Today's post is brought to you by almost 3 weeks of vacation near the ocean. I grew up in Minnesota, and didn't see the ocean until I was 20 years old. Up until that time, there were only two bodies of water that I'd seen that I couldn't see across (Lake Superior and Mil Lacs Lake). I also didn't appreciate the sound of the waves on the ocean, powerful and constant. I remember sitting outside listening to them for a long time just marveling at the sound. It wasn't until much later in my life that I learned the power of the ocean water and my unwavering respect for it.
Five years ago we were here by the ocean as Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and then raced inland. The remnants passed by to the West (quite a way off) but still brought a huge amount of wind. My youngest son and I went down to the floating docks and marveled at how they jumped around in the waves. The storm retained power, even though it had long ago ceased to be a hurricane.
We are inextricably linked to water. Adult bodies are about 65% water, babies more like 80%. Water is a basic element that we need to survive, without water we will die within a short span of days. Maybe that is why I feel the best when I'm near the water? The ebb and flow of the tides, the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea, the fish and the birds, all fit into a seamless whole. My Labrador Retriever is also part of this whole, he is never happier than when he can get his daily swim - and exercise muscles that he otherwise doesn't get to use very often.
So, water can be healing and hurting - Yin and Yang. But I am moved to suggest that you try to incorporate water into your search for health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). Scientists tell us to drink more water each day; those in the social justice realm state that millions do not have ready access to safe drinking water; hurricanes build in the ocean. Balancing the good with the bad requires us to be present to what is. So for this week, try to incorporate water into your HW2. Have its sound present as you meditate, drink more of it for your physical health, listen to the waves for your mental health, work to obtain clean water for someone who doesn't have it for your wholeness.
Peace and grace,
Dan
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Community as a driver for healthy behaviors
Today's post is a reflection on how individuality promotes dis-ease and unhealth. When we are only focused on our own needs to the exclusion of all others, we become more and more isolated. Isolation leads to an ever more inflated sense of self, and an ever more inflated sense of our own needs above everyone else. Thus, we find ourselves with designer health care where those with money can get anything they want, and those without money get what's left.
Creation of community, where members look out for the welfare of each other, create and maintain health. Members who ask each other how they are doing on both physical and spiritual matters, hold each other accountable and improve each others well-being. Without this community and accountability, persons get more and more isolated, and more ego-centric. Thus, the whole fabric of relationships unravel.
If you are finding yourself in a space where you are feeling lonely and isolated, look to a faith community. Find one that is welcoming and feels right, and see what happens. I posit that your health and well-being will improve remarkably and will be maintained.
Peace and health,
Dan
Creation of community, where members look out for the welfare of each other, create and maintain health. Members who ask each other how they are doing on both physical and spiritual matters, hold each other accountable and improve each others well-being. Without this community and accountability, persons get more and more isolated, and more ego-centric. Thus, the whole fabric of relationships unravel.
If you are finding yourself in a space where you are feeling lonely and isolated, look to a faith community. Find one that is welcoming and feels right, and see what happens. I posit that your health and well-being will improve remarkably and will be maintained.
Peace and health,
Dan
Monday, August 23, 2010
Full-filled
Today's post is a reflection on a scripture from Jeremiah 18 in which God shows the prophet how God is like a potter. I'm giving a sermon on this text in a few weeks, and am discerning what path to take. It struck me as I was sitting with it that on reason that potters made new containers was that the old ones were filled and unusable.
That metaphor, being filled and unable to receive anything more, is a powerful one as I reflect on our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). The secular world constantly tries to fill us with desires for more things, for newer technology, for ever more opulent trinkets and homes. All of these wordly things give us fleeting happiness, but leave in their wake the longing for the next newest thing. The god of out-of-control consumerism requires our sacrifice of time and money in order to be satisfied for a time. However, as with all idols, the sacrifice demanded continues to grow until it becomes all consuming.
The Abrahamic faiths all believe that we were created by a loving God who seeks to have a relationship with us. In Genesis, we are told that God took the earth and formed it into man and woman and breathed into them the breath of life. This is not different from the potter who takes clay and shapes a useful vessel - not withstanding the potential for it to be a work of art as well. Empty containers long to be filled, to be put to use; so it is with us. We begin our lives as empty vessels, and over the years, we fill ourselves with ideas and opinions. We can also choose to empty ourselves of worldly ideas and search for the "Other".
This search for God has consumed many mystics over the millenia, some have written about their journeys (Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, Brother Lawrence, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Gerald May, Henri Nouwen, etc) towards self-emptying, and have shown us that we are never empty, but the space that we create is filled by the Other. When we are filled with the Other, we are filled with selfless love. This love makes us whole again.
So, consider what has filled you up. Is it pursuit of worldly things that provide momentary distraction and pleasure, or is it the pursuit of the Other which conveys peace and wholeness? As the summer season comes to a close, consider spending the fall in pursuit of emptiness and wholeness.
Peace,
Dan
That metaphor, being filled and unable to receive anything more, is a powerful one as I reflect on our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). The secular world constantly tries to fill us with desires for more things, for newer technology, for ever more opulent trinkets and homes. All of these wordly things give us fleeting happiness, but leave in their wake the longing for the next newest thing. The god of out-of-control consumerism requires our sacrifice of time and money in order to be satisfied for a time. However, as with all idols, the sacrifice demanded continues to grow until it becomes all consuming.
The Abrahamic faiths all believe that we were created by a loving God who seeks to have a relationship with us. In Genesis, we are told that God took the earth and formed it into man and woman and breathed into them the breath of life. This is not different from the potter who takes clay and shapes a useful vessel - not withstanding the potential for it to be a work of art as well. Empty containers long to be filled, to be put to use; so it is with us. We begin our lives as empty vessels, and over the years, we fill ourselves with ideas and opinions. We can also choose to empty ourselves of worldly ideas and search for the "Other".
This search for God has consumed many mystics over the millenia, some have written about their journeys (Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, Brother Lawrence, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Gerald May, Henri Nouwen, etc) towards self-emptying, and have shown us that we are never empty, but the space that we create is filled by the Other. When we are filled with the Other, we are filled with selfless love. This love makes us whole again.
So, consider what has filled you up. Is it pursuit of worldly things that provide momentary distraction and pleasure, or is it the pursuit of the Other which conveys peace and wholeness? As the summer season comes to a close, consider spending the fall in pursuit of emptiness and wholeness.
Peace,
Dan
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Competition vs. HW2
Today's post is a reflection on our competitive society and its impact (mostly negative) on our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). Proponents of competition suggest that it creates stronger groups - everyone gets better because they are trying harder to "win". However, as we witness in professional sports, the "haves" consistently do better than the "have-nots". Thus, competition can work in HW2, but only if there is a truly level playing field where everyone has the resources and community support that they need to succeed.
Competition gets destructive when it becomes divisive. That is, when the win-lose mentality becomes the only driving force, and the goal of the competition becomes secondary or forgotten all together. Then there is no community, there is only win-lose, and even those who have competed admirably feel defeated and morose when they finish less than first. How does this apply to our HW2?
Health insurance reform will soon bring tens of millions of persons into the healthcare system who have been exisiting on the fringes. They will be competing with well established persons for limited amounts of health care practitioners and services. Who will win in this competitive environment? Will these newly incentivized persons be able to find healthcare? Will they be able to pursue HW2 to the extent that those of us who are better positioned (and better funded)? What is our role in the social injustice that will surely accompany this influx of persons?
Health insurance reform has not fundamentally changed the problems in us as a society. We still have the win-lose mentality, and as long as "me and mine" are cared for to the full extent of my ability, then the rest of the country can take a hike. Until we see in the "other" the humanity and brother or sisterhood of a person who is every bit as necessary to our HW2 as our own families, then we will continue to struggle with the societal issues that have plagued every developed nation.
There can be no competition in our pursuit of HW2. Each of us must work to help every person we can become actualized and empowered to realize their own HW2. In this way, we all will find wholeness.
Peace,
Dan
Competition gets destructive when it becomes divisive. That is, when the win-lose mentality becomes the only driving force, and the goal of the competition becomes secondary or forgotten all together. Then there is no community, there is only win-lose, and even those who have competed admirably feel defeated and morose when they finish less than first. How does this apply to our HW2?
Health insurance reform will soon bring tens of millions of persons into the healthcare system who have been exisiting on the fringes. They will be competing with well established persons for limited amounts of health care practitioners and services. Who will win in this competitive environment? Will these newly incentivized persons be able to find healthcare? Will they be able to pursue HW2 to the extent that those of us who are better positioned (and better funded)? What is our role in the social injustice that will surely accompany this influx of persons?
Health insurance reform has not fundamentally changed the problems in us as a society. We still have the win-lose mentality, and as long as "me and mine" are cared for to the full extent of my ability, then the rest of the country can take a hike. Until we see in the "other" the humanity and brother or sisterhood of a person who is every bit as necessary to our HW2 as our own families, then we will continue to struggle with the societal issues that have plagued every developed nation.
There can be no competition in our pursuit of HW2. Each of us must work to help every person we can become actualized and empowered to realize their own HW2. In this way, we all will find wholeness.
Peace,
Dan
Monday, August 16, 2010
Suffering and HW2
Today's post is a reflection on suffering and is based upon the seminal paper from 1982 in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. Eric Cassell entitled, "The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine". In this paper, Dr. Cassell for the first time, expounded on the chasm between the perception of patients that relief of suffering was the primary role of medical care; and the perception of physicians that their primary role was to cure disease.
Having worked in health care for 25 years, much of it in intensive care units, I can state categorically that our role was to cure as much as we could, even to the point of inducing more treatment burden and suffering on the patient and the family. Now, to be fair, we didn't enter the fray with that outcome in mind, but in our single minded pursuit of cure, it was often the case that much more suffering occurred. We rarely considered the suffering of the support system for the patient, as they endured the trials and tribulations of our "we can try this next" approach to cure.
Dr. Cassell notes that "people suffer from what they have lost of themselves" such as roles and responsibilities, job duties, lack of interaction with others, creativity, regular behaviors, etc. Often, our health care system continues to remove these items of personhood, until all that is left is the shell of the individual and the technology that is keeping the organism functioning. Suffering in this context is severe and is directly related to the role of medical therapies (not care) that remove personhood.
Relief of suffering, in contradistinction, would still seek cures as assertively as we currently do, however, it would not be the primary goal of therapy. The primary goal would be to keep the person intact - that is, to spend enough time with the person to know what gives meaning to their life, and to endeavor to not take that away. This is why, in my work with folks on Advanced Directives, that I ask them to write one or two paragraphs that are appended to the end of the document that describe what life is to them, and what makes living worthwhile. The vast majority of the time, it is not to fight for every last breath no matter what the cost; rather it is quality of interaction that is at a tolerable pain level. Quality of time versus quantity of time, and the ability to continue to be people, not diagnoses or symptomatolgies, but human beings searching for meaning in the face of life-limiting illnesses.
I encourage all of you to write your one or two paragraphs about what living means to you. Make sure that family, friends and health care providers all know these things and are willing to abide by your wishes. In this way, you can aleviate some of the suffering induced by the "cure at all costs" model of medical care.
Peace,
Dan
Having worked in health care for 25 years, much of it in intensive care units, I can state categorically that our role was to cure as much as we could, even to the point of inducing more treatment burden and suffering on the patient and the family. Now, to be fair, we didn't enter the fray with that outcome in mind, but in our single minded pursuit of cure, it was often the case that much more suffering occurred. We rarely considered the suffering of the support system for the patient, as they endured the trials and tribulations of our "we can try this next" approach to cure.
Dr. Cassell notes that "people suffer from what they have lost of themselves" such as roles and responsibilities, job duties, lack of interaction with others, creativity, regular behaviors, etc. Often, our health care system continues to remove these items of personhood, until all that is left is the shell of the individual and the technology that is keeping the organism functioning. Suffering in this context is severe and is directly related to the role of medical therapies (not care) that remove personhood.
Relief of suffering, in contradistinction, would still seek cures as assertively as we currently do, however, it would not be the primary goal of therapy. The primary goal would be to keep the person intact - that is, to spend enough time with the person to know what gives meaning to their life, and to endeavor to not take that away. This is why, in my work with folks on Advanced Directives, that I ask them to write one or two paragraphs that are appended to the end of the document that describe what life is to them, and what makes living worthwhile. The vast majority of the time, it is not to fight for every last breath no matter what the cost; rather it is quality of interaction that is at a tolerable pain level. Quality of time versus quantity of time, and the ability to continue to be people, not diagnoses or symptomatolgies, but human beings searching for meaning in the face of life-limiting illnesses.
I encourage all of you to write your one or two paragraphs about what living means to you. Make sure that family, friends and health care providers all know these things and are willing to abide by your wishes. In this way, you can aleviate some of the suffering induced by the "cure at all costs" model of medical care.
Peace,
Dan
Thursday, August 12, 2010
If I Have Not Love...
Today's post is a reflection on the announcement from the Ventner Institute that they had artificially synthesized the DNA of a cell and implanted that into an existing bacterium. The new entity divided into cells resembling the synthetic entity. This is astounding and ground breaking science, and carries with it the troubling and dangerous, as well as great potential. So why am I more troubled than excited?
Almost immediately, my mind went to the writing of the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth - a church that was having significant difficulty with the basics of being a community. In the 13th chapter, the writer launches into one of the best known, and oft quoted, set of verses on the meaning of love. The second verse says, "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (NRSV translation)
Here again, we are potentially on the cusp of a great discovery. Man has once again pushed back the veil on our unknowing and taken a step closer to understanding the basic building blocks of life. My disquiet comes from my perception that this is done in the name of Science, not in the name of humanity. To put it another way, where is the love behind the initiative?
So often today, I encounter people who are incredibly intelligent and successful people - they have figured out how to get ahead in the world. They come to see me, however, because they are missing something. They have all the material wealth (seemingly) that they need, but they are searching for that missing piece. They are trying to understand how they fit into the bigger picture - how to fully engage in life. They are missing love. The love that allows them to empty themselves of themselves and to truly engage in self-less acts which improve the world.
The future will show us whether or not this newest scientific discovery offers humanity the gateway into a new realm of health and wellness, or delivers us into an even worse place where we are even less whole than we are now. The key piece is whether at the center of the discovery there is love - real, honest and self-less love. This is what we at Possibilities Journey, Inc., are attempting to help people find in their lives. Only this type of love will lead to wholeness.
Peace and grace,
Dan
Almost immediately, my mind went to the writing of the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth - a church that was having significant difficulty with the basics of being a community. In the 13th chapter, the writer launches into one of the best known, and oft quoted, set of verses on the meaning of love. The second verse says, "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (NRSV translation)
Here again, we are potentially on the cusp of a great discovery. Man has once again pushed back the veil on our unknowing and taken a step closer to understanding the basic building blocks of life. My disquiet comes from my perception that this is done in the name of Science, not in the name of humanity. To put it another way, where is the love behind the initiative?
So often today, I encounter people who are incredibly intelligent and successful people - they have figured out how to get ahead in the world. They come to see me, however, because they are missing something. They have all the material wealth (seemingly) that they need, but they are searching for that missing piece. They are trying to understand how they fit into the bigger picture - how to fully engage in life. They are missing love. The love that allows them to empty themselves of themselves and to truly engage in self-less acts which improve the world.
The future will show us whether or not this newest scientific discovery offers humanity the gateway into a new realm of health and wellness, or delivers us into an even worse place where we are even less whole than we are now. The key piece is whether at the center of the discovery there is love - real, honest and self-less love. This is what we at Possibilities Journey, Inc., are attempting to help people find in their lives. Only this type of love will lead to wholeness.
Peace and grace,
Dan
Monday, August 9, 2010
Grace and it's Role in Shalom
It's been 10 days since I've posted - I've been on a house rehabilitation mission trip with 35 High School aged persons and about 20 adults. High energy, lower than usual amounts of sleep, many moments of grace were experienced. In fact, as I type this missive this morning, I'm aware that the mental batteries need a recharge. ;-) The week reinforced for me the role of building supportive community for all persons, and how even a small amount of interaction can create phenomenal well-being.
The area that we were working in is economically depressed. The mission team members all come from a highly affluent community where they don't readily encoounter this level of poverty. Though many of them were "mission veterans", this was the first trip that wasn't a Habitat for Humanity-based mission. Habitat trips have not included much interaction with the eventual home owners. In contradistinction, this trip included daily interaction with the folks living in the homes, and the team members all remarked on Friday evening that getting to know these people was a highlight of this trip versus the other trips.
Our theme for this trip was "God's Grace Multiplied". What I discovered during the week, and in my reflection since returning home, was that each individual's act of giving was multiplied by not only the others on the work site, but also by the persons in the home and by their neighbors/community. Each act of kindness reverberated in the group and remained on the worksite. For the Christians who read this, it was truly a "loaves and fishes" event where many were nourished by each little act - God's grace multiplied.
Shalom - God's gift of wholeness to us, is one form of the grace that God bestows. Restoring Shalom to the world will allow us to be healthier and more well, both as individuals and as communities. Acts of kindness and generosity to each other are multiplied many fold over the size of the act, and carry on far longer than the act itself. I began last Monday by visiting each of 5 worksites to offer a blessing. What I told the teams was that blessings are powerful and long lived - once given they can not be rescinded (think of Isaac and Jacob). One of the kids reflected that comment back to me at the end of the week. She said that the act of blessing the site made her feel more safe this year. I'm left to ponder what effect God could have if we blessed everything we did in our lives?
So take the time this week to bless what you do, or to be a blessing to others. Small acts of grace between persons and within communities can be revitalizing. Our health, wellness and wholeness can return as we develop our worldview of kindness and grace.
Peace be with each and everyone of you!
Dan
The area that we were working in is economically depressed. The mission team members all come from a highly affluent community where they don't readily encoounter this level of poverty. Though many of them were "mission veterans", this was the first trip that wasn't a Habitat for Humanity-based mission. Habitat trips have not included much interaction with the eventual home owners. In contradistinction, this trip included daily interaction with the folks living in the homes, and the team members all remarked on Friday evening that getting to know these people was a highlight of this trip versus the other trips.
Our theme for this trip was "God's Grace Multiplied". What I discovered during the week, and in my reflection since returning home, was that each individual's act of giving was multiplied by not only the others on the work site, but also by the persons in the home and by their neighbors/community. Each act of kindness reverberated in the group and remained on the worksite. For the Christians who read this, it was truly a "loaves and fishes" event where many were nourished by each little act - God's grace multiplied.
Shalom - God's gift of wholeness to us, is one form of the grace that God bestows. Restoring Shalom to the world will allow us to be healthier and more well, both as individuals and as communities. Acts of kindness and generosity to each other are multiplied many fold over the size of the act, and carry on far longer than the act itself. I began last Monday by visiting each of 5 worksites to offer a blessing. What I told the teams was that blessings are powerful and long lived - once given they can not be rescinded (think of Isaac and Jacob). One of the kids reflected that comment back to me at the end of the week. She said that the act of blessing the site made her feel more safe this year. I'm left to ponder what effect God could have if we blessed everything we did in our lives?
So take the time this week to bless what you do, or to be a blessing to others. Small acts of grace between persons and within communities can be revitalizing. Our health, wellness and wholeness can return as we develop our worldview of kindness and grace.
Peace be with each and everyone of you!
Dan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
