When we look at modern man, we have to face the fact...that modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit, which stands in glaring contrast to his scientific and technological abundance; We've learned to fly the air like birds, we've learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we haven't learned to walk the Earth as brothers and sisters. -MLK
Dear Ones,
Hi mortals! Art is a portal to the sacred. I am trapped in a rational science world. Send help. This writing thing is wild. I have gone through all my pens again. Pens. You know what those are, right?
No storms last forever. How cool is that? Are we drowning out shrieking of the herd? Do we witness how dark sides of certainty divide us? Are we watching the de-volving of human beings?
Escapism is a communicable disease. How charming! Humans drown in creature comforts. Float from lack of substance.
May the unfurling continue.
Humans call me during disasters. I trained in disasters and infestations. My shock absorbers are obese. I flaunt them now.
You sapiens are sesspools. My strawberry plants do not give me gnarly viruses. This is Day 11 or 12 of a human cold for me. Even my antibodies abandon me. Brutal but welcomed rest amid 2024 acceleration out there. Here is a great Huberman podcast for cold/flu tips.
ACCOMPLICE
The U.S. medical system tried to kill me. I swear. It did. I am an accomplice. By kill I mean kill my humanity. My spirit. The medical model cuts up our human body. Butchers. All organs get infected. Guess they all get cancer too. As an infection doc, I never sacrificed any body parts. It would be cool to study just the heart.
Get this: the healthcare system assigns me a heinous thing called a relative value unit or an RVU. To measure my productivity. To assign my worth. Unjust labor of assembly lines. I am not a machine. I am human.
Still wonder why the U.S. healthcare system is failing?
The modern world is currently in a dehumanization fragmentation trance.
*Nessa Tip*: Try and take mental note of different emotions that bubble up and take note of the different parts of you. Compassionate curiosity. Whatever comes up is impermanent like a storm. My mother carries a societal diagnosis of severe bipolar disorder. I practiced loving all her parts- even “evil” ones. That practice in turn taught me to learn and love all my parts. Genius how this inner exploration thing works. Genius.
THE INTELLIGENCE OF UNLEARNING
Unlearning is the highest form of human intelligence. Everything is fragmented around me. Within me. Is all this work for the war to end all wars? For the road to unity and interconnectedness?
I am like a desert fish. I fall with leaves. So much polarization within me. Within us. I corral my shredded fragments. There there, parts of me, gather around you little wildlings. Come here, my littles. Let’s go unlearn some things together.
SPIRITUAL DESERT
Existential crisis amid collective spiritual desolation is no walk in the park. Do you long for invisibility too? Forgive my visibility limitations.
Did you happen to see me when I was full sail? Anyone? Uncross my heart it seemed cool. At the time. Effin glorious. Foolish peacock of an ego back then.
*Nessa Tip*: See how many times in 24 hours you had a judgment or negative thought about someone or yourself. You are only acting as a witness. No interventions. Just observe. I was shocked to see how my brain wiring was hijacked by negative thoughts. De-identify yourself from negative thoughts. Free yourself from that ball and chain.
MY BODY WAS OCCUPIED BY A PROLONGED NON-COVID VIRUS (I am a NOVID (never had COVID) but it was still an uninvited guest given my immunity debt) SO HERE ARE THINGS I PAID ATTENTION TO THIS WEEK:
Where my focus goes, energy flows. Pure gold.
The cadence of my subtle body physiology responses. How, why, when, and to what degree my body reacts to external events. Pay attention to things people say around me. What readily calms/disturbs my physiology? Find the what. Next is why but go easy on the why.
When I do not spend time outside and in sunlight, I feel sick (-er). Nature indirectly and directly heals me.
When I am sick, I double down on healthy wholesome food from my garden (+ protein). I relax/sleep/yoga a lot. For sleep, you may try pressure therapy of a weighted blanket.
My body houses trillions of non-human cells. I call them my lovebugs. This non-resident invader cold virus hijacked the space. Our microbiome is so critical for our immune system. Some humans eat garbage. Composition changes. You literally are what you eat. Humans. Champion ecosystem disrupters.
BEGIN AGAIN
I can hear Master Goenka’s endearing voice. He is the late, beloved teacher of Vipassana meditation. Begin again. With every sunset and every sunrise, we get to begin again. Have a beginner’s/child mind each morning. To bring wonder back. Wonder heals us and frees us.
May All Beings Find Peace.
Post Inspired by book of the week: Intro to Internal Family Systems by Richard Schwarts
No storm lasts forever? True! But I live in the storms I experience. I often don't want them to end. I know I can grow stronger within each one. At my ripe old age, I am aware that storms are to be welcomed. Only if I fail to learn from or grow within one, dare I welcome its end. But never with impatience! Always trying to delay their departure if I fail to profit from one, I remain optimistic that I will sooner or later. This is a relatively new attitude. For the majority of my years, I have severely suffered during the troubled days of my life. Only lately have I become more understanding of the fact that life is hard, period. Learn to enjoy it!
I am a naive dreamer. Looking for understanding. For mine of myself and of others and for others' of me. Occasionally the former, seldom the latter! I surprise my loved ones. Yet I know that I am judgemental. I try to reduce or eliminate that response when I am aware of it. It's so automatic I often don't recognize it until I've dwelt in it for a while. Too bad! I feel like I've earned the privilege.
A calming read, soothing for my nervous system with the pictures a big help for that - thank you