THE FINE LINE BETWEEN HEALTH AND SICKNESS
"The people think of wealth and power as the greatest fate,
But in this world, a spell of health is the best state."
These were the words of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to the foreign doctors visiting him. It may be one of the best descriptions ever made on the importance of health. What do you think about this almost half-a-century-old quote? We all want to be healthy, but what is the main cause of sickness? What should our state of mind be like in order to be truly healthy? Is stress the main cause of illnesses? Or is stress necessary for happiness? In this article, we will look for answers to these questions with you.
Is Stress Always Bad?
You've probably heard many things about stress. Nowadays, people see stress as the main culprit of all kinds of problems. Perhaps we are conditioned to think this way. However, as I have stated many times before, stress is not always bad.
There are different forms of stress. When we do not live in line with our values, when we are conditioned to think in certain ways, we experience a more intense kind of stress. This stress caused by thinking that we should live according to society's values and not our heart, that we should and shouldn't do certain things, create great discomfort in our system. And this manifests itself as sickness. All the illnesses we experience are a reflection of this stress in our bodies.
What Is the Main Cause of Sickness?
Stress causes many diseases, but it is also necessary to examine what causes stress. Diseases arise when we have unreal expectations and fantasies about the world. This originates from a divided consciousness.
"What's a divided consciousness?" I can hear you asking. This state of consciousness occurs when we place the values and truths of others, often authority figures that we consider superior, ahead of our own values and truths. This is how we begin thinking in terms of "I should do this, I should do that". And this occurs when we have a distorted consciousness, when we fall into the ego consciousness.
A Balanced Consciousness Brings Healing
Therefore, true healing can only occur in a state of balanced consciousness. Unless your consciousness reaches the point of balance, diseases do not go away, and you cannot find healing.
When we perceive other people as separate from us, we break away from the truth of "we" and fall into the reality of "I". Wellness begins with "we", whereas illness begins with an I.
Knowing your values and your life's purpose and releasing the meanings you attribute to human characteristics allow your consciousness to stay in balance and see the truth. And this opens the door to eternal healing and peace.
Stress Is Necessary At Times
The stress we feel when we are aligned with our values, for example, when realizing our life's purpose or moving forward with a clear vision, does not make us restless or sick. On the contrary, stress experienced in these situations is a healthy kind of stress. We are not affected negatively by the stress caused by experiences aligned with our values and the work we do with love. This kind of stress does not make us ill. For example, Olympic athletes can train more than anyone else and tackle immense stress because of the positive goals they have set for themselves. Another example of a healthy source of stress is when actors gain or lose great amounts of weight for their roles.
However, someone who has conditioned their own consciousness with the thoughts and truths of others gets overwhelmed with stress because they force themselves to do certain things. And this kind of stress can make someone seriously ill.
The Fine Line Between Health and Sickness
Let me wrap up my thoughts on stress and health. Stress is an inevitable part of life. If the stress we experience arises from doing things we love, things aligned with our being and values, that's great. However, stress caused by doing things not aligned with our values, things we only do because our consciousness is conditioned to think and behave a certain way, is bound to lead to serious problems. The fine line between sickness and health lies in this distinction.
Yes, dear readers, as Suleiman the Magnificent says, there is nothing in this world as valuable as a breath of health. The reason for the state of stress that disrupts our health is the mistakes that we make. So, how about we learn how to align ourselves with our values and take a step toward improving our health?
Until next time, stay healthy and happy.
