The Virus Metaphor

By Harvey Kraft

This original article was posted on LinkedIn as a series over 5 days from July23 - 27, 2018.

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THE VIRUS METAPHOR

Appearance

#1 (Art above in header: Tim Burton)

An infiltrating virus veiled by a false "appearance" can trick immune system cells into thinking the virus belongs in the body.

Failing to recognize that a devious virus can fool it, the cell exhibits a false sense of control and security. Vulnerable cells are compromised because they see only what they choose to see.

Wild Dogs

#2 (Art: David Ball)

If the virus’s siren mask works it is able to get a passkey. It enters the cell and heads for its core. It invades, assumes control, and destroys the cell from within.

The multiplication of this conquest across a region of cells is a metastasizing process. First appearing like sweet puppy dogs, an invading viral herd will reveal themselves to be more like hungry wild wolves unleashing the spread of cell genocide.

To Win the Race

#3 (Art: David Ball)

The natural response of the body’s immune system is to fight back to regain its health by awakening to the danger, and calling upon its forces of immunity to repel and inhibit the viral conquest.

The consequences of failure are clear —suffering or death. To win at life, the bio-protection system must raise its game to peak performance. But will it be enough?

To win the race for survival, the cells must unite by becoming fiercely conscious, discerning of obfuscation efforts, and keen on response in order to unmask the pretenders before its too late.

Mandate to Evolve

#4 (Art: Vicky Knowles)

The genetic system offers a long-term solution to vulnerability. It carries the mandate to evolve, so as to strengthen the body’s ability to detect harm and defend life.

To better respond to hidden threats cells must evolve to become more alert, more discerning, more responsive and be consistently tenacious in doing so over time.

Response is an interactive imperative, hence mutation is not random; change is selective and adaptive.

The cell and virus both strive to evolve relative to the other, because the Laws of Evolution dictate adaptation. To increase their chances of survivability (to continue rather than vanish) they both must hone their skills, tactical intelligence and strategic wisdom continuously.

The dynamic and integrated process of natural development is fueled by challenges due to counter forces.

Opposition is the trigger mechanism for new solutions. Life uses it to drive evolution forward like dual pistons — enlightenment and ignorance, light and dark, truth and deception — to eliminate the superfluous, retire irrelevance, or upgrade to higher levels of operation.

New Definition for Peace

#5 (Art: David Ball)

Programmed for action via transformation or association, the battle lines of evolution are expanding as modern scientific insurrections raise the pitch of the evolutionary tuning fork.

Joining in as an ally of the cellular body, the “health industry” offers anti-viral weapons in an immersive effort to extend longevity. Meanwhile the viral camp too is partnering with human advances by aligning with chemical poisons and immune weakening agents.

Given the injection of human enterprise into this grand interplay, can the conflict be ended? Or, does the fundamental opposition of cell and virus confirm that an idealized Peace (defined as the absence of conflict) is just an elusive dream, not a real possibility?

What this system does allow for is dynamic Peace redefined by “The Virus Metaphor”...an active state of enlightening (cultivating health, harmony, vitality, balance), protected from harm by the immunity of discerning wisdom, while forever more life’s inherent evolutionary-OS program runs it through renewal-challenging tests probing for new vulnerabilities, urging on development.

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Harvey Kraft is the award-winning author of The Buddha from Babylon.