Balance & Survival
The survival of both society and the individual depend in part upon the creation of balanced yet stimulating environments characterized by preventive health care, positive, optimistic thinking, manageable stress, and cooperative but effective endeavor.
“In fact there are times when I believe that our feelings about illness and our visions of the future may be the determining factor in whether we sucumb or survive.” Dr. Robert Rountree, MD
“The ultimate purpose of a global immune system is to identify what is not life affirming and to contain, neutralize, or eliminate it.” – Paul Hawken
Societal
The Image of the Future
Fred L. Polak
“Is man at présent a self-willed being who créâtes his own future; or is he a time-bound créature clinging desperately to today for fear of what tomorrow may bring? Fred Polak believes the latter and explains his theory by comparing the major upheavals in our history when man truly created images of the future – the Enlightenment, the Renaissance, the first Industrial Révolution – with today’s indiffèrent pattern.
The author insists upon the primacy of man’s créative ability for imaging the future, which shapes the dynamics of the historical process. He explicitly discusses the future of Western Civilization and emphasizes the importance of imaging in determining its development.
As a result intellectual modeling and spiritual-intuition should reach beyond current modes of cognition to synthesize immanence and transcendence, man and the supernatural.
During the last décade Fred Polak’s ideas hâve helped to trigger off a prolifération of théories, books, societies and institutions ail dedicated to the study of the future, and his ideas are all the more invigorating for their timeliness, especially now that man has entered space.” – From the dust jacket of the 1973 Edition of “The Image of the Future”
Fred Polak’s theories that societies with a positive, activist vision of the future prosper and those with a pessimistic, apathetic vision fail are a keynote of social entreprenurship.
(see .pdf version of “The Image of the Future” below
Individual
Immunotics,
Robert Rountree, M.D. and Carol Colman
The coauthors of this book urge individuals to take proactive steps toward better physical and mental health by combining proper nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplements, a positive attitude, and an ‘immune friendly environment.’
The authors describe the power of the human immune system, which needs to be reinforced by nutrititious food, anitoxidants, optimism and a safe environment. They offer a four-part Immunotics Program: Pharmacy, supplements to bolster immune function and treat disease; Food, nutritious selection of ‘superfoods’ that can strengthen the body’s resistance on a daily basis; Mind, harnassing the power of the mind for faster healing and optimal health; Environment, simple changes in everyday habits to minimize the risk of getting sick, even in the workplace
Factors of modern life, such as poor nutritional habits and exposure to toxic substances (and people and situations! – ed. note), cause our bodies to be deprived, even starved, of these compounds, say the authors, who propose a complete program to ensure the best functioning of the immune system.The 30 supplements they discuss range from aloe vera, “the herbal immunotic for GI problems,” to the less familiar western larch, “good for colds, ear infections, and flu.” The authors recommend a diet high in fruits, vegetables and soy. They make alternative suggestions for people with special immunotic needs: those who work in a high-risk or high-stress environment; the aging; those recovering from surgery; travelers; and people with a family history of cancer. Finally, they stress the importance of maintaining a positive mental attitude, especially for patients who are fighting chronic illnesses.
Avoiding and Changing Narcissistic Cultures
Narcissists have no real empathy with their fellows. Yet they can often be charming and accomodating, especially to those of superior rank. Thus they fit wonderfully well into “command/ control” bureaucracies-one hand saluting those above, one foot on the neck of those below. It is very important both for the health of the individual and and society to recognize and avoid individuals and organizations where this culture is paramount. “Well” organizations are open, cellular, cluster focused, and alive. “Crisis management” organizations are closed, stepped, hierarchical, and information and power are restricted. True leadership will change the culture of such organizations when possible. To do so I recommend the implementation of the following:
create a culture of “listening” to the staff, the governance board, and the clients, to uplift morale and make all feel more appreciated;
create focus groups with staff, board and clients on their skills, contacts, and ideas that will create feelings of empowerment as well as possibly generate new ideas and resources.
Real Food
Nina Planck
“As Planck reveals, in her compellingly smart Real Food: What to Eat and Why, much of what we have learned about nutrition in the past generation or so is either misinformed or dead wrong, and almost all of the food invented in the last century, and especially since the Second World War, is worse than almost all of the food that we’ve been eating since we developed agriculture. The only sensible path for eating, the one that maintains and even improves health, the one that maintains stable weight and avoids obesity, happens to be the one that we all crave: not modern food, but traditional food, and not industrial food, but real food.” Publishers Weekly
What are industrial foods? In the triple epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, the three main villains are trans fats, corn oil, and sugar – not butter and eggs. (Refined carbohydrates are also trouble.)