By Dr. Paul Mach, DN

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking,
 so that other people around you won’t feel insecure.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It’s not in some of us.
It’s in everyone.
And as we let our light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
(Nelson Mandela-Taken from Mariann Williamson)

Hope you enjoyed the quote. This has been one of my favorites for the past year. I must confess I enjoy philosophy, quotes and things that make me go hmmmmm. The first time I saw this quote was on the casket of a very close and amazing friend. She was 41 years old and had battled for two years with cancer. It was one of those knock down and dragged out fights. It won, or did it? We all are born to die. In Stephen Levine’s book “One Year To Live”, it discusses that whether you have been diagnosed with one year to live; or you think you will be around another 10, 20, or 50; it’s not until we accept and embrace our temporary humanity that we give ourselves full expressive permission to LIVE. The awesome thing is that once we realize our time is temporary here on this earthly plane, the sooner we can get down to an excited, energized, enlightened and passionate loving means of existence. In interviews of centurions their regrets of things they missed out on life are that they didn’t get the education they wanted, wish they would have taken more risks, and had slowed down to have enjoyed life’s simple gifts more.  

I have been very fortunate to meet so many people here in town who have been able to teach me so much. This education incorporates both our innate intelligence and learning, and the many years of knowing the land and watching the United States change and evolve over the last century. Here is how the scenario goes. We are having a conversation/consultation about one of several health conditions that repetitively plague our country. I start to suggest some basics such as drinking more water or to increase consumption of organic fruits and vegetables and before I know what hit me I am getting a full blown education from a patient or someone at the farmers’ market on topics that I have only read and studied about. The knowledge of the land and it’s bounty and workings are something that a city boy like me only learns about from books and second hand experience.  

People possess such a great deal of knowledge and information regarding diet and nutrition. It is called instinct. The sad part is it’s just been forgotten or has been reconditioned by the monster conglomerates who have their bottom line held in highest regard, at our expense. It is hard to think sanely or rationally, or follow instincts, when businesses spend billions to recondition our thinking to purchase their product. This is done manipulatively be girls in bikinis and muscular males (sex sells everything from toothpaste to beer) to talking spud dogs and cool camels. Blatant lies tell us if we utilize their product we will be happy and fulfilled. We will be sexy and irresistible with the opposite sex. In fact they will be chasing after us. Unique because you deserve a break today; yet accepted and part of the group, you know you’ve come a long way baby; and feel as free as a cowboy out on the range in his country. Advertisers even tell us how to spell relief- “ROL…” We become victims of mental manipulation and Pavlovian conditioning. Humans seek love and acceptance. We want to be happy and have our worldly fears dissipated. The best and shrewdest marketers capitalize on these fears and desires. Our intelligence often goes out the window when we see the girls in bikinis, the happy faces and house parties, and the laughing clowns selling us on aspects completely incongruent with their product. They become the panacea that we need to evolve and make our life fulfilled and complete. Like zombies we all reach for these products that the TV teaches and promises us will bring us pleasure, alleviating all our self image concerns, fears and pains. We all know that peace, love and healthy people and families can’t measure up to the appropriate toilet tissue, value meal, or drinking the appropriate beer or cola. This is ultimately what life is about.  

Children are perfect examples of this manipulation. If you take a young healthy child who hasn’t been marketed to and conditioned, but is allowed to use his innate God given reasoning instead of Madison Avenues brainwashing they would reach for foods that would nourish their bodies and allow them to grow healthy and strong. Fruit would be a natural snack to a child, but a playground and a sales-clown is too much for the little tykes to resist. This conditioning then makes the positive life long association between pleasure-playground and the low nutritional content “food” that is served there to correlate as “warm fuzzies”. Do you really want to raise your child on foods your intelligence tells you, you shouldn’t even eat? Heck when the children try to feed it to the dog you stop them reprimanding that this food will make Fido sick. What about Junior? Does this “food” grow healthy young bodies? Obviously not. Obesity is rampant among children along with a multitude of health conditions like diabetes, asthma, ADD and behavior disorders.  

People often don’t think. Advertisers and the government love this. It makes sales and control easy. Realize all that you know and put the pieces together.  I want you to know that you are powerful beyond measure. No individual can afford to yield passively to all the appeals of a society of salesman and advertisers. Utilize the magnificent thought process you possess and think outside the box.  

Do you know the sources of your food? Eat simple. Organic or the best and healthiest local grown produce and meats are best. Go to the Farmers’ Markets. What about all those big words and chemicals that are in the ice cream you eat and the corn chips that you munch. Do you realize what those chemicals, preservatives and stabilizers really are? It is amazing how foods and grocery stores have evolved while deevolutionizing nutritional content. Your assignment between now and my next article is to view the foods you see in the grocery store and consume on a daily basis and to think about how we have altered our food consumption, diet and lifestyle in America over the last 100 years. Has it all been for the best? And what the heck is that stuff your putting in your mouth? Is it nutritious or better utilized for rust removal and taking corrosion off your car battery? What is the purpose of food consumption anyway? As an animal are you feeding yourself better than your dog or would you be upset if someone fed Fido the food that you ate, fearing for his health? And by the way is there any nutrition in that food or have you just been conditioned to eat it without giving it a second thought? Do you even really like the way it tastes or have you become a creature of habit and instinct? THINK it will scare the heck out of others. In fact be so bold as to THINK OUT OF THE BOX. Don’t be afraid to “be all you can be”. “JUST DO IT!” “Life is a game play hard.”