Medical diseases have a cultural dimension: the ill health of the individual reveals the ways in which the surrounding culture is not whole. The twin epidemics of our time, obesity and autoimmunity, are symptoms of a deep infirmity in our civilization. They have level after level of cause, from the proximate biochemical and biophysical mechanisms, […]
health
Reuniting the Self: Autoimmunity, Obesity, and the Ecology of Health (Part 2)
What is a human being? A human being is a nexus of relationships: the sum total of the connections among his or her cells, organs, and inner ecosystem; connections to other human beings that define the psyche; connections to the rest of nature and this living planet that allow life to exist. Modern thought, recognizing […]
Pain: A Call for Attention
“A Bodhisattva is averse to causes; an ordinary person to results.” — Chinese Buddhist saying When I speak of the power of attention to create self and world, people immediately assume I will offer a repackaged version of The Secret, the Law of Attraction, or another variant of the idea that beliefs create reality. […]
The New Epidemics
We have been successful in maintaining a facade of normalcy even as people get sicker and sicker. One way we do this is to convince people that it is normal to be sick. The truth is that we are meant to be vibrantly healthy. It is not supposed to be this way.
The Ethics of Eating Meat
Most vegetarians I know are not primarily motivated by nutrition. Although they argue strenuously for the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, many see good health as a reward for the purity and virtue of a vegetarian diet, or as an added bonus. In my experience, a far more potent motivator among vegetarians–ranging from idealistic […]