It seems that everyone can see perfection in a plant. I want you to think about a simple plant that sits on your windowsill.
When I speak to groups around the world about health, I often ask this question: “When you observe a plant that is wilting, what questions automatically come to your mind?”
The answers are always the same:
“Is it getting enough water?”
“Is it getting enough sunlight?”
“Is it protected from environmental stress – abnormal temperatures or wind?”
“Is the soil healthy?”
Are those what came to mind for you too? Do those questions make sense to you? I bet they do!
We all automatically see the perfection in the plant. We automatically know that a plant has the innate ability to bounce back, and that healthy is its normal state. That plants are, in fact, designed to be healthy. The LIFE in the plant is always perfect if the fundamental needs of the plant are met.
If a plant has wilting leaves, we don’t automatically look for some abstract diagnostic name or label that has nothing to do with the main underlying cause. We don’t look at a wilting plant and try to figure out if it’s “wilty leaf-itis,” or some other name that merely just describes the symptom. No! Our thought process goes directly to the fundamental needs, because of our belief that tells us that the plant already has the ability to be perfect.
We innately know that LIFE loves LIFE.
This understanding of health can actually be applied to all living things. LIFE always strives towards health and balance. But, LIFE also has fundamental underlying requirements. If these are not met, the consequences are enormous. If these are met, LIFE gets to flourish.
The solution to help a wilting plant is so obvious to people. You simply address whichever of the fundamental needs are not being met. You add water, change the soil, or alter the amount of sunlight or temperature accordingly. Simple!
Let me repeat: you address whichever of the fundamental needs are not being met!
But, and this is a huge BUT; why don’t we see ourselves in the same way? Our society tends to complicate this principle when it comes to human health.
Why, when a person is not healthy, do we ask questions such as:
“What is it?”
“What do we call it?”
“How do I get rid of it?”
Many years ago health care stopped being about addressing fundamental needs. We started to address the symptoms instead of the underlying cause. We started to do ‘patch work’ when it came to health. This type of thinking about health has led us on a slippery slope.
We started to take painkillers for headaches, muscle relaxants for spasm, anti-inflammatory pills for almost everything that hurts, and more. And we started doing this not just in crisis, but also to get through each day. Consumption of symptom-reducing medication has risen exponentially over the last 30 years.
The truth is that symptoms are your body’s attempt at communicating with you. They are a gift. They are absolutely not enjoyable, but they are critical. Simply taking away or masking the symptom does not make you healthier; it just makes you feel better, and that is not the same thing. True health would be a restoration of normal function, and in that state the body has less symptoms.
~ From “The Art of Being Healthy” Ch 1 ~ R. French, DC
