| Article
Touch Me and Understand What Happiness Is
by Bernie Siegel, MD
Forgive me if in this column I simply share
with you some of the things that fascinate me and teach me about myself and
life. I was reading about the problem thinking is. Our thoughts and ability to
think are what separate us from each other and the true nature of life. When we
think we know the truth we become closed minded and very unscientific. A true
scientist has no fixed beliefs and so can experiment in the hopes of learning
the truth. We need to truly be open and
gain insights into the nature of life so that we can participate fully in the
healthiest way. I know our ability to think offers us options but sadly too
often the options we choose are destructive ones rather than unifying and
healing ones. As we look at our common genome we will see how much we have in
common and how we share the same ancestry. What do we need to pay more attention
to then thoughts? How do we become rational, sensible human beings?
The song Touch Me from Cats gives us a clue. How
do animals think and communicate without words? Not to mention their miraculous
physical accomplishments that we cannot come close to. Can you make a spider
web? Do you know why it is so strong and adhesive? How do slugs and snails
create lubricants that allow them to slide over razor blades without being cut?
A lot better than a quart of oil does in our car. I could go on but I think you
get the point. They have wisdom and can
be taught language but they know that symbols and feelings are more important
then thoughts. When we think we become irrational. ‘Think’ how often your
thoughts have gotten you into trouble. The times you knew what your mate,
friend, boss, coworker, relative etc. was thinking only to learn you were wrong
and what ensued because of your mistaken beliefs.
What do I recommend? What the song tells us and
what I always finish my articles with. Keep in touch. Touch is about feelings
and feelings can’t be wrong. They are simply feelings. How we react to them may
be a problem because when we start thinking about our feelings and why we are
feeling the way we are and who is responsible etc. we are back in trouble. You
are responsible for your feelings. No one else makes you feel what you do. You
have choices and options but most of us would rather blame someone else for our
problems then empower ourselves and take responsibility for our feelings and
move on. If you want to take charge of
your life and live in the moment then accept your feelings as your creation and
let them guide you. You will find that living that way gives you a different
sense of time because you will change the way you live when you live in your
body and not your head. Do we need to think at times? Yes, when we are
evaluating experiments, options and choices that our feelings open us up to but
my response is that when you are making decisions let your feelings be your
guide. Your choice in difficult times is
to change your attitude or your life. When you do you will no longer feel badly
about whatever it was that had been bothering you. Even your pain will be
something that you learn from and meaningful pain is always controllable. I only
ask that you give it a try and see how your life works out when feelings become
more significant than thoughts. I know that for some that will be difficult.
Jung classified four types thinking, feeling, sensing and intuitive. However, we
are all capable of being aware of our bodies no matter what personality type we
are. So feel and touch and live fully.
One word of caution from a lesson I just learned. I was feeling a bit depressed,
lacking in motivation, experiencing headaches and was wondering what was wrong
in my life that had me feeling this way. Hey, that’s my thing to evaluate and
learn from my problems. Well I came up with some ideas but that didn’t change
anything. Then I noticed a sensitive spot
on my anterior thigh enlarge and become purple in color. I thought I must have
bumped against something but when it enlarged further and I continued to feel
poorly I went to a doctor friend because I was getting suspicious about the
diagnosis. Sure enough I had Lyme Disease and one days worth of antibiotics had
all my symptoms and feelings reversing themselves. I now feel better and realize
that there are times that physical problems can lead to feelings that make us
aware of an illness or affliction. My
word of advice is to pay attention to all your feelings and evaluate them. Don’t
think you know all the answers. There is a wisdom of the body that exceeds the
wisdom of the mind. Like our animal friends the intuitive wisdom comes more from
our feelings and their communication then our thoughts.
If you don’t think your thoughts and feelings
transmit intention to others and are felt and known by others you have a lot to
learn. A friend and animal intuitive in California was able to locate our lost
cat in Connecticut by getting into her feelings, thoughts and the sights she was
seeing but that is another long story that has helped change my relationship and
ability to communicate with living things how I feel about them. It has helped
me get along much better with our chickens, cats, dogs and rabbits. If I keep at
it I’ll soon be able to do the same thing with my wife, children and their
families. |
