Law of Health: 4 Awaken: 1-Don’t be a Dog on the Porch
When I was a child, my Father and I would often sit on the porch swing.
That porch was in a unique place: I could climb onto my bicycle and be at the steel mills in Birmingham, Alabama, within a few minutes; I could also go the other direction and travel through the forest all day and never cross a paved road.
The steel companies owned miles of property that they would later strip mine for coal, and that is where I would go to be alone and away from the city. Later, after the strip-mining, this land would be flat pine forest (with the pines planted to reclaim the ground). But, when I was a child, there were steep hills, and streams, and massive oaks, and muscadine vines, and rabbits, and snakes, and quail.
My Father and I each had an English setter. His was solid white and he called her Sue. Mine was speckled with black and I called her Pat. Both dogs had a sweet disposition and a quiet way but would go hyperactive when headed for the forest because they loved to hunt for the quail that was plentiful then.
I would come home from school and leave home with Pat, usually without my gun and head for the forest and walk until I found what most people find on the inside when they walk for hours without crossing a paved road.
In the evenings when my Father and I sat in the porch swing, sometimes Sue and Pat would lie close to the swing to be close to us and listen.
They were aware of each other, of being home, and of being near my Father and I. But, the details of our conversation were unknown to them.
The philosopher and psychologist, William James, said in his book Pragmatism that we are like dogs on the front porch. There is conflict, and love and war that wages all around us of which we are unaware. We are to those other realms as Pat and Sue were to the conversation of my Father and me.
When it comes to health for mind and body and spirit, it helps to wake up and become less like a dog on the front porch.
Einstein asked his students, “Of all there is to know, what percentage is known by the accumulation of all human knowledge?”
One of his students replied, “4%.”
Einstein answered, “What is the chance that GOD exists in the other 96%?”
I do not think that the human mind and physical reach are capable of knowing a large percent of what is known about the universe. But, the mind is capable of reaching much further than most people reach.
The mind and the spirit and body are so intertwined that when one suffers, all three are affected. The reverse is also true; developing a more awakened state can lead to better health.
All 10 Laws of Health lead to a more awakened state. But, it helps to consider this idea separately.
Here’s a simple example: Arnold Schwarzenegger (in his book, Education of a Bodybuilder) says that when he lifted weights, he would focus so intensely on the muscle that he was training that he would imagine being inside the muscle–imagine it growing to the size of a mountain.
The Olympic and professional athlete will tell you that focus and concentration are necessary for excellent health and performance of the body.
Though I’m not trying to become an Olympic star, I do want to be the best animal that I can be as well as the best mind and spirit. Awakening the mind and spirit as much as possible facilitates becoming a better animal.
This idea of awakening can be and should be thought about on several levels. Before considering how to become fully awake, consider what it looks like to be asleep. In the classic book, A Brave New World, Alex Huxley talks about a society sedated by drugs and realistic movies that keep people from thinking. There become a relative morality and a general decline and fall.
Being asleep in America can mean being hypnotized by television, where no image lasts longer than about 4 seconds.
Count the next time you watch. 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and before you say 5000, the image will switch. There’s a continuous flickering of pictures to keep one mesmerized and glued to the television–asleep. Then add food that makes one feel lethargic. Now, add beverages that turn down the volume on the mind and senses.
And while this goes on family and work and the sky and the laws of physics and mechanics of business turn unstudied and untouched by the person made near comatose by such influence.
Compare that with the person fully awake–aware of as many planes and areas as possible and plugged into that mechanism including the development of good physical health.
Sometimes, it helps to sleep. There is a time and place for it. But, most people spend most of their day mostly asleep and then wonder why sleep does not come easily at night. So, I’m not saying that there is never a time to turn down the mind. But, there should be an effort to awaken the mind and body and spirit as much as possible to be animal, body, and spirit on the highest level possible.
Awakening can happen on several levels:
1. Simply waking up in the morning.
2. Listening to those more intuitive or knowledgeable about what it is you want to know
3. Thoughtfully awake to new information.
4. Being awake to what’s going on with your own body.
5. Being awake to things of the spirit.
It isn’t easy to be healthy and vibrant if your practices put you to sleep. There are ways other than television that people use to hypnotize themselves into letting an hour, or a day, or a year pass without caring for the body.
Next, we’ll discuss why people go to sleep and how you can awaken and become more alive with better health.
Today, simply watch (without trying to change) and see how you might be dulling your mind or body or spirit.
Peace & Health,
Charles Runels, MD
Runels.com