The Importance of the Narrative...

What narrative guides your decision making? Is it a Hellenistic narrative and world view which promotes a "me" centric view of life or is it something else? You would be hard pressed in this day and age to have anything other than a "me" centric view. It's all you see and hear in popular media. Violence apologists are all over the media stating why it is the "right" thing to do to attack others in the name of defending a political position or agenda.

How does your life narrative affect your decisions on health, wellness and wholeness? Is it a narrative along the lines of "live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse" or slightly less overt but equally problematic "it's my body, I can do with it what I want"? As a global society, we are reaping the harvest of these world views on health and behavior. We continue to develop newer and more powerful medications targeted at cardiovascular diseases - diseases that if we changed our health behaviors would be far less frequent and less costly. Medication management of cardiovascular (CV) diseases is a $25 billion (yes, billion) annual expenditure in the U.S. I reviewed three new chemicals in the last week which are promising to treat CV disease, but which only address symptoms, not the root of the problem.

What is the root of the problem? In my opinion, it is our life narrative. We have become far removed from an interconnected (unitive) world view which states that what I do has direct effect on every other life form in the world. Instead, our current personal and communal policies and behaviors reflect a very limited picture of how our lives affect all life. We operate in a dualistic mindset (I-it, We-They, Us-Them) and from a narrative of competition and idolization (think of the terms "American Idol" in this context and shudder).

So, how do we get back to an older and more unitive life narrative? That takes a lot of work and intentionality. We have to put off our worldly selves and take on a self devoted to doing things for the betterment of others - especially for those less fortunate or who are the recipients of social injustices. We can not become whole and well and healthy without this change in mindset (metanoia).

This week as we draw ever closer to Easter and Passover, consider your world view, what influences it, and whether or not it is contributing to the betterment of our world. If your narrative is not, then perhaps it's time to find a new one. Come visit www.possjrny.org and see what our story is all about.

Peace for you days,
Dan