It Is Only When We Are Sick

It Is Only When We Are Sick, That We Focus On Taking Care of Ourselves

Over the last two years I have been sick or injured on three occasions.

The first occasion consisted of having some kind of problem that led to me having a chronic weakness with malaria and dengue fever life symptoms. I had those conditions for close to four weeks and it was so debilitating that I could do little else but rest and sleep.

The other two occasions consisted of injuries I sustained while doing volunteer work in Cambodia, one being a partially detached retina and the other being torn muscles in both my neck and upper cheat and shoulder area.

These were not caused by staying and living in Cambodia, but by my own intense and at times unmindful approach to my work there.

Two things seemed to be consistent in these experiences of illness and injury, one being that when I was ill or injured, I was able to put full attention to the process of healing myself, and the other being that I came away from the experience with greater mindfulness, strength and health.

Wise teachers in the Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and Yoga traditions will all tell us that pain can serve a purpose, that being to make us more mindful and wise in the long run, and a change and experience such is this is one that is commonly relayed to us when we listen to the stories of those who have undergone painful experiences.

Though some people can undergo a wholesome and positive change in their life and attitude to it and others through their painful experience, it also true that many take care of themselves only when they are sick and when they are well, meaning able to go to work and engage in their old habits, routines and behaviors, they lose that ability to take care of themselves.

We seldom have the ability or mindfulness to see that if we are greedy, we are sick or planting and cultivating the seeds that can lead to sickness.

We do not see that aversion, ill – will and anger are forms of a chronic sickness and instead think of them as being understandable or “natural”.

Doubt keeps us from having faith in both ourselves and others and does not give us the mental and physical strength and focus to learn and practice things that can make our life a better one.

It may seem harsh or unfair to think of these things as being a sickness, but they certainly can lead one to become ill or engage in sick behavior.

Yoga and Buddhism want us to know how to take care of ourselves so that we not only maintain mental and physical health, but that we improve upon it.

They also want us to become more mindful about and gradually let go of those states of mind that create pain, confusion and suffering while replacing them with states of mind that lead to peace, insight and a focused, energized and mindful performance of our duties to ourselves and others each day of our lives.

The do not ask that we bow down to images made of gold and jade, or blindly follow other men without an investigation of them and an ongoing investigation and deeper understanding of ourselves.

They only want us know how to and be able to take care of ourselves better.