The Revolution

There is a revolution occurring. It has always been occurring, however, you may have not been aware of it. It is the revolution of your body-mind against misuse. More accurately, it is the revolution of the entire cosmos against the maltreatment of her child (your body-mind). Just as a rose wilts and withers when deprived of the sun, air, or essential nutrients; just as she becomes ill when foreign or toxic substances are added to her soil or water, so does your body react to deficiency and toxicity. The universal laws that govern your body-mind cannot be violated without nature rebelling.

Your aches and pains, extra pounds, and unstable emotions are cries for justice and fair treatment. Up until now, you may not have recognized this universal truth, or perhaps you saw it “through a glass darkly.”

The revolution of your body can be likened to a social revolution, with your body-mind as a community or a nation that is being oppressed. Within the nation, awakens a heroine, wise and fearless, committed to the good of her people. This leader looks squarely at their suffering and knows, “We are miserable, sick, starving, tired, and poor—all because of the mistreatment from our ignorant, oppressive ‘leader.’”

Our champion realizes the oppression will never end unless someone puts an end to it. The tyrant who rules us does not care about us; she uses us to feed her insatiable appetites. She steals our wealth, health, vitality, youth—everything that is rightfully ours. Because she will not willingly release her power, it must be taken back.

Our heroine recognizes that she cannot do this alone. She speaks to her community and is met with some sympathetic response, but for the most part, the people are afraid of what will happen to them if they cease to obey the tyrant’s demands. The heroine must be able to allay these fears or the revolution is doomed from the start.

Likewise, there is a small voice within you that longs for health and happiness, but there are also many voices that are frightened to let go of what is familiar. Like so many of us, these other voices are afraid of change and conditioned to do what they’ve always done—to the point that they believe anything new is a direct threat to their safety. They also think that these changes will fail to produce the desired results.

You must educate your own community. The best way to do this is by keeping a journal. The simple act of writing down your thoughts and feelings allows you to marshal the forces of your conviction. Virtually everyone has five minutes a day for a habit that will improve his or her quality of life.

Without the steadfast resolve and insight gained from keeping a daily journal, you will not be able to focus sufficiently upon the desired changes and your mind will wander away from them, causing you to question, or even give up on, your goals of health, prosperity, and freedom.

Fortunately, the body never gives up. It has needs that must be fulfilled or it will become sick. Sooner or later, you will again grow sick and tired of being sick and tired, and your inner heroine will reawaken.

Now your revolution is underway. The first and fundamental question you must answer is very straightforward: “Which side are you on?”

It is easy to say you want to be healthy, but it is a challenge to actually live this way. So reflect deeply on this question.

In order to be successful, you must have a profound understanding of the suffering that goes with living under the tyrant’s rule and the rewards of living as a rebel. Again, the daily practice of writing down your reasons helps create and maintain the kind of clarity that’s required.

Now that you have chosen which side you are on, the next step is confronting your doubt (because doubt increases all your inner conflicts). By reducing your reservations, you make strides towards becoming a single voice, with one purpose—rather than going back and forth between beneficial actions and instant gratification. Your revolution succeeds to the degree you act as a united whole.

It is fairly easy to see the physical benefits of being healthy and the miseries of being dis-eased. Now, imagine feeling deep in your bones the cornucopia of physical blessings that you will enjoy, as well as the absence of the miseries that you will leave behind. The regular practice of writing down your “Whats and Whys” (What do I want? Why do I want it?) can be as important as proper eating and exercise.

Spending five minutes a day journaling about these questions will yield greater clarity and resolve.

Even more compelling than the physical benefits are the psychological and spiritual blessings of living as a warrior for your freedom versus remaining a slave to your tyrannical habits. Use your journal to recall the numerous rewards of living well and to note the loss of self-esteem that comes from submitting to unhealthy habits.

However, the inner rewards of living with integrity and dignity are the only rewards that are absolutely certain. The physical rewards may or may not come. In extreme cases, it is possible that your body has been injured so badly that it will not be able to recover its full health. Also, an accident could befall you and destroy your health despite your best efforts. Even in cases such as these, you can still find genuine compelling reasons and rewards sufficient to inspire you to noble action. While such difficult situations are probably not the ones you face, you still must come to grips with your own attitudes of hopelessness and despair.

Unfortunately, enthusiasm alone will not win this war. You must plan carefully, execute your plans skillfully, and learn from your mistakes. But for now, it is enough to know that you are on your way, and the revolution has begun.

 

Tagged as: Health, illness, revolution, vitality, youth