where each citizen contributes his or her talents for the benefit of the whole or where the cancer sufferer consciously chooses to create a healthy internal environment where cancer cannot survive. In his 2014 book ‘Reinventing Organisations’, Frederik Laloux describes a new way of working which parallels this emerging consciousness of unity and where the hierarchical structures of old are being replaced with adaptive, autonomous and self-directed workgroups with distributed powers and responsibilities. This model has proven extremely cost effective, efficient and popular within those groups which have adopted it. This is a business parallel to honouring the importance of every cell in the body and protecting them, or to the societal accommodations required for those whose ideas differ from our own. Love and respect will always win over prejudice and violence. So cancer metastasis, whether cellular or ideological, is not a certainty when action is taken to create an environment of love. For the individual that love is about respecting oneself so that each choice made takes into consideration the needs of each cell of the body and of the body as a whole. We do this in the knowledge that the body must inevitably fail but that such soulful nourishment honours the life-force that can never be extinguished. By living respectfully we provide an example of good health that can be carried on by future generations. Organisations adopting a consciousness of unity, of service, of respect and love also care for each individual and the context in which they work. No hierarchy is necessary. Rather, action in each workgroup is guided by a strong set of shared values and determined by the needs of the whole. Nations too can choose respectful co-existence and co-operation, looking beyond their own borders to provide assistance and support to their neighbours. Only such a perspective can provide the international will to tackle our planet’s most urgent questions. Although the players change and pass away, whether cells of the individual, employees of an organisation or leaders of nations, the unifying culture endures and our collective consciousness, rather than cancer, grows. ©Paul Curran December 2014.

The Spread of Cancer Part 1

Cancer is a very serious illness with notoriously poor recovery rates. Many people are terrified with a cancer prognosis and place their trust in conventional medicine to ‘make them well again’. They look externally for the cure and subject themselves to the ‘slash, poison and burn’ standards-of-care protocols. Most often they don’t examine what personal contribution they could make to their recovery. They may continue to smoke, to drink and to eat as before and resign themselves with “What will be will be”. I’m left wondering why these people have given up on life and whether their illness is just the physical manifestation of sorrows and anger they have carried around for years. Even when presented with a message of hope, of an alternative course with a different outcome, they refuse to change. How does the saying go? - “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink” or is it “You can take a patient to an operating theatre but you can’t make him think”. On the other hand there are also many cases where cancer sufferers have been dealt a difficult hand. Their genetic inheritance predisposes them to tumour growth. Here the patients may submit themselves to radical surgery and live with stoicism, smiling in the face of their suffering. Their quiet dignity is exemplary and their engagement with life joyful. Their attitude of gratitude requires them to contribute as volunteers, counsellors, youth workers etc. They can look outward from a place of inner peace. Which group of patients has the better prospects? Since all human bodies must die one might conclude that there is no difference. But when one’s frame of reference is based on gratitude for life the second group wins hands down. Metastasis drives the journey to an end. There is an inevitability about the spread of cancer when nothing is done to change its course. As is said – “It’s a sure sign of madness to repeat unsuccessful behaviour and expect a different result.” The same outcome may await the stoic campaigner of course, but their journey has been different. In their case the baton is gladly passed to the next generation. In the first group the baton is buried in the ground. I frequently describe the journey to health as a three-legged stool – 1. Stop getting Sick – by stopping the behaviour that is making us sick 2. Remove the toxins that are keeping us sick 3. Use the best foods that nature can provide to allow our bodies to be rebuilt. Underlying this description is an awareness that we have brought our illnesses upon ourselves through our modern lifestyles with total disregard of the environment we evolved to inhabit and the foods that we evolved to eat. Such is the cultural inertia behind current practice, and enormous commercial interests, it is extremely difficult for us to see the truth and change direction. Cancer is probably the most feared illness afflicting ever greater numbers, but it is only one of dozens of ailments becoming more common in our modern world. Its spread is not inevitable but we do need to wake up and change direction if it is to be avoided.