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| Dancing in the Breeze, Oil on Canvas |
With so much to talk about and share form the world around
us, it is kind of stupid to talk about oneself. But then some have wondered
about my diverse interests that range from esoteric spiritualism to potty
jokes, a strange mix indeed but I do not find it at all strange because where
God is Love, Truth and Simplicity he is also humor.
Nevertheless, to talk much of oneself is to be egocentric,
however because I shall include in this post a case study of the more useful
topic – Natural versus Allopathic Medicine – it has some justification and it
would also address the curiosity of some readers as to the strange combination
of spirituality and potty jokes; with science thrown in for good measure. I try
to keep science and technology out of my blogs but because that is my
profession it tends to creep in too, every once in a while.
I trace my spirituality to past lives. I know there are
persons, especially those raised in the Christian tradition that reject the
concept but I do not. One of them asked me; will the carbon, hydrogen atoms
etc. of my body recombine for reincarnation after I die? I did not attempt to
answer him because it is worthless to debate these questions beyond a point, when
clearly his mind was already made up. Had he asked a sincere question I would
have patiently explained that it is not his body that shall reincarnate but his
soul and that is not made up of carbon etc. and it shall remain intact even
when he dies, in fact if he was such a good Christian he may as
well believe that because otherwise there will be nothing to place in heaven
for an eternal life that he surely deserves.
Therefore, I place my spiritual interests to a past life
because of memories of debating advanced questions such as the infinity of
the universe in my mind even at the age of five and involving myself in eastern
spiritual practices, albeit in a childish way around the same age. Others in
the family made fun of that and gave me a nickname of Pundit (priest) at that
age so that soon the practices were given up,
at least those visible to others.
During high school there was the question of choosing a
career and since I was good at mathematics, engineering was chosen and that
became my profession, that and education, because the studies went on until a
doctoral level.
During teenage years it was found that at times I suffer
from severe hay fever. Therefore, the doctors prescribed things like phenargan,
avil etc. with sprays to clear the nose. There would be temporary relief with
drowsiness etc. to accompany and the condition would return. As I grew older an exploration of a natural cure began and this was as a result of my original
spiritual interests. One of the side effects of interests in spirituality is
that one depends on God and Nature more than on just one aspect of nature – man
and his science. Therefore an inclination for natural cures was there and soon
I discovered what works for me so that hay fever is past history now. I have
shared the knowledge of this and other sicknesses encountered by me, with others to
their benefit in my journey through life.
Being from an army family with connections to the British,
there was a practice in the family to consume a small alcoholic drink at
moments of stress, sickness or depression. Therefore in late life when I went
through a traumatic phase due to serious problems and tragedies in family that
resulted in depression, I took to the bottle. Since the problem was not a brief
one, the drink became regular to the point that I became addicted to it and it
began to cause problems in other areas of life besides health issues, severe
goof ups and even some financial loss. However, as soon as I realized that the
drink had become a problem, the bottle was discarded for good (it was seven years
ago). In the meantime the problems that had led to the initial traumas and
depression had resolved with time, muddling through and in the main help from the Lord. My spiritual learning
helped me to give up the addiction very quickly and easily on my own but
another person facing this problem can give it up too with just a bit of outside help.
This brings me to a comparison with a close relative,
mentioned earlier in this blog once (name and relationship withheld). At a
young age, soon after graduation, she was obliged to spend some time with
quarrelsome, uncaring and hysterical relatives. Being a sensitive young girl she was so
traumatized that she entered into ceaseless crying and sobbing that persisted for
more than a day. Her mother, busy elsewhere, was urgently called, who out of
nervousness took her and admitted her to a care facility. Here the poor young
thing was put on a dose of anti-depressants and other more serious drugs for an
extended period.
I learned of the problem much later. Had this girl been in
my care I would have just treated her to my own natural care of a glass of hot
milk laced with brandy or a glass of wine followed by life in a green resort if
required and sunshine and lots of love and nice food or if she declined that, to
a mild allopathic dose of calmpose. I am certain that the problem would have
gone in days, if not weeks. Even if months were required it would have been OK
because this poor young lady has been dependant on her drugs for years. She
finds that they cannot be given up without severe seizures. As a side effect
she is unable to work or lead a normal life.
Early on during the episode with this young girl, that was
around six months after she first got on to medicines, I had the opportunity to
talk to her, her family and her doctor and together we managed to wean her off
her the drugs successfully, so that she soon bounced back and found a bright well paying job.
However I am not the guardian of this girl and could not keep a watch on her
forever, although I did request strongly for her to be brought under my care but that was declined. I also lost contact with her soon after. It seems that sometime later the hysterical
relatives returned and the mother took her to a care facility again. Last year
I met this girl, now a grown up woman, and asked her if she was considering
getting off her medicines again. She responded that she was not because if she
does it, the condition returns and she has to get back to the medicines. I then
talked to her sister who is now a medical doctor and she said that it is hard
enough to manage this girl even on medicines and therefore they just have to
keep them on. In the meantime the side effects continue and one can only pray
for this woman who was once a sweet gentle child with the promise of a joyous
life ahead of her. It is now confined to a tiny apartment lacking sunshine, fresh air or a balcony to step out to in a crowded, polluted and noisy part of India. The lady has neither the strength nor the energy to clean it. Last I visited this hovel some eight or nine years ago, I changed the months old bedding, got some curtains arranged for her widow, and got her water heater fixed so that she could take a bath in winter and arranged for some clean drinking water for her. The lady does not lack finances. She is the owner of hugely expensive property, but she has no capacity left to make use it for her own good due to the debilitating affects of her drugs. This author as an outside person neither can nor is permitted to interfere beyond a point, moreover he lives in another city.
Now comparing the two cases of trauma mentioned here, mine
and this girl’s – I had taken a natural medicine- alcohol. It is a natural
thing formed by natural fermentation of sugars and starches - whereas the lady had taken on a
chemical drug. Both controlled the condition, both had undesirable side effects
and both were addictive.
However, when it came to giving up my medicine,
the bottle went into the trash can. There was hardly any side effect to boot and
fortunately no damage to the liver (I had not consumed the drink long enough
for that) and within a matter of days I was back to a normal and productive
life. So I daresay it is my medicine that I shall recommend if I find a
relative in similar trauma again rather than the one from the care facility.
Returning to where we started this blog post – with a life
as diverse as mine – would you wonder if my interests are as varied as esoteric
spirituality to potty jokes? Earlier this morning on a discussion on yoga when
someone mentioned chakras, I responded with two answers to explain my
disinterest in them and as to how it appeared to be just a simple model of a complex issue and that I had no interest in it etc. Of my two answers one was a detailed spiritual and scientific answer, the other was a potty joke –
I told him that one would hate to see gears go up one's xxxx
---spine :)
