Positive Health Online

One dictionary definition of 'perspective' is: 'mental view'

Our perspectives on life are formed from conception onwards (some inheritance also), and are greatly determined by the age of seven. By the time we are adults, our perspectives (views) are a summary of our beliefs and subsequently interpreted experiences. Our mental views lay the grounds for our perceptions. Perceptions are subjective, and as our beliefs change so do our perceptions.

These perspectives or views are not all on a conscious level. Some are like computer software loaded into the subconscious part of our being. When these 'subconscious programs' run we think that these views are 'just us'. Views on life have a profound bearing on our state of health and that is the topic of interest here.

Our perspectives and perceptions can be the determining factor in sickness or in health.

Life is the opposite pole to death. Health is the opposite pole to sickness. Health and life belong together just as sickness and death do. If we are sick** we are heading in the direction of death, and some of us wish to do an about turn as we are clearly unhappy about being on the wrong 'train'.

For such people, the information on how and where to change 'trains' seems to come to them when they start their search for the journey to health. They genuinely never wanted sickness but somehow found it by default. Lack of information led to assumptions and following incorrect signposts. For others, they would like to be in the direction of health but cannot (decide not to) pay the price of getting off the wrong 'train' and boarding the right one. Their perspectives have become their jailers and they cannot perceive that they are going where they do not consciously want to go. Any effort by others to force the issue will be rejected and possibly create relationship problems.

Few of us voluntarily examine our views and perceptions. Usually a crisis in life is the catalyst to set off such a profound activity. Serious illness pushes us into urgency and many at death's door have had life-changing turn-arounds which have led to recovery and resolution of long term problems. It is usual, but not necessary, to take stock of our views only when a crisis forces us to (even though an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure).

Society is set up to minimize both independent thinking and available thinking time.

'Busy-ness' is the rule, whether it be for those employed outside the home or inside. From childhood, we are discouraged from thinking and encouraged to act on someone else's instructions, as in the typical school set up. Several children, later to become famous, got into hot trouble for thinking and not 'concentrating' at school, Einstein amongst them. Many famous people have been home schooled and the allowance of free thinking time has been a valuable attribute of such education even though, in general, home schooling has both pros and cons.

The high-tech society, which should serve us, ends up being our master. This need not be. Very much like the credit card situation. These can be used to our advantage and serve us financially, but usually end up being our master and we pay the cost in at least added interest and upward to bankruptcy. Society cannot be changed by knowing about the pitfalls but we, as individuals, can opt out of accepted belief systems and thus benefit our own lives and health. The first step is to start something which was discouraged from the beginning:

start to think – examine what you believe to be true about your health

The human body has in-built, self-healing mechanisms. These work automatically but are hindered or blocked by:

• Chronic (long-term) dehydration;
• Electrolyte imbalance (a major cause being lack of unrefined salt);
• Physical toxins;
• Emotional factors;
• Spiritual factors;
• Incomplete digestion;
• Acid/alkaline imbalance/bio-electrical imbalance;
• Nutritional deficiencies – primary or secondary;
• All of the above can be inherited and/or acquired.

That seems simple. Who would take in toxins or do things which would do damage physically or emotionally? Few of us willingly and/or knowingly.

Unfortunately, our perceptions allow us to partake of toxins and emotionally negative interactions daily, because they are not accurately labelled and our perspectives and perceptions have been built on these 'hidden identity labels' and therefore defuse our innate alarm systems. The above listed toxic situations, and how to deal with them, are covered in other ICHC articles.

We need to start from scratch and re-evaluate our views on health. As children we were dependent and needed to survive (hopefully happily). As adults we are in the driving seat. Childhood survival is no longer relevant. We need to re-evaluate manipulative and defensive behaviours, which were a part of our childhood survival tactics, and see that they do not produce unintended disservice to the adult in the driving seat.

How many of us, as children, welcomed illness because it was the only time that we got the attention which we needed? Indeed, how many would even have been listened to had we have plainly said that we wanted a rest or could not face the humiliation, failure or bullying at school? Would we not have been scolded and pushed off to school regardless? (This is only one of many random examples and does not mean that all children experience such things.)

How many of us bond with other adults on an illness/complaint basis? How many of us would know how to relate to someone else if we did not bring any ill health or negative conversation into the situation? Do we believe that we need an excuse to take care of ourselves or an excuse to refuse others in order to be valid? Is this really true? Or is it old perceptions of certain manipulating, controlling, denial or defensive behaviours which are broken with the penalty of guilt and punishment? We are not to be condemned for forming negative mental habit patterns. Children must survive in the environment into which they find themselves. Our magnificent coping mechanisms were for our protection and survival not condemnation.

The good news is that we do not have to live in them for ever. The 'rightness' we wanted from birth can still be ours for the taking. We cannot put the clock back and have a perfect childhood as there is no such thing (unless there is also perfect parenting in a perfect world). The past is a part of history, albeit individual, with which we all start out. The past belongs in the past. We can take hold of our 'today' and make it different if we assess where we have come from in order to change for the better. Our tomorrow will be made from what we have sown today. Spiritual and mental sowing is like physical sowing. You reap only what you sow. Any farmer knows that if he sows wheat he will not reap carrots or corn but only wheat. We also have to weed, water and wait (life is a process). All things sown start to grow right from the moment of planting, but growth is invisible for a while until the shoot breaks through the soil. A farmer has total faith that his crop will show. He does not lie awake at night worrying because he cannot see anything. Neither does he dig up his seed to see if it really is there because he only believes what he sees.

The only purpose for examining the past is to remove the blocks it causes in the present.

Note

(** By sickness I mean a state of toxicity which is not being cleared out. For instance, frequent colds do not necessarily mean sickness in that they are more than likely a detoxification mechanism and leave a person less toxic. A classic example of this is 'colds and flu' after excessive junk food intake over festival holidays. On the other hand some people appear well, are never 'sick' but one day have a heart attack or cancer etc. Heart attacks and cancer do not just land on healthy people. Such views are erroneous. Our presumptions about health and sickness are based on society-inherited common assumptions rather than the truth – see Pasteur and Bechamp article. Sickness can also be caused by, or manifested on, a spiritual and emotional level – see Spiritual Health and Emotional Trauma articles)

Continued in Part 2