Embracing Wholeness in the Face of Cancer – Part 3

It would be nice if we could avoid cancer by learning about it or studying and understanding it. However, that is not the way it seems to work.

Primal fear is unleashed . . .

One of peoples greatest fears – the boogie man of today if you will – is the fear of cancer. A primal fear is unleashed when you hear the words it’s cancer. If the words are directed at you or someone you love, it is even more intense.

But we don’t get to sidestep cancer by avoiding it . . .

We meet things daily that are known to cause cancer. In fact, they come at us from many fronts. But we don’t get to sidestep cancer by avoiding it. We are challenged:

If we are to understand and move beyond cancer, we must be willing to look cancer in the face and listen to its message.

In many ways cancer, is a disease of our times . . .

In many ways, cancer is disease of our times. We contribute to our collective risk for cancer every time exhaust fumes are released from our cars; when we refuse to purchase anything but the most perfect and unblemished produce, or when I insist on the convenience of single serving water plastic bottles and send it to the landfill as opposed to recycling it. By the same token, these are not our only environmental risks for cancer.

Environmental

It is estimated that more than 80% of cancer is environmentally influenced.

There are obvious occurrences like:

We also face many hidden lifestyle risks including the high fat diets that so many of us consume. It is nearly impossible to quantify the impact modern stress has on our bodies natural ability to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells in our bodies.

Acceptance . . . Courage . . . Wisdom . . .

What can I change . . .

There are some factors that we have control over, while others we do not. Like the Serenity Prayer says, we are well served when we can accept the things we cannot change. It is also helpful when we have the courage to change what we can. And wisdom lies in our being able to know the difference between the two.

Some of the things we can change include:

All these things are under our control. We can choose life giving influences while at the same time eliminate toxic ones.

Things I can’t change . . .

And then there are items beyond our conscious control, and they become the things I can’t change.

The things about me which I cannot change include:

For the most part, these things are not within our personal control. But they do represent our collective tolerance for toxicity in our world.

Our personal relationship to Mother Earth . . .

Becoming aware of our personal relationship with the ecology of Mother Earth is a reawakening. As a result, when more people engage our

movement is towards a critical mass of individuals committed to improving the quality of life on our planet.

As we engage, our standards for personal and environmental purity will transform. This transformation will help us understand cancer in a new light.

The messages cancer brings . . .

Looking at cancer in this way, seeks to help us interpret the messages cancer brings to us as individuals. Similarly, we are can ask what are the messages to us as a society?

This perspective naturally leads us to a series of questions if we are to move beyond the suffering that cancer can bring.

There are no easy answers to these hard questions. However, searching for the meaning of cancer is a worthy cause. The journey is filled with potential and the opportunity for unimaginable treasures.

My hope is that these questions cause you to look deeply within your mind, body and soul.  With this in mind, I hope your are further drawn to find your own answers to the challenge cancer brings.

In Episode 4, we will begin by looking at how a body functions when it is healthy. I hope you will join me as we continue with our series Embracing Wholeness in the Face of Cancer. I hope you’ll join me.

Embracing Wholeness in the Face of Cancer:

The Embracing Wholeness in the Face of Cancer series is based on the work of the late David Simon, M.D., former Medical Director, the Chopra Center for Well Being.

This series is similar to math in that, what we talk about this week builds on what we have talked about previously. If you have not seen Part 1: Life is a Paradox, I would invite you to follow the link below and watch the series in order.

If you are struggling, I show people how to apply these principles in their life, so they can take action in order to achieve their health, personal, professional and financial goals.

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