When it comes to the earth, health, and other matters, there is this pervasive perspective, parasitic in nature, I see so often in my practice and the world around us. In our culture, a compromised state of being has become ubiquitous, only to be exacerbated by the belief that one can only benefit at the expense of the other. It is sketched deeply into our psyche at both the individual and collective level, in patterns like comparison and competition, essentially buying into a lack of wholeness and connection, thinking fear based thoughts like ‘in order to succeed the other must fail’.

In our environment and healthcare system, we see people who believe that toxic pesticides are the only way to get rid of weeds, although they deprive our soil of nutrients and certain creatures of life. We see people who believe that the only medicinal substances that work are the ones that come with a prescription and harsh side effects, although they have the potential to cause devastating damage, and we have the research to back alternative, safe and effective methods.

In essence, we buy into what we are sold until we wake up and opt out, and we start to opt out when we find out the truth, when we realize that there is in fact another way. When we finally see things differently, we are then able to trade in this parasitic perspective for one of mutualism.

Upon this awakening of sorts, we realize that we can implement systems that are able to sustain the health of our planet and our people as we all work together to benefit each other. This concept becomes real in practices such as organic and biodynamic farming as well as in Functional and Chinese medicine, where we take a holistic approach as we benefit the whole. Some people may look at this as idealistic, however it’s already happening in many ways, shapes and forms, and it’s exciting to see and be a part of.

To buy into a parasitic perspective is like seeing life in 2D, and as human beings, intelligent and creative, we have the ability for far more. We have the ability to come up with solutions rather than perpetuating what is already broken, throwing fuel onto the fire. As human beings, it is of the utmost importance that we open our eyes and start to see life in this new and empowering way. As we change our perspective, we start to change our choices, which starts to change the world around us, bringing us into a changed way of life, a changed culture and eventually a changed generation that will be able to let go of what does not work and improve upon what does.

I think we can all agree that now more than ever before, it is important to be a free thinker as we crave solutions, connection, and wholeness.