Embracing ‘wisdom’ offers us all endless possibilities

PRIME – January 2015 By Victor Acquista, MD Integral Health Specialist and Author of “Pathways to Health: An Integral Guidebook” Continuing in the same reflective state I wrote about in last month’s column, I would like to share some wisdom about health (visit www.primeontheweb.com/ primehealth/whycreatingadeepwe/ for the December article). Generally I focus on health in the context of physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, or communal aspects – I think of it as “Health Wise.” Today I want to focus on wise. I am mindful of the Latin root docere, which means “to teach.” The word “doctor” is derived from this Latin root. At a very fundamental level, a doctor is a teacher. In this capacity I can share with you some knowledge or experience or insight which educates or facilitates learning. What can I teach you about being wise? Defining ‘wisdom’ Let’s look at some definitions. “Wise,” as an adjective, means “having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right.” As a verb, “wise” is defined as “become alert to or aware of something.” Hopefully readers of this monthly column have gleaned some elements of these sorts of wisdom from what I have written previously. The sort of wisdom I write about today is not so much physical as metaphysical. This wisdom is the language of truth heard and spoken at the level of our souls. Human ‘wisdom’ In many places that I write, I include the expression, “Be all that you are…” To fully understand the message I am attempting to communicate in this simple expression, you need to understand a little about human capacities and potential. Our capacities are the things we are capable of doing. Michael Jordan is a fantastic athlete and as such his physical capacity for athletic performance and achievement far exceeds mine. Albert Einstein was a genius, with analytical and mental capacity well beyond the average person. All of us have different capacities when it comes to many different tasks or ways of expressing ourselves. Some of us are very good at drawing or painting or performing music. Some of us have great capacity to be effective communicators or leaders or organizers, etc. All of these capacities have limitations whether they are physical or cognitive or temporal. In the same way that an object has potential kinetic energy based upon its mass and elevation or there is embodied chemical energy in certain molecules and substances, human beings have certain limitations in the realm of time and space. Embracing the spirit But our human capacity at the level of spirit is limitless and unbounded. The potential here is unlimited because this aspect of our being is beyond time and space. A profound example of this was taught to me over and over during the 10 years I worked closely caring for adults with developmental disabilities. Many of these individuals had severe physical disabilities and all of them were intellectually disabled. Lesson one taught to me is the arbitrariness of this label. We all are physically and intellectually disabled, but some carry a label. Many of the adults I cared for interacted with the people and caregivers in ways that touched our souls. Some just experienced life filled with joy and the sharing of that experience reflected and mirrored their joy. Think of the innocence of youth and the suspension of worldly concerns and you touch upon how these adults lived and affected those around them. This capacity is something we all share. It is the light within us all that we often obscure or hold back expressing. Think of this as love. Our capacity to love is limitless. When we hear this wisdom, the truth of it resonates at the level of our soul. This is at the core of our beings, a divine essence. Feeding and nurturing this part of our humanity is essential to good health. Being physically and mentally/emotionally healthy is great. Having wonderful relationships and enjoying good health at the level of community is also great. But the full expression of our health, in a way that maximizes human potential, requires something more. It requires that we access, nurture and support our souls and express the unbounded and limitless spirit that lives within each and every one of us. We have a word for this – love. With courage and conviction, commit yourself to being more loving. Your health and the health of all you interact with will benefit. Be all that you are… Happy and Healthy New Year. – Victor Victor Acquista MD, international speaker, author, teacher. For information on his writings, presentations, and workshops: http://victoracquista.com/