The Ripple Effects of Healing

It’s probably no surprise that I went through a rebellious hippy counterculture phase in college (I might still be in that phase on some level). During that time I was seeking soulful culture.

When I say soulful culture I mean a culture that recognizes the innate and priceless value of all things and has reverence for the world.

It was clear this was not to be found in the confines of modern western culture; a culture known for commodification and quanitification.

I remember thinking that hippies of the 60’s and 70’s tried to bring soul into our culture. It seemed to me that they mostly sold out and conformed as they started families in the 80's. They missed out on an opportunity to really turn things over. But they did move the needle in the right direction.

Then as I eeked my way into adulthood and towards responsibilities like raising a family, I began to see the complexities of living in our modern world. Opting out of living in our culture comes with a high price. Then again so does participating.

I know Rachael and I are trying to have our cake and eat it too. We bring spirit and soul into our lives, while being embedded in a system that devalues and marginalizes them but offers us ease, comfort, and convenience.

We're also trying to find ways to keep moving the collective needle.

I bring this up because many of the folks I work with as a doctor are experiencing the dis-ease that is an inherent side effect of living in our modern culture.

Anxiety, depression, pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, adrenal fatigue, cancers, auto-immune disorders, the list goes on. I'm always seeking to address the root cause of people's maladies. Often these conditions emerge out of our sociocultural conditions.

Is modernity the pathogen?

Krishnamurti, an Indian philosopher, said it best, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

Taken a step further we could say that to feel the illness caused by our socio-cultural context is a sign of health beckoning itself towards healing.

We do what we can to heal and move towards more health for ourselves.

I believe our own health has ripple effects that impact our communities.

Healing as individuals can be challenging.

If our individual health is interwinted with our collective health, how do we help create a socio-cultural context that is healthy?

I believe this is happening, but it's a slow process that will likely unfold over the course of the next few generations.

Meanwhile, I'm wrestling with questions of how to be in the world in a way that will be best for the next generations. What sacrifices am I willing to make for generations to come?

There's something beautiful about the discomfort I'm in these days as I face our reality.

I can feel myself being worked by the currents of our times, like a stone in a river. Polishing and smoothing happens as I find where I fit in the riverbed.

In my youth I thought I might be a boulder in the river, destined to have a large impact on the current. As I tumble in the flow, humbled by the force of the waters, I trust that however I interact with the waters is right. The river is wise.

Thanks for splashing around with me,

Warmly,

Noah