Cancer as a River
Steve Cobb
-Brain Cancer survivor (32 years) and developer of the Empathetic Method of improving both the Quality and Quantity in the lives of people diagnosed with Terminal Cancer.
5th Century BC Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously observed, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man”. 1 By this Heraclitus means that the moment you step into a river, the water is displaced with new water and the nature of the river is changed permanently. The man stepping in the river is also consistently changing.
So it is with Cancer and those afflicted. Cancer has the same characteristics as the river Heraclitus describes. It is always changing. Whether twisting, turning, rising, or falling, all characteristics of the river, there are parallels with Cancer. It can shrink, grow, enhance, or metastasize.
If we recall, Heraclitus also rightfully claimed the same type of change in human beings. When boiled down to category headings for someone with Cancer we are left with Pessimism and Optimism. Pessimism manifests itself in the fear, anxiety, stress, self-pity, and typically anger aimed at God which then results in consuming guilt. Any one of these emotions, if held onto, is guaranteed to shorten the life of the person who has been diagnosed with Terminal Cancer.
At Cord of 3 Strands we are able, through our Empathetic Approach to reach people stuck in the swamp of these harmful feelings and emotions. Over the course of weeks, months, and in some cases years a change occurs from Pessimism to the hope, encouragement, inspiration, revitalization, and uplifting that goes hand in hand with Optimism. This positive attitude serves to make lives much richer and fuller than they would have otherwise been. In addition, we have more than anecdotal evidence that has convinced us beyond a shadow of a doubt that our work is also extending the lives of the people who are coming to us for assistance.
1 Heraclitus