Health Requires a Moral Compass to Achieve

I'll start with a recipe for relaxing sun tea:

Fill a tea sachet with equal parts lemon balm, hibiscus, and orange peel until full. 

Put it in a mason jar and fill with filtered water. 

Add allulose to taste. (Optional - sweeteners are not necessary.)

Put it in the sun for several hours. 

Drink it warm from the sun, or put it in the fridge and enjoy iced tea! 

Note: Hibiscus is a very potent flower, and it's not healthy for everyone. It lowers blood pressure and has the power to delay a period or make you bleed extra. I drink it only at the beginning of my cycles away from my periods, otherwise it does mess with my delicate hormones. I cannot drink it when my blood pressure is low, which is frequently. The issue is that I LOVE the flavor! Ha! 

Now onto the post... this one is more philosophical. 

Health is something determined by the mind, body, and soul all working together in unison. If the mind isn't healthy, the soul will be stunted, and the body will not be able to thrive. If the body is not healthy, the soul will ache for the ability to use the body to grow, and the mind will be stunted and held back by physical limitations. If the soul isn't healthy, the mind and body will not find meaning in existence and will stunt the growth of both. All three want to grow in unison. If the mind isn't healthy, the body and soul will strive to get the mind back on track. If the body isn't healthy, the mind and soul pour all their energy into regaining physical health. If the soul isn't healthy, the mind and body both ache and strive for meaning and purpose to feed the soul back to health. 

This is why health is not determined only by things such as your blood pressure, psych eval, or if you go to church. But it is why finding a community that brings your soul peace can lower your blood pressure and encourage a better mental attitude. 

This is why health starts with a good upbringing in a stable family, receiving a quality education, having the opportunity to learn and practice skills, and being loved unconditionally. 

This is why relationships in adulthood either grow our health or poison our health. If you choose a partner that grows with you in love and purpose, your mind, body, and soul all have the fuel they need to be healthy. If you choose a partner that always questions you, discourages you, takes from you instead of giving to you, and abuses your love or commitment then your mind, body, and soul stay stagnate and cannot grow. Health cannot be stagnated, because it must stay in motion along with the process of aging. 

This is why it's necessary to learn how to maintain our health. We must learn the skills of love, empathy, emotional intelligence, spiritual servitude to all of creation, and integrity in order to live a healthy life and inspire health in others. We must learn to be physically active in creation in order to fulfil our purpose and create the connection to creation that our souls rely on. Our bodies need food, sun, water, and fresh air to be healthy. Our minds will wander without direction unless we are connected to healthy communities of people and living in harmony with creation. 

We cannot be individuals. Not really. We own our minds, bodies, and souls, yes. We own our choices, yes. But our existence depends on each other, and our health is determined by each other. If you own land, you impact the health of the surrounding land other people live on. If you drive a car, you impact the air other people breathe in. If you eat food, you poop it out and that impacts the soil or waterways (for better or worse, ha!) If you lose weight, it evaporates into the air other people breathe. You really cannot fully isolate yourself from others, and your actions have an impact on everyone else. 

That's why there are always ripple effects from your choices. Make the ripple a good vibration that helps others live their best lives too. 

This is why we build strong moral compasses: we recognize the impact of our actions on other people, and in turn how our actions affect our own health. 

Life is difficult. It really is. None of this is easy. It's really difficult to live in harmony with ourselves, others, and all of creation. We develop ambitions that blind us to the needs of others. We don't grow past childhood, when all that mattered was living to be happy and carefree. We hold onto anger against people who caused injustice, and we confuse passion for retaliation with that spiritual purpose we all need for healthy growth. We learn not to trust each other, so we close ourselves off to the connection with others that helps our souls to grow. We learn to focus on meeting our own needs to survive, meaning we never develop the skill of love for others, meaning we fail our relationships, and in turn fail our children. Our children are not born into environments where they learn what it means to be healthy, nor given the skills to achieve health in the mind, body, and soul. Life is very very difficult. 

What I see in our current post-modern civilization is a globalized world led by people who learned how to achieve ambitions, but have not learned the skills needed to be a loving and connected person. How can our leaders be mentally or spiritual healthy when they lost sight of how to connect with others? How can a person in poor mental and spiritual health led others?

I believe this is why we have so many broken families. I believe this is why we created an economy that relies on every individual person working full-time, instead of focusing on building families that raise our children. I believe this is why we created a society that has no problem with slave labor, keeping people in poverty, and feeding everyone very low-quality unhealthy food. As a result, the birth rate is plummeting. The health of people, especially those in the USA, is dramatically plummeting. Haven't we learned that humans only thrive in communities? If we don't take care of each other and instead we continue to exploit each other, then we're not going to be able to maintain the civilization we built because there won't be enough humans left to do it. 

But it's not easy. It's not something we can simply fix. 

The most powerful thing you can do to help restore the health of fellow humans is to be healthy yourself. Make a commitment to your own health. Start with the foundation: love your family by always encouraging the best for them, choose healthy foods and time in nature for your own body, and stop losing your mind to all the distractions that don't help it grow. Be the change you want to see the in the world. Humans thrive on community, but it takes healthy individuals to create community. 

I know, without a doubt, that my physical illnesses are impacted by the people I choose to invest in. Yes, I get tired and need to rest after laughing with people I love, but it feeds my soul and I feel at peace while I recover. When I'm instead drained by poor interactions, such as arguments or listening to complaints from unhealthy people, I have to protect my mind and soul from the corruption while I recover, which leaves me more tired and takes me longer to recover from. When I feel attacked and disrespected, I feel myself growing very icy cold, my fingers and toes get numb, my throat grows hoarse, my vision blurs and I get tunnel vision (literally in my sight, not in my thoughts), my teeth clench and it's very hard to open them to speak, my gut gives me really sharp pains, and more. All my physical health issues intensify, and then I have to recover for a long time from that. This is why I'm extremely careful about who I choose to spend time with. This is why I give my energy to people really carefully. But when I'm with my people and I'm feeling connected and happy, it's so much easier to endure my chronic illnesses. Seriously, it's really incredible. 

We have to love each other. We have to develop moral compasses. We have to make choices that only feed the health of all of creation. We have to learn about each other and how nature works. We have to make educated choices to make moral choices. If we don't collectively do this as a society, we're going to fail each other. 

I know I'm guilty of complaining a lot based on my anger that people don't choose to be better. I have to learn how to be better, that's where I need all of you to teach me too. We all have to be the change we want to see in the world. We have to put out the vibrations other people need to grow on, because we're going to vibrate simply just by existing. Choose healthy growth for everyone over preventing others from healthy growth to feed your own ambition or emotions. 

I really love people, and it really hurts me to see people ruin each other because they don't know how to be healthy. I don't want to live behind a bubble to protect myself. I want to be a part of this world reclaiming health, love, families, and true joy from the connection with creation. 

Now I'm quite tired, but I'm going to go sit in my sauna because I feel my blood stagnating too much. Then I'll relax and recover for the rest of the day. 

Inhaler - If You're Gonna Break My Heart 

(This is Bono's son, Eli Hewson. This is his band. He looks like Bono and occasionally sounds really similar to Bono. This brings me a lot of joy, haha.) 

We woke up faded

From the shape of the night

Couldn't find the words

Couldn't find the light

We got caught in the tide

And the shore was on the other side

There's no other way around up or down

When the sun shines on my insides

If you're gonna break my heart

Smash it to pieces

'Cause I'm not gonna need it

As much as I do right now

Right now, ooh

I showed you mercy

You gave me murder

I got your ten tonne monkey

Jumpin' up on my back

We got caught in the ride

Of bein' young and alive

There's no other way around up or down

But some nights, yeah, that's alright

If you're gonna break my heart

Smash it to pieces

'Cause I'm not gonna need it

As much as I do right now

Say what you're gonna say anyway

Nothing really means as much as you do

I should be on my way but I can't help

Waitin' for you

"Life Happens Wherever You Are"

I'm contrary, but I know I'm not alone. 

I don't conform to what I don't agree with.

I'm frugal, but in an expensive way. 

Cheap makes me sick, but quality keeps me healthy and lasts.

I'm strong, but I'm scared.

Maybe I shouldn't have to endure pointless trials to prove I'm worthy of being human.

 I'm capable, but I'm not independent. 

I know what to do, but the reason is lost without you.


As a very dear friend of mine just said to me: 
"You need a break from the truth."

   

They say that intelligent people tend to be the most depressed and have the least hope. They also say that the arrogant with average intelligence take all the power and become the most wealthy. I think there's truth to it in many cases. When you're intelligent enough to see the big picture of life, you are able to see how pointless it is to dedicate your life to money. I also have seen that intelligent people are the happiest people, because they avoided living a life crushed by the weight of societal expectations and instead focused their lives on what they love most. I've also seen that those of average intelligence don't always win at life because they don't care enough about winning. 

Over the past few years I've been developing a pool of anger inside myself. I have a lot to be angry about:

I'm angry that I'm sick with chronic illnesses that rule my entire life. 
I'm angry that I didn't use my youth to train in skills that would help me feel useful and happy. 
I'm angry that I live in a country in which the dream of freedom and independence is only propaganda.
I'm angry that being "good enough" isn't enough anymore - if you're not the best there's no place for you.
I'm angry that family is no longer the priority, but instead a luxury of a successful career. 
I'm angry that I must have high standards, because average standards are unhealthy. 
I'm angry that marriage is no longer about love, but instead it's a business partnership for survival. 

I'm angry that good people are afraid to commit to anything: a job, a partner, a marriage, a place to live. 

I'm angry that I'm 36 and I have nothing to show for it. 
I'm angry that every bone in my body wants to be a mother, but my body can't handle it. 
I'm angry that my feelings don't matter, because I don't matter in a world that doesn't have a use for me.

I'm angry that the people who recognize my value and love me are so far away from me. 

I'm angry that I can't simply just live for what life is about: God, love, and happiness. 
I'm angry that "Christianity" has been warped into a political militia, but not an army for God.

I'm angry that I'm afraid to say I have faith in God, for fear of people assuming I'm a terrorist. 
I'm angry that I live in a country that's falling apart rapidly, but voters are focused on a popularity contest. 

I'm angry that I live amongst people who choose to steal from each other, then beg for handouts. 

I'm angry that people distrust love, but do trust autocrats. 

I'm angry that food is grown in damaging ways, and costs so much that it damages families.

I'm angry that I'm a late bloomer in life, once I don't have the energy to act. 

I'm angry that I will never retire. 
I'm angry that I'll probably never own my own home.

I'm angry that healthy water, healthy air, and healthy food is a luxury. 

I'm angry that seeking medical care would bankrupt me, even with insurance.

I'm angry that insurance costs more than preventative care would without insurance.

I'm angry that we built a society that is completely reliant on unsustainable resources.

I'm angry that I keep gaining weight despite how much money I spend on the highest quality food.

I'm angry that my teeth are so narrow that I'm self-conscious about my smile. 

I'm angry that I'm so contrary to popular opinion, because I really do want to get along. 

I'm angry that I'm so weak that I only know how to take action behind a screen or with my dollars.

I'm angry that I don't know what to do or where to go anymore because every path is futile.

I'm angry that everything I've accomplished in life, everything I've ever worked for... it's all falling apart. I'm so angry, so disappointed, and feel too much despair. And I'm even more angry because I know a huge portion of society feel exactly the same as me. 

I'm angry because it's all falling apart, and it's not because we failed. We simply lost a game we didn't know we were playing, because we were focused on something more important than a game: love, family, and peace. 

I've been accused of being too negative, too scared, not resilient enough, and a real downer. 
You want to know what crushes my spirit? Being invalidated by being called labels without being listened to. Am I supposed to magically feel happy when I'm living in fear? Am I just a wimp? Let's do an experiment: I'm going to lock you up in a cage with a lion and tell you to stop living in fear and just feel happy. What's the problem? Don't you have everything you need in life to thrive in that cage? You have shelter, meat, leather, bones to make tools out of to build with... oh wait, what? You can only do that if you kill the lion and somehow survive? Well that sounds really negative! What a downer. Stop whining and figure it out. And be happy! What's wrong with you, living in fear when you could live in happiness? Sheesh!

I know I could be happy despite all things to fear in life these days: inability to earn enough money to have shelter, food, clean water, clean air, family, safe transportation, etc..

...but it's going to take being in a community of people that bring me peace. All I'm asking for it some peace and security. I need to be in a community of people who acknowledge the challenges of life these days, accept my disabilities, and actively work to support each other (instead of competing and pushing each other down.) 

I have come to believe that a key to happiness in this life is to acknowledge each other's pain. When we acknowledge that someone is in pain, we can rally to help them recover and keep our society happy and healthy. When we ignore each other's pain because it's just such a negative downer, the pain breeds and spreads through the community. 

I'm not an unhappy negative person. I'm in pain, and I need to heal. And when I'm told I'm just negative, it's like twisting the knife in my wound. 

If I tell you that I'm hurting, the way to make me feel negative is by telling me I'm wrong to feel hurt.

And the worst part is I know you're hurting too. 

Is the problem that I'm looking deeply into the cause of my pain so I can make it better, and you can't understand why I would do that because you prefer to ignore it and keep pushing forward? 

I'm not going to apologize for being so in-tune with my problems. But I am sorry if I waste my time with people who aren't interested in fixing problems to build a better world.

The reason I'm angry and hurting is because I care. I CARE SO MUCH. Because I'm so full of love and compassion. And if you can't handle my level of care, then get out of my way. 

My husband and I went to a few state parks last week. We found this easy trail to an amazing waterfall. This is my happy place. At peace, in nature. It felt good... it felt like living. Simplicity. Beauty. Health. These are important.  

Highasakite - Love Him Anyway

"Why don't you run for your life? Won't you run for life? Paralyzed. Paralyzed. Paralyzed.
And you knew better. Didn't you? Didn't you? Know better. You know it's gonna break you, but you love him anyway. And I know you hate to hear it too."

Matthew Bellamy (of Muse) - Something Human (Acoustic)

"My circuits are blown. I know it's self-imposed. And all I have shared. And all I have learned. Is all I'll ever own. But something has changed. I feel so alive. My life just blew up. I'd give it all up. I'll depressurize."

The Boxer Rebellion - You Can Love Me

"The fight you pick is misunderstood. I will never be one to try and hurt you for good. Burn out, runs right through to my bones. You keep me awake, in waves of unwavering storm.

But I'll say:

You can love me

You can love me

You can love me

You have a choice"

Aurora and Pomme - Everything Matters

"So pure, and it hurts when the beauty is lost in the speed... 'Cause everything matters to me"

Processing Depression Caused by Events

It's so easy to feel defeated. I've had a rough couple of weeks, and these experiences have led me to feel really depressed.

I have had several friends with severe medical emergencies and I had reason to worry for their lives. All at the same time. If one of these friends of mine does not survive it will be the second friend I will have lost to cancer. Another friend has been so sick that she became suicidal, and at times resistant to help. Of course I fought hard to help her fight for her life, but deep inside I couldn't help but wonder if I could fight if I was in her situation. Another friend ended up on life support after a car accident - that has been devastating. I also know 2 people who have had heart attacks recently. It's... overwhelming, to say the least.

And so, I decided to watch "Call Me Francis" / "Llamame Francisco" this week. I needed a true story about hardship to help me gain perspective. I also genuinely wanted to learn more about Pope Francis and Argentina. The mini-series does not educate or explain anything. It assumes you understand Argentine history fully. I had to talk to an Argentine friend of mine and do a lot of reading on my own to understand the circumstances in the story. Hours of research for 4 hours of show, but it was very enlightening. Learning about the Argentine 70's crisis with the military coup and the dictatorship was very interesting, but I don't know if I was in the right state of mind to learn about it objectively. Between the show and my research, I couldn't help but cry a lot over the kidnapping of pregnant mothers and the illegal adoption of their children. I cried when they showed the military throwing family members out of planes. Watching a story about how Padre Jorge (Pope Francis now) was actively involved in negotiating how the church helped these people was very enlightening. In the end, I learned that Argentina, while not recovered from these horrible events in the 70's, loves its people. They struggle with a terrible economy and a very high poverty rate right now, but they take care of themselves as best they can, because they actually care about offering the best quality of life that they can to their people. But I cannot help but feel shaken from learning about their recent atrocities. (No, don't tell me about other atrocities in world history to go learn about, I don't have the heart for it right now.)

I'm finding it is actually really difficult for me to read or learn about great people that live their lives well and accomplish a lot with their lives. Of course I'm extremely grateful to Pope Francis and admire him very much. (Don't let that statement get religious political - I don't care about your arguments about his church leadership right now. I'm referring to how he navigated the dire circumstances he lived through.)

But as I learn about these people I keep asking myself why I haven't figured out how to do great things with my life. Why are my years being wasted on nursing my health and entertaining myself in the process? Why are my talents and skills not getting developed so I can use them to help people in the world? A major reason is my chronic fatigue, but another major reason is my personality. I've never wanted to dedicate much time to developing skills beyond what was helpful enough to me to get tasks done, when it always felt more important to me to dedicate time to understanding people and morality. I'm one of those people who sits back and observes and reflects for years too long, and by the time I am ready to act, I find the next passion to ponder on for years too long. What do I do with all these thoughts? But how long have I really had this chronic fatigue? I might not have recognized it when I was younger because I was used to being that way, plus I'm introverted. When it caused me to be totally bedridden then I took notice. If not for the chronic fatigue, would I have done more action in my life to be more accomplished?

I'm feeling insecure. I feel like I should be doing great things despite my disability. I want to leave my mark on the world. But sometimes I can't see beyond my friends who are suffering so much. Sometimes I can't see beyond how terrible people have been throughout human history, and those who did great things for humanity make me feel like I'm not contributing to making the world better the way I should be. What is my purpose? I can't wait until I heal - what if I never do? What can I do in my current condition that won't overtax me and make me worse? I'm finding that what I am doing is overtaxing me and making me worse: I'm caring too much for people. I invest my energies into being their friends. It's not their fault, there is nothing to blame. It's just who I am. I just care. Too much. But if I make myself go numb to help me emotionally then I'll lose all sight of my purpose in life.

The USA's healthcare is a nearly complete failure for most of those with chronic illnesses. It leads people to suicide. It's way too expensive, doctors are too overworked and can't dedicate time to patients, doctors that are not trained in the illnesses try to poorly treat or dismiss us... it's a nightmare. And I'm one of those depressed chronically ill people who is feeling lost in the system. I am way better off than many people - so many people are substantially way worse than me. My disability is in the middle of the severity spectrum - I'm moderate. It significantly impacts my life, but hasn't completely stopped it. Too many people live in the severe category, in which their disability has completely prevented them from doing anything more than just staying alive minute by minute. I have the same struggles with the system, but it's not as dire for me. So trying to convince suicidal friends to use this system, because it's the only system there is, feels like I'm encouraging them to not get properly cared for so they can feel even more hopeless. It's a nightmare.

And so I have to keep reminding myself that saving the world is not my responsibility. I can't let world problems crush my spirit. At best, I need to keep my focus on my friends that I can do something for, even if it's just moral support. Being their friends, even though these major health issues, has helped me as much I hope I help them. Is it a waste of my energy? I don't think so. I might be full of grief and feeling depressed, but my heart is full of love because of them. I would feel depressed if I didn't have friends, or had friends who were healthy and so we can't relate to each other.

Dear Christians,

Dear Christians,

Thank you for trying to care and spread love to all of God's creation, even those with chronic illnesses like myself.

But... I have something to say to you.

1. A lack of faith isn't why I suffer.
Why be condescending towards me? Is your faith strong than mine just because you don't have a chronic illness?

2. God doesn't necessarily want me to be "healed." 
Do you know God's will for me? Am I pre-destined to be healthy?

3.  Suffering doesn't make me a bad Christian. 
Living with depression and suffering from disabilities is not the same as living in sin. I don't need to be saved from the burden of physical limitations to reach salvation and find joy in God.

4. Do I need to be healthy to fulfil my life's purpose?

Are only the most physically and mentally qualified people allowed to do God's will, as if we're hired to do a job with prerequisites?

5. I'm still waiting for you to stop telling me what to do, how to feel, how to act, and what to be. I'm praying for you to seek to understand, not to be understood. All you have to do is let Jesus live through you, you don't need to be a dictator on how to have faith. To quote Bono, "Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady."

6. Laying your hand on me and praying for me in public is not always the best way to spread the Gospel. God blesses those who pray in silence when no one is watching. My faith is deeply personal, and I don't need you to put me on display. I respect and understand the need for a faith community, but while I'm on the clock at my job is not the time to prove your faith for me by forcing me into a few minutes of spoken prayer.

7. Faith is not an emotion. Let me say that again. Faith is not an emotion. If the Christian pop song on K-love doesn't melt my heart, make me stop what I'm doing to put my hands up in the air, and feel God's love it doesn't mean I'm lacking faith. I'm not charismatic in my faith. I don't need God to give me emotional highs to know He's present. I'm not falling away from God and into sin when I feel sad, depressed, lonely, or angry. I'm sorry if I don't look like I'm Christian just because this very new evangelical culture (as in it's not as old as the Church or the Bible) doesn't work for me, but I'm not trying to prove anything to you. I only have to prove my faith to God, and I can do that in silence where no one can see while I'm feeling depressed and angry. I don't want to be on display, fake or force emotions, or even feel guilty for not expressing my faith through emotion. I do not feel guilty for not being charismatic. But you might notice my faith through how I treat and care for people.

8. Consider that my suffering is actually a blessing to my soul, and that perhaps it's helping me serve God better. Is there not something to be learned from any experience? Should we not always grow as people? Can I not be formed into a strong faithful person through difficult times?

9. Stop telling me I'm not doing enough. You think I have to make an appointment with some stranger in some office building to have them pray over me for me to be healed? You think I have to fly to another state to meet with some special spiritual healer over 12 days in order to heal? You think my church community isn't good enough if they're letting me suffer? You think receiving the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is not effective and your special spiritual leader is the only one who can help? Have a little faith in me and my faith community.

10. I see that you're trying to make the world fit your worldview that you think encompasses God's will for all of his creation.Please never stop learning, updating your worldview, and seeking new understanding. Stick to your values and morals - you need them! But allow yourself to empathize with people. Sometimes life isn't as simple as following rules that fit your worldview.

11. Consider that I don't have the energy to have deep conversation about which denomination I am every time you see me.Consider that you might be driving me away from the Christian culture due to how exhausting it is to listen to you tell me how my denomination is wrong, my faith is incomplete, and I need to change my personality to fit how people with faith should be.


Thank you for listening. Have a conversation, in which we take turns listening to each other without giving each other orders, with me when I can handle it. Ask for a time when it won't drain me and make me suffer more. Just stop telling me I'm wrong because I'm sick. I'm too tired to keep being beaten down by your lofty standards for Christians. Stop bragging about your faith being why your life is so good and mine has problems.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Christian


Note:
Each of these points are referring to specific encounters with multiple, various people. Most of them were complete strangers. These are not arbitrary references. I've debated on writing this publicly for over a year now, and it's time that I released the pressure and finally just express myself. I am legitimately concerned about how a couple (out of several) Christian cultures is treating people with Chronic Illness, but I believe all Christians need to hear my letter.