"The World was Made to be Free In"
It is no Measure of Health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society
- J. Krishnamurti
It is no small thing to realize the meaning of the quote above from Krishnamurti. It is a profound shift to even see that society is NOT organized to benefit our health, happiness nor wellbeing but rather it serves certain structures that are in place to maintain power, wealth, etc… It thrives on convincing us that life- the way it is now- is normal, the natural order, and inevitable - and if you aren’t succeeding or aren’t happy, then it’s your problem. That’s the whole philosophy of marketing and advertising: You’re lacking something - so BUY THIS! And so, we have devised many band-aids to cover up the symptoms of something not being right for us:
we’re listless and bored - there’s endless distraction and entertainment we can buy
we’re not feeling alive or happy - there’s medication, drugs, alcohol that will take care of that
We’re out of shape or in pain - we’ve invented gyms, workout routines you should be doing, and products you should be using
we’re malnourished - take supplements.
we’re struggling financially and feeling without purpose - just work harder
Maybe these bandaids are keeping us from looking at the cause of our dysphoria, our discontent. Maybe the solution lies deeper in the structures of how we’re living.
If we can first see that the set-up of society may itself be sick, I think that’s a profound first step toward finding true solutions?
But what then?
I’m writing at the time of social distancing during the Corona Virus epidemic, and like many, I’m finding myself at home, without my regular work schedule, and at first I started to scramble to recreate my usual schedule with even extra appointments and classes online. The process of that felt overwhelming and brought up lots of anxiety.
Then I remembered a line from a poem by David Whyte: “The world was made to be free in…”
I asked myself if I was frantically recreating and trying to fit into a structure that wasn’t really working for my overall wellbeing in the first place.
This is the opportunity given at a time when normal routines are upended:
You can choose to work really hard to make things go back to normal, or you can ask if maybe something new needs to be created.
The notion of creating a whole new society seems farfetched and daunting. That is, until you take a closer look at the small actions you can do.
I look back over the years and can think of little notions and hunches which changed the course of my life:
I stopped drinking soda after learning how bad sugar (including artificial sugar) was for me and bit by bit, I found alternatives like seltzer, kombucha, and teas, and after a while, I never craved soda again.
I found it hard to reconcile what I knew about the meat industry and the hunch that my health was being affected, along with my continued consumption of meat. So, gradually I cut out red meat, then poultry, then fish, then eggs until I reached my present vegan state (ok. I still have a bit of cheese now and then… it’s a progression). Now, I feel much more at peace with my eating habits.
After several tries at different types of shoes, I discovered that being barefoot made me feel free and my foot, knee, back and neck aches largely went away.
Feeling disenchanted and unmotivated by normal exercise routines, I discovered Mov Nat and the notion that getting into nature and practicing natural movement skills while playing like a kid was all that I really needed to feel motivated and excited again.
Then, through my education with the Nutritious Movement Institute, I learned how society is set up to “cast” our bodies into less movement with our shoes, chairs, desks, flat and level floors and sidewalks, etc. It was a relief to learn that the ailments and shape of our bodies is not all our fault, but a by-product of the way we’re conditioned to live. It is also empowering to learn that we can take responsibility for changing our own habits and therefore the health and shape of our bodies. So, bit by bit, I’m learning to change my environment to make my body more mobile and free.
As I look back, I see that each shift has moved me away from the norm of our culture - which makes it seem strange and difficult. However, each shift has been incremental and that is what made the change possible. The consistent feeling through each change has felt, to me, like a return to nature or at least a return toward something more natural for me. This return to nature is not always an easy change, but working towards it carries another feeling - peace. Another synonym for peace might be “knowing”. A knowing that this is right for me- this is my nature. This makes me feel free.
So, I suppose I’m attempting to return to that now when looking at what lies ahead for work, schedules, and projects….
How do I create something new? By following the small hunches that are leading me back to my nature and towards feeling free. I hope what I create will help you realign with your true nature as well.
Now, although I think some of the things I teach are good for everyone’s health, I certainly don’t pretend to know exactly what your true nature is. But I’m sure, as Martha Beck says, “it tastes like freedom”.
If you’re wondering what’s right for you, I leave you with an excerpt from “Sweet Darkness”:
You must learn one thing:
the world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
-David Whyte
To Hear David Whyte recite his poem on Krista Tippet’s On Being click below: