Written by Ronya Banks – Some people I know who are proponents of the “I create EVERYTHING in my life with my mind” mind-set, take this mind over matter as it relates to their physical bodies beyond the realm of reason. They believe that if they can think positively enough, the natural laws of the physical realm do not apply to them.
An example: a Facebook friend’s post said: “ If you’re not happy and at peace, you have beliefs that don’t serve you. What do you think?” I replied with this comment: “Great inquiry. One’s basic human needs for food, water, and shelter need to be satisfied as a foundation first, before addressing one’s beliefs, since a hungry or thirsty person is less likely to be happy….”.
He responded to my comment: “The belief that hunger inevitably must affect happiness is an example of a belief that doesn’t serve”. I did not respond to his statement. He is obviously a perfect example of this mindset I described above. I would like him to go a week without food, water, and shelter to see what his levels of happiness and peace are, then?
Come on folks! The laws of nature still apply to those of us in a physical body. Ask a homeless, starving child on the streets in a third world country if he or she is happy, and how do you think he or she will respond? Our basic physical needs for oxygen, water, food, and shelter have to be met to sustain life, before we can even think about being happy. I call this, the “If I have a mind, my body does not matter” mindset.
Another example: I was once close to a man who ingested huge amounts of sugar, several times each day. When I asked him if he was worried about developing diabetes or having other adverse physical problems as a result of his abuse of sweets, he told me that “because he willed it so with his mind, he would never get fat, nor would this excess sugar intake ever adversely affect his health in any way”. Really? Positive thinking can only help the body perform more optimally – It does NOT block the total effects of unhealthy living! The last I heard was that this fellow was dealing with some major health problems the past few years.
You will notice that people who live unhealthy lifestyles typically have an “I knew a woman or man who lived over 90 years old who smoked, or drank, or ate like crap their whole life” story. It is highly unlikely that we have all inherited such rare genetic tendencies. Many people take better care of their vehicles than they do their physical bodies!!!
I certainly do not wish ill-health on people, but engaging regularly in unhealthy habits, no matter how positive your thinking is, greatly reduces your chances of having good, sustained physical health. Not to mention that it is harder to sustain a happy mind if it’s delusional about how it is abusing its host body!
The most obvious scenario for facilitating one’s destiny to naturally unfold through the “Flow” is to honor, respect, take great care of, and treat your physical body like the precious vehicle it is!
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Ronya Banks is the founder of and lead Mindfulness Meditation teacher at the Asheville Insight Meditation Community in Asheville (ashevillemeditation.com). As a veteran of nearly 30 years of intensive daily meditation practice, Ronya has been exploring the seen and unseen worlds to the point that these distinctions have fallen away and melded into one unifying realm – a realm she calls the “Flow.”
Ms. Banks leads mindfulness trainings for individuals and groups, including businesses (see mindfulnessremedy.comfor more information). She also offers her services to the world as a spiritual guide, business consultant, and energy healer.
