A House Divided

In the Gospel story of St Matthew (12:26) a group bring a blind man to Jesus, who heals him. The Pharisees attempt to put him down by saying he can only drive out demons because Beelzebul allows it. Jesus asks them this simple question to make it clear that he is working from a completely different level – ‘If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?’ During my childhood I heard this scripture many times and today I relate to it differently. Some weeks ago I heard the story again and the thought that immediately came to mind was the futility, even evil, of conventional chemotherapy. Our standard of treatment is based on the premise that we can poison and drive out the evil cancer before it kills you. The agents used are carcinogenic of themselves and so dangerous that staff administrating the chemicals are protectively dressed. There has to be a better way, a non-toxic alternative. It turns out there isn’t just one, there are many, but medical practice is slow to change and there is also an enormous inertia in the system that produces large profits for the pharmaceutical industries. Indeed, the measures taken to defend the status quo are very similar to the defensive strategies employed by cancer tumours themselves to avoid detection and attack from a vigilant immune system. Later I found myself reflecting on Donald Trump’s election cry to ‘Drain the Swamp’ in Washington. So what has happened since his election? The corporate players of the oil industry have entered government so that Trump, and the Republican Party in general, continue to deny the threat of global warming and back out of negotiated treaties of the previous administration. (Not that Obama’s time in office has done anything to make the world a safer place) The banksters too, whose greed orchestrated the last great recession, were criticized on the campaign trail only to have several senior appointments of Trump’s administration filled from Goldman Sachs. Trump is certainly controversial and his administration, if not the entire country is divided against itself. Greedy corporations are determined to continue profiting from wanton destruction, until our world is uninhabitable. This is very similar to the strategy employed by the cancer tumour shielding itself from attack. It will greedily consume resources until its host dies. As we plot a course for enduring health we must also ensure that our house is not divided against itself. We must adopt lifestyle practices that unify Body, Mind and Spirit so that we can develop holistically and in sustainable harmony with our societies, countries and planet. So what are your goals? How do they reinforce each other - personally, in your family and community? What will you do today to begin this journey to Holistic Health?