Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I Wanna Catch Somethin'

A co-worker of mine got a flu shot yesterday. Being that she has asthma, I don't blame her. She said she's gonna make her husband get one as well since she doesn't want to catch something from him. Poor guy. I've noted before that I don't get the flu shot, that I prefer to take my chances and see what it gets me. I've been very fortunate in that (as I've also noted) I rarely get sick. I recently heard it said that getting sick encourages one to look inward, to be reflective, to temporarily be free of the daily business of life. If that's the case, then I'm really missing the boat. Anyone got any viruses you can send me that might help me grow spiritually? Cuz if getting sick helps one learn to overcome, I ain't learnin' shit.

I actually believe that all illness is self-created (at some level). Here's a quote from my favorite book in regards to this:

"Now let's understand what you probably already know: all illness is self-created. Even conventional medical doctors are now seeing how people make themselves sick.
Most people do so quite unconsciously. (They don't even know what they're doing.) So when they get sick, they don't know what hit them. It feels as though something has befallen them, rather than that they did something to themselves.
This occurs because most people move through life—not simply health issues and consequences—unconsciously.
People smoke and wonder why they get cancer.
People ingest animals and fat and wonder why they get blocked arteries.
People stay angry all their lives and wonder why they get heart attacks.
People compete with other people—mercilessly and under incredible stress—and wonder why they have strokes.
The not-so-obvious truth is that most people worry themselves to death.
Worry is just about the worst form of mental activity there is—next to hate, which is deeply self destructive.


Worry is pointless. It is wasted mental energy. It also creates bio-chemical reactions which harm the body, producing everything from indigestion to coronary arrest, and multitude of things in between.
Health will improve almost at once when worrying ends."

8 comments:

Dave said...

I can honestly say I never worry about a thing. I also consider it wasted energy because the act of worrying will not change the outcome of what you worry over. Maybe if worrying helped in anyway I might be a fan of it but it doesn't solve a thing. It is totally pointless...

Maybe it is worrying that I think like this :-\

Randy said...

I never got the flu shot in the past. Then about 10 years ago, I got the flu. For 2 days, I lay on the couch and took Tylenol and ate soup. Fever edged on and off. There was a Clint Eastwood marathon on TV, I went to sleep with him on a desert as a cowboy and woke up with him as Dirty Harry.

Since then, I get the flu shot every year. My employer provides it for free, so it's no cost vs. being sick for 2 (or more) days. Easy decision.

Rocketstar said...

Here here hombre. I'd be happy to spend some time with her.

Stress truly does kill, just slowly.

Unknown said...

I've never gone for a flu shot, no guarantee that it'll prevent flu, however, it can reduce the severity of illness. besides maybe after 10/15 yrs, they'll say it causes liver or lung cancer, that's how the medical science work.....you never know!
there's hellluva lot of good stuff to perk up my spirituality, I'll forgo sickness, thanx.....lol
anyway as for worry, it's human nature! innit? and sometimes it duz help. little worry for a just cause, can be productive. chronic or toxic worry is bad!
dave: I think thoughts about not being worried is a kind of worry......:)

Timothy Smith said...

"all illness is self-created."

You are a fan of Double Dare right Tom?

I double dare you to walk into a pediatric medical ward and tell parents of terminally ill children your theories.

Tell the doctors present the same thing.

Its one thing to say that worrying is the cause of many illnesses (which is true), but doctors not catching up with your favorite author (or god for that matter) is BS, doctors are well aware of what stress can do. In fact most people know that excessive stress and worry can create just about every single symptom of major disease and drastically shorten life spans.

Yes, someone that admits they never have been ill (at the very old age of what? 38? lol) can go on and on about how they would never worry about being sick or even that they will never will get sick because they don't worry but I just see some people that have yet to experience the pain and tragedy that has visited others. You get hit with possible terminal cancer and you can say what you want, you will worry. And yes....its possible you will get sick. Some of it is pure genetics, i.e. NOTHING you did.

People DO get sick for reasons that have NOTHING to do with worrying Tom and if its terminal and they worry about what will happen to their children when they are gone thats NORMAL. If they worry about what kind of pain is in store for them thats NORMAL. In fact ask a professional sometime. I know you said before you would not worry at all about your wife going through excruciating pain and death but I don't buy it. But if its true it only means you are a sociopath, not enlightened.

You can alter base emotions and responses but you can not eliminate them. Just the way it is.

Thomas said...

Dave, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that you don't worry (thought you might have more of an inclination to do so). Cheers!

Randy, if one day I get as wiped out as you did, I'm sure I'll start getting the shot. For now, I feel like a bit of a risk-taker, kinda like someone who doesn't have health insurance. Wait, I don't have health insurance! Obama's not gonna be happy with me. Better get it quick.

Rocket, hope your sick days grow much less frequent as you enter your 40's.

Narkissos, it probably is human nature to worry, to obsess over things. We're brought up to think if we don't get this or that, we're in danger, but virtually all of these fears never come to be and if they do, they're typically not as bad as we thought. Good to hear that some of those quotes lifted your spirits.

Tim, that is quite the dare (though not much different than what Christians do by leaving tracts in the toilets).

If I were to encounter people whose children were going through such hardship, I would say that they should do all they can to ensure that their children get well, but to keep in mind that tremendous growth can be found in such circumstances.

If the child is able to make it through, imagine how much closer the family would be than if they hadn't encountered any travails.

They should know that no matter what happens to their loved ones, they'll always have a connection and that they'll get to see other again.

Also, that much more is going on than can be observed on a strictly human scale; that though it might not be obvious, there are greater forces at work and one day the meaning of all will be revealed.

In the meantime, love this very moment because that's all any of us ever has.

Randy said...

I have two (conflicting thoughts) after re-reading this and reading the comments.

First, worrying is good. I'm convinced it works. Half the stuff I worry about doesn't come true, so worrying must have prevented it. (LOL).

Second regarding your comment about the kids who are terminally ill. You said you'd tell the parents "tremendous growth can be found in such circumstances."

I sincerely hope you NEVER say such a thing. If you do, let me know so I can talk to the parents afterwards. Having been in a similar situation as these parents, this will come across as VERY insensitive. The best thing you can say to someone like this, is nothing. These people need to be listened to, not told that things will be better because of this.

And this goes out to Christians who tell people "God will not give you more than you can handle" or similar statements. Until you've been through something like this, you have no idea.

But I think you started on a lighter note and didn't intend to take this too seriously.

Dave said...

Thomas, let me clarify... I can moan and complain with the best of them but as for worrying, like I said, it's pointless!