Disease

What is disease (illness)? It is something that interferes with your state of easiness (dis-ease). Where would we be if not for such a marvelous thing?

Illness brings families together, ends wars and conflicts, and calls for the greatest power available to human race: love and compassion. You might think, well, it feels bad, I don't like being sick, or I want to always be healthy. In fact, most of the Russian toasts are "на здоровье", which translates to "to health." What an oxymoron? You will poison your liver, kidneys, intestines, heart, and incapacitate your brain. Yet you're drinking to health....

Let's face it, when you're healthy, you could care less how well you breathe, how well your liver works, teeth chewing, or even notice your heart beating or the throat swallowing. But the moment you "catch" a disease, you notice your body. It’s the only body you have to get you through this life (more on this later), and you're poisoning it with tobacco, alcohol, decomposing food (nothing that we eat is still living, except for rare cases), and other drugs and toxins.

The argument that we present, or face whenever posing this question either verbally or mentally, come on, it feels good; I enjoy it; I'm addicted; what, I should quit eating?; and many others...

Why am I writing about such a bleak subject? Well, I have some disease and honestly, it’s neither good nor bad, yet everyone wishes me speedy recovery or giving me advice. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind; however, criticizing my past actions and associating them with my current state does 0% good to everyone. No one knows how or when they got sick, they are just sick at the present moment. Next moment they can choose to be well, and the illness goes away.

At the same time, this disease has given me a chance to pay attention to areas of my body that I usually overlook, sinuses, throat, and neck. Paying attention to the portions of the body, while body is in process of defending itself against a microbe can be more entertaining than any soap opera. At least in this case, you can relate and root for one or the other, it doesn’t matter who wins…

The challenge that is present, however, is staying present when the mind wants to shut down due to pressure, fever, or plain discomfort. Paying attention to the current moment gives you a full control over the next moment, and the moment after that, and after that, etc… Anyone can moan and groan regarding how much they don’t like being sick, but that does nothing more than solicit sympathy or creates fear of passing/catching the illness. Rather than feeling sorry for one, I ask you to rejoice in a natural process and observe it. Once you detach yourself from the character that you play, you will finally see the whole game. Seeing the game from a neutral point of view allows you to make a wise decision regarding the direction of the next moment, which doesn’t exist yet already occurred.

“Play your part in the comedy, but don't identify yourself with your role!” - Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei...

More to come…