Opinion: My Post-Election Prose & Some Thoughts on the Future Health of this Nation
Jonathan Isbill, MS, RD, LD
?? Holistic Health Dietitian Coach, Healthcare Consultant, Writer, Author, Speaker, Believer. Building for Better ??
Today, I am sharing some forward thoughts after taking some time to simply sit back to observe first… the immediate aftermath of an emotional election - in so many ways expected and surprising nonetheless. Clearly, it seems that the vast majority of American counties have chosen to voice their opinions about moving this massive country in a very specific direction. Clearly, this country needs to talk more openly and authentically about real issues. I think we all know that and feel that - but is every person's nervous system even capable of that feat anymore?
Can we? I'm not quite sure to be honest. I hope that we can. I pray that we can.
But my post today, as with all my stories, is never to draw us out in vitriol, but rather to offer us the chance at mutually determined construction instead of mutually assured destruction of the same shared ground in which we stand today, stood yesterday, and will stand tomorrow.
Personally, I have my opinions on many subjects that I don't often talk about publicly. Why? You ask, well.... because I think most meaningful topics of conversation deserve full context. And usually full context would require at least 1.5 - 3 hours of true, real, deep conversation grounded in mutual trust and shared empathy for a brighter future - together.
So, if you'd like to sit down for that cliché 3-hour podcast, then that might very well be our greatest chance at building a bridge to come together, to sit with one another for an extended amount of time, calmly, and with compassion, not to spit and shout and run away when we don't hear what we want or become violent when we don't get what we want.
The problem that I suspect we may be experiencing more today than what we realize is that it can easily feel like not that many people prioritize the "shared empathy for a brighter future together" piece. I think it is easy to feel that the "other side" doesn't care about you and they don't understand. I mean, really. Look at us!
Look at us. It's human nature for goodness sakes. We have a strong tendency to always think we are right and we tend to judge others that we think are wrong. We don't like to be told what to do and generally speaking we don't really like conflict, or at least know how to engage in healthy conflict resolution - especially in this day and age (thank you smartphones).
“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” — Matthew 12:25
Perspective
??? ?? So much of our experience of this life is determined by our perception, our attitude, and our expectations.
The other day I was speaking with a great friend of mine and I just passionately blurted out,
?? “I’m wearing hope, optimism, and positivity on my sleeve until the day I die!” and even still when I’m gone from this world I’ll filled with hope, optimism, and positivity.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe you're still grumbling from something that has affected you in recent hours, days, or weeks. As a clinician, I have seen countless people make themselves sick by getting stuck on the 24-hour news cycle with dopaminergic flashy screen time addiction and explosive emotions being thrown at them from talking heads on TV. And I'm talking to - and about - all people on both sides of the aisle here. To all my fellow health clinicians reading this, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.
The MORE stress we put on our body, the more sick we become. It's as simple as that. What's also vitally spectacular and just as simple to remember now, is that the LESS stress we carry in our lives the healthier we become, the lighter our spirits, and greater our overall joy and happiness. Stress, my friends, is all about perspective.
?? The last weeks or so after the election have felt heavy ~ emotionally ~ with personal highs and experiential lows for many different types of people. As I've watched, I've witnessed quite a lot of unnecessary commotion and chaos, emotional explosion and zealousness.
?? My fellow human, my fellow neighbor, I do not fully understand why we can be..
?? I have seen us vilify and demonize to such the extreme extent that we inevitably insist in self-isolation with an us-vs-them mentality.
??? I have seen us speak of terrible things of adults we do not know with the same lips we use to kiss the foreheads of the sweet children in our lives, forever wishing we spent more time with them in PLAY than on our PHONES.
I have seen us cast stones and call out the endless specks in our fellow’s eyes, all without any regard for the shipyard of broken planks & fractured timber stuck within our own. ??
?? Since I was 3 yrs old I have had a personal connection with calling others to peace. And we only get there via the same mechanisms we’ve only ever been able to get there… through humility, grace, forgiveness, hope, faith, trust, love, and light. ??
I’m sure many of you reading this can probably relate. This is what many of us feel deep inside our bones as we are told to watch the world argue online. NO. Refuse to entertain that zombie-life experience. Refuse to internalize the lies being spewed from fire hoses. ??
?? My spiritual seekers, you are incredibly important in this time.. Let me tell you why..
To be here to ground, to heal, and show those who need to heal & release how to do so in hopes they can find freedom & peace within. ??
?? There are great opportunities that lay before us.
? To be leaders of our own lives, homes, families, neighborhoods, and communities.
? To call OURSELVES to peace WITHIN before we label the world “out there” as evil or malevolent.
??♂? Regardless of what we THINK about the lives of those who are being elected into places of government leadership or high political office, we can take a moment each day to check ourselves, to reset ourselves and reset our cells, to find our breath and find our balance, to rewire what has gone haywire since the the world went weird in Dec 2019 and beyond.
It is ours:
??? To put on a lens of hope, faith, positivity, and optimism for the road we shall pave ahead ~ together.
?? One of my core fundamental beliefs is…
… that if we were given a choice between a life filled with pessimism and negativity or a life filled with optimism and positivity, that the latter choice is one that will lead to more joy, more hope, more boldness, more ambition, more adventures, and more endeavors, more fun, more friends, more success, more trips, more happiness overall.
?? ?? So why not?
?? You know, this life we have isn’t meant to be lived in isolation, or fear, or desolation, death, and despair. No. This life is meant to be LIVED not KILLED. And many of us are unapologetically KILLING our own lives from the inside out.
?? STOP IT.
?? SAVE YOURSELF the pain of waking up 75 years later looking back with the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying…. wishing you had found peace, hope, faith, positivity, and optimism along the way, more time for more love with friends and family, talked to more strangers and gotten to know your neighbors, more boldness to endeavor upon the adventures with full relentless ambition to believe in yourself every step of the way.
?? This is our chance. This is your chance. To make this great place healthy again: in Mind ? Body ? Spirit.
A glimpse of the future we can (attempt) to imagine…
?? Environmental Toxins
?? Glyphosate
?? Atrazine
?? Paraquat
领英推荐
?? PFAS
?? Potassium Bromate
?? Propylparaben
?? BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)
?? BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
?? ADA (Azodicarbonamide)
?? Titanium Dioxide
?? Red 40, Red 3
?? Yellow 5, Yellow 6
?? Green 3
?? Blue 1, Blue 2
?? Aspartame
?? Propyl Gallate
?? Sodium Benzoate
?? Trichloroethylene, Methyl Chloride, Ethylene Dichloride
?? Fluoride in Drinking Water
?? Red 40
?? Yellow 5
? Regenerative Agriculture
? Homeschooling is Cool
? Growing Your Own Food
? Cleaner Food Systems
? Healthier Food Systems
? Cleaner Drinking Water
? Cleaner Croplands
? Less Plastics
? Better Healthcare Strategies
? Cleaner Children's Food
? Loving Your Friends Unapologetically
? Finally Tackling Chronic Disease
? Enjoying True Medical Freedom for Your Child's Care
? Environmental Revitalization
? Preventative Healthcare
? Lifestyle Medicine
? Increased Biodiversity
?? And the list goes on, my friends. ??
A Vision for a Healthier, Sustainable Future
?? This could be an amazing time and amazing ride for all of us and the future of this wild place we call home. But for this ride to go anywhere, we must go together.
So sit down or stand up. ??
Strap in and fasten your seatbelts. Feel free to ride however you like. Some of us will scream with joyful laughter & shouts of enthusiasm while others will close our eyes and experience the ride more passively.
Real Talk? I have high hopes. Not in just a small set of individuals at the top. No.
I have high hopes for the people of this country to find it within their character, to unbury their burdened spirits, and remember what it used to be like to be free with joy, hope, optimism and positivity in this place.
And as a PBD would say, “Future Looks Bright.” ?? (IYKYK) ????
Health and Happiness are not sparked overnight. Life is a journey and we all deserve a little encouragement from time to time. Here’s my encouragement to you for you to continue striving to live your very best life.
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ZigZag Nutrition represents the pursuit we share as we strive to live this life as best as we can, learning and growing, flexing and adapting along the way to better align ourselves to the most nutritious life and lifestyle that meets our needs and nourishes our body, mind, and spirit - together.
Humanitarian, Development and Peace | Fundraising and business development Champion | Team Leader | 12+ years of experience
3 个月My friend Jonathan it is so good to read you once again. So beautifully said. Still truthful to yourself and willing to find common grounds... Let's believe in a future full of hope, optimism and abundant health
Lead Pastor at Community Church of Columbus
3 个月Thanks for your thoughtful reflections.
Registered Nurse, Biologist
3 个月In every administration there are opportunities for real gains. RFK’s involvement I think could be a positive for one. He hopes to fix the food supply and the sick care system. The popular vote was almost split down the middle. The map you used doesn’t really show the big picture accurately. Getting to know one another more and working towards solutions while really listening to each other is key. I,like you, prefer to remain optimistic. These discussions will have to go way beyond the devisive no context messages that the propaganda machines of either “side”. There is only one side in all of this. Once we realize that we are more alike than different and give up the need to be “right” by exercising humility and grace, things can change for the better. I greatly enjoy your content and find it inspiring to say the least. I will be moving my RN career to the OR soon. I hope to advocate for a more wholistic approach from both inside and outside the system. Hopefully we can have another conversation soon!