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Hello!
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You know, some of these blogs get a little heavy, but they are not meant to be, nor are they meant to be believed; only to be looked at and considered.
Many years ago there was a Far Side cartoon of two bears eating berries, and one says to the other,
“You know, (looking at their teeth and claws), don’t you get the idea we are supposed to be eating something other than berries?”
When a person looks at this fellow man, and all the amazing things that people can do, and the magnificence of our planet and the world around us, don’t you think there is a lot more to it…, like maybe doing more than hating each other and destroying this wonderful place we all call home?
Perhaps we can do something better, and get much, much more out of the opportunity we have at this place and time.
This is the reason for eating well, thinking well, acting well, and simply being well. To play bigger and more rewarding games, rather than spending a lifetime breaking one’s back trying to get back to that day when we were legends in our own minds, or perhaps punting into the future hoping and praying that it will all be better somehow in the future.
And what of today?
Time spent grinding away trying to figure out how one is going to come up with a small fortune each month to fund the “machine” that only makes our lives miserable, and each of us unhappy.
No, I am not having a bad day! LOL!
But, how can one be truly healthy and well, if he is unhappy?
How can one look up and enjoy the sunny blue skies when his nose is forced to be smashed against the grindstone, or else?
Here are a couple of interesting terms or concepts to look at and think about:
- Self-determined
- Other-determined
Simply put, self-determined is where the individual himself decides how things are going to be, and what games he is going to play or not play. He is in control of himself and his own destiny as it were.
Other-determined is quite the opposite, and instead of the individual himself deciding how things are going to be, what games he will or won’t play, and controlling his own destiny…, something or someone OTHER than himself will make the determinations and decide for the individual…. and YES, this can be one’s own mind!
Where and when possible, which would you rather be?
Self–determined, or Other-determined?
Me, I would much rather think for myself and make my own decisions!
Obviously, this is not always possible.
When one decides to fly on an airplane, he is other-determined by the weather, the airline, and even the pilot flying the aircraft, but even in this situation, one can still be self-determined in how he conducts himself and controls his actions.
Even when someone else is in charge, a person can still be cool, if you know what I mean.
But consider this quote from Epictetus, an early Roman Stoic,
“If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it (that being you and your mind) disturbed and troubled- have you no shame in that?”
Wow, that’s a little heavy-handed, but look around…, it is not an untrue statement.
Look at the number of people who stare at their cell phones!
Epictetus must have had a time machine!
Think of the whole COVID thing, right?
I don’t care if you were with the Bride or the Groom, or which side of the aisle a person sat, but according to David Seaman, D.C. in a recent issue of The American Chiropractor,
“… because of the misinformation that was fed to the public (concerning COVID), it caused people to overestimate their chance of dying from COVID by 5000%….”
This was taken from The Franklin Templeton–Gallup Economics of Recovery Study.
As a result, scientists have coined the term, “COVID Stress Syndrome”, and Dr. Seaman reported that on the day he wrote his article for The American Chiropractor, a quick Google search found over 162 million results for “COVID Stress Syndrome”.
While the bug was one thing, it appears that the fear caused by misinformation might have had an even greater impact.
Basically, it is not the stress itself that has the potential of wiping us out, but rather if a person thinks the stress or the stressor can wipe him out! This would be a belief that a person was being other-determined.
Consider this, let’s say a person through study and activity decides to wake at 6 am, get a cup of coffee, and sit in the sunshine for a half hour each morning before getting after some light gardening is the magic formula for ensuring that they are up toned and productive for the rest of the day.
I can find many, many articles in the literature that shows each of these actions is amazing and very healthy for that person.
But do you realize that I could find probably just as many negative studies reporting that waking before 7 am, drinking coffee, and oh my goodness… SUNSHINE?!?!? What the heck are you thinking?!?!? These are all horrible for you!
At this point, most ask,
“Who are we supposed to believe?”
Don’t believe anyone, not even yourself! Use your knowingness and look! Through trial and error, through study and research and investigation think for yourself and determine what works best for you, and do that!
What’s true for you is true for you!
The proof is in the pudding. Does it work for you?
If so, then everyone can kiss your backside, as far as I’m concerned!
See this is another example of the difference between self-determinism and other-determinism. You decide.
Take charge of yourself and your destiny, and to heck with everyone else and all of their noise!
As usual, thank you for reading along.
Know that we at Paragon Chiropractic are here for you, and are more than willing to help you enjoy the company of that person you call you!
Take Care,
Dr. Dave
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