If you are receiving this newsletter then you have already visited my web site and asked to be on this mailing list. Thank you for subscribing. It has been several months since my last mailing and I hope that I haven’t lost your interest. Since it has been so long, I will make a brief overview of this project.

My site was initially developed to share some ideas from my book: Why Alternative Medicine and Why Now? A Primer on Holistic Medicine. I wrote this book about two years ago after studying for an exam to be certified by the American Board of Holistic Medicine as a holistic physician. I found that I had again learned many things that were not politically acceptable. It was not easy to incorporate the things I learned in my daily practice without going against the standard of care. As a result I was frustrated because I was stuck in the old model. I work in a busy urgent care center where I avoid most controversial areas by treating cuts and sprains and urgent medical conditions like asthma attacks and heart attacks. Although I found a niche where I can work, I do believe that most disease is preventable and that our current medical model is outdated. Sure we have great technology, in fact I had a major surgery on my neck last spring to relieve pressure from my spinal cord. But, on the other hand, with a slight change of priorities, most disease would be preventable. Insights in this are were the inspiration for my book. why when we seem to be at the peak of technology in medical practice would people turn to ancient medical practices for answers. This would seem to imply, that in spite of all the pomp and glory of modern medicine; something is missing.

A large economy has developed around health care. One has to wonder why there is resistance to ideas that might prevent disease. If everyone were healthy then a large part of the economy would be out of business. Paradoxically, disease helps the economy stay healthy. There is another area that shares the same paradox. War makes the economy more healthy than does peace. The corollary to this premise is that health and peace are bad for the economy. Unfortunately, given this reality, if a healthy economy is our priority then war and disease are desirable. Is this sick logic our current reality?

My book explores the foundation of disease; from out tendency to choose competition over cooperation. This choice has caused us to see duality n everything. As I wrote the book I noticed an analogy between health and peace; both of which have been elusive. I also noticed an analogy between the source of war and of disease, as both seem to result from a social decision to glamorize competition and discourage cooperation. This preference may have served an essential purpose early in our history because in a barbarian time of warring tribes it had better survival outcomes. My contention is that as a barbarian society becomes civilized then the need for competition should decrease as cooperation becomes dominant and is glamorized as the preferred method of problem resolution. Judging by our actions, our leaders are still barbarians who believe that might is right. We may have talked about civilizations but we have yet to become a civilized world.

We are now at a transition point in history when we again have an opportunity to influence whether our future will remain barbarian or we will finally accept our destiny to become a civilized world.

Actually, this may not be as hard as it sounds. It might be as simple as changing our perception of reality from one of competition to one of cooperation. The sticking point is that if we eliminate war and disease then we will have to foster new sources for the economic foundation of our society. Optimal Health and Enduring Peace are attainable with a minor change in our social attitude. In a civilized society, cooperation is essential to survival. There may be great resistance to the change needed because those who are the masters of our barbarian present are reluctant to relinquish the control they have. The fact is that strong central control will lead to our downfall. We must release our fear and embrace the cooperation that will free us from our barbarian past once and for all and usher in a new age where we become civilized for the first time. In this scenario, dialogue will lead to peace, justice and individual liberty that only the preference of cooperation over competition can bring.

I do feel that this is an important message. My book sets the foundation but I wish I had time to write more. The website makes these ideas available around the world but the difficulty is in letting people know about these resources. Also, unless there is some interest, it’s hard to justify the time needed to advance this project. By the way: I am referring to it as the Becoming Whole Again Project. If you like what you see then consider spreading the word by sharing this newsletter with your friends or making purchases from the website.

The symbol above is my logo and it incorporates both the western and eastern symbols for unity. The biblical lion laying with the lamb and the Chinese yin/yang symbol both show the importance of cooperation. Superimposed, this illustrates that global effort at cooperation is the only way to optimal health and enduring peace. Products with this logo can be purchased from my website. Although I have not made recent changes at my site, there is a lot of information there. Please visit again and tell your friends.

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  © The Becoming Whole Again Project  - Crete, Illinois 2002

                                                Contact through my other website:  www.HolisticGovernment.com