The Western Way
In our?Western Way?of living, we live in an environment which perpetually challenges our health in ways that require a thriving mindset. Life challenges us beyond our basic needs of survival, keeping us on our toes, but recently seems to easily draw us from?ease?by pulling us squarely toward?dis-ease.?
Without digressing into the many reasons for?dis-ease, let’s think about the core elements that support life. As we “eat, sleep, and breath” life,?so to speak.?Together let’s distinguish how man-made factors might have allowed us to become overloaded, confused, and lose our way.
At a minimum, most of us would agree that living would include?and, in some cases, require:
As living creatures, we engage in most of these basic functions. Through our years, it is interesting how we can all come up with our own unique perception about life, that might be very different from others in opinion, lifestyle, and health. The influence and power generated from this?ambient environment in which we dwell,?may not?always feel like we have choices therefore, we?may not?honor ourselves by?taking?the time to make optimal decisions, and then make them?DOABLE.
Many observe how?The Western Way?draws us into life in a way that is the?opposite of achieving?authentic purpose. When we are?conditioned to see things FIRST,?and then believe them?later,?rather than?to live in a way that can make a difference and supports?happiness,?we might?confirm?our system is?backward.
The concept of believing in yourself by defining your personal?value system,?and then act upon that by?living?it, might?appear to be a contradiction to?The Western Way.
We do live in a toxic culture that inundates us with?messages that represent a?reverse way of living.?If we?don't pay attention, it is easy to get?pulled?into believing success in life is?contrary to our?nature, which is?not?true.
When we understand ourselves in our own distinguished realms, we gain the opportunity to yield enlightenment?and the capacity to see through the multiple?bombardments of delusions?in order to?eliminate all the resistance.?Thriving requires us to adapt, modify, and improve in order to get to our inner peace, and when we do this,?we?manifest those foundational emotions of being worthy, have value, and offer?an ability to contribute.
When I say The Western Way,?the overall philosophy could?be defined as?"individualistic." Individualistic cultures focus on abstract thinking, privacy, self-dependence, uniqueness, and personal goals.
The Eastern Way of living, by contrast, prioritizes collectivism, indirect communication, and social harmony. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
We are witnessing?a?world that is?giving birth to an exponential global digital age. There are an overwhelming?number of algorithms and AI (Artificial Intelligence) taking charge of communication, expression, and work. There?is no better?time to?combat your personal fears, judgements, and insecurities than now for yourself, your family, and for the world. If we don't grow and move on, we will lose?our?ability to discern and develop?connections with?one another, which will have dire consequences.
There?is the path forward but it requires?clarity and truth. It must be built upon personal awareness that generates?strength, and has been a proven?logical pathway toward social sustainability, which is the foundation of existence, and can?give?birth to creativity and peace.
To understand where we are and where we have?landed, we?might begin with?a?quick glimpse back into history and how Western Societies made significant shifts over time. This might help explain more about where we are so we can get to where we are going?since?the future is heading our way very quickly.
In?the late 1800's we were faced with the?Industrial Revolution. This?huge transformation from an Agrarian economy to one energized and pre-occupied with the machine and all it could do for us has been?profound. It did lead the way into the 19th?century.
The idea of erecting taller and taller buildings, managing water with huge dam systems, the ability to mass produce products, create synthetic and semi-synthetic polymers that add new forms of chemicals (and waste), had good intentions to make life easier in order to expand our capacity to support a burgeoning population.
In England, and certain European countries, then Canada, and of course the United States, this was the path we all went down. World leaders were rewarded to support entrepreneurs who became insightful and streamlined their vision. Slowly life for the common wo-man?began to shift in the name of progress, and it has now continued to expand into every part of our world.
With the agreement?our past is?important, let's reflect?back to how we lived?in the early to mid-1900’s. In?photographs (photography was invented in 1822 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor) depicting the history of our industrialized nations, we are?provided a?clear vision of?how?our lives morphed dramatically. What we ate, how we slept, the way we moved, our?method of communication and interactions with each other, the topics of conversation, our sources, all went through?striking?transformations. The result of these changes, and as we move forward,?people?ask?themselves:
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Noteworthy improvements have attended many of these life changes; such as vast increases in farm production, pharmaceuticals to combat illness, communication technologies to improve global connections, just to name a few. Now we ask,?at what cost??
It is understood that the speed at which we must integrate technology into our lives is becoming overwhelming. Society takes lots of time to process change when we actually learn from it.
The?tsunami of acceptance?that has been?revealed as?a mass embrace,?which says?we?are in this together, might gift us?our common innate?survival.?Of course, a wide variety of opinions will always expand, and contrast, but?in?the end will define?what is significant for us as we move forward, grow, and live our?lives.
Admittedly, new improvements come with a price tag as inventions go mainstream, and when purchased by the public. Most provide serious revelations after an idea is implemented and accepted, and the significant reason why there is always the need to pause, process, and speak truth.
The slow way we digest change, with technology advancing at lightning speed, will continue to lean on the individual therefore, we must get back to our own basics in the key areas of life, such as, who we are, what is our core mission or purpose in life, and other.?Most recognize we are now experiencing a biverbal ceiling in these key areas of our society, such as:
Our Western Society?has always been a condition of our central attributes. A society characterized by a life worth living, and might be best built on the friendly reminder of our:
If The Western Way of life is moving toward overcrowded communities with a lack of resources and energy, by conflicted or self-serving leadership, we should not be surprised when individuals become de-moralized and yield:
We are far from ease when we sit, overeat, dehydrate, consume 98% of other peoples’ thoughts because we don’t have time or feel confident to create our own ideas. It seems that life is leading us to mental and physical exhaustion due to a state of “passive suicide”.
Let's grab ahold of what we know – arguably the pinnacle of our human condition to date seems to have created its very own dis-eases, which have begun to stem from the “dis-ease of the heart.” Once we can all acknowledge this together, we can guide those in charge to move forward with solutions for all.
The Western Way might have expanded our way of life, and branched out into a global phenomenon, but now seems to be creating our very own pathology, and blockages of the heart.?Let us get back to the basics for mankind, which entails focusing on what we have in common rather than our differences.?
We can commit to growing and developing our own authentic insights, but we must act upon them positively in order to guide markets toward a pathway that honors our basic needs. Let's develop a harmonious voice, stay on the high notes of importance, and provide great vision for ourselves, society, and our planet.
Sapiens are brilliant when we are connected. It?helps us to be reminded we have similar characteristics’ when it comes to life. The top two that come to mind might be how we would like to?stay balanced in our own personal joy as we contribute?to the whole, and ideally would choose health though self-awareness. Let's recognize the?“power of one"?is?really “the power for all” when we focus on a?proactive plan to?rescue ourselves, as we find?the opportunity to “save the planet.”
"Create?a?plan from your heart first, and then allow it to?expand into a?DOABLE one for all." --Harvey J. White MD, Vessel Health