Chapter 15
A Path with Heart
Creating a Life Worth Living
The dream of our times seems to be that scientific progress will eventually deliver everything we want at the touch of a button on a remote control. We put a premium on the ease delivered by modern conveniences, endless choices of passive entertainment, and health care that does not require any effort on our parts. Scientific evidence, though, indicates that making an effort may be one of the real keys to improved health, since individuals who are most involved in life are the healthiest and longest lived.
Common sense might agree that there are health benefits to be gained from seeking purpose and creative self-expression, but common sense often speaks too quietly to be heard over the din of the television, the ringing of the cell phone, the cacophony of the mall, and the pessimism of the news. Caught up in the pursuit of comfort or status, many of us don’t stop to consider the path we’re on until our health is threatened by the lack of a heartfelt connection to life, such as when facing a terminal diagnosis, a devastating illness, or the limitations of chronic symptoms.
The seventh principle of the unifying field theory of health, the drive for value fulfillment, indicates that we have an innate inclination to live a meaningful life. Woodrow Wilson summed up this idea when he said, "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand."
In order to live a life of personally meaningful self-expression, you may have to confront not only the fear of being yourself, but also the belief that what is required is something more than you have to offer. Also blocking the way to full participation in life are many negative assumptions disguised as purely rational assessments of reality. Two of the most common are the belief that life is meaningless and the conviction that trying to make a difference is futile. Such attitudes can lead to health-diminishing pessimism, inaction, and depression.
The demands of daily living provide plenty of excuses for avoiding a genuine connection with life. Working excessively can be an effective barrier to confronting your fear of pursuing your dreams. Or you may be over-involved in the lives of loved ones or your children, or stay close home because you believe it’s unsafe to go out into the world. Self-imposed obstacles to an active and meaningful participation in life can lead to using health problems as a safe form of creative self-expression, with online social connections that revolve around communities of fellow sufferers.
The natural drive for the fullest possible self-expression is one reason why you experience renewed vitality when you develop intimate social ties, seek challenges that stimulate growth, commit yourself to helping others, or pursue passionate interests. A meaningful existence also distracts you from an unhealthy preoccupation with yourself that frequently leads to focusing, with inevitable bad results, on transient physical symptoms as harbingers of dreaded diseases. Exploring the technology of consciousness can help you create a more meaningful life by freeing yourself from limiting and unconstructive beliefs. This path leads in a direction that not only promotes superior well-being and a lively longevity, but also enriches your life in every way.