Life is a constant process of transformation. Life and Death exist side by side and battle for championship of the moment. Yet they are as one in the process of transformation. Life and Death are both transformations. Forms are constantly changing into other forms. Only the length of the cycles differ. Insects are formed and dissolve form in merely a day, whereas humans can retain a somewhat recognizably similar form for more than eight decades. Yet even that somewhat recognizably similar form undergoes extensive changes that serve vastly to disguise its identity to those not witnessing the progression of the changes.
Change is the essence of life. That which is called death is merely another process of life. The bodily form returns to the earth from which it came and from which the earth will fashion another form.
We live by changing the forms of living things so that we may incorporate them into ourselves. Our teeth crush and pulverize fruits, nuts and vegetables so that they may be swallowed and further broken down by enzymes in the stomach. When broken down far enough into a sufficiently liquid elemental form, the former plant life can be assimilated through the intestines into the bloodstream to be carried throughout the body to replenish the various forms of tissue and bones resident therein.
In order for a substance to be assimilated properly into the body, it needs to possess an ample amount of constituents that are of immediate use to the body. If not, it becomes a detriment to the body, either burdening it with excess or polluting it with toxins. Only those substances that can be most easily absorbed into the body for its immediate use can be called food. All else is poison, of either instant or delayed effect.
Not only the physical body but the entire being is affected by what is ingested. The mind and spirit respond to material food since the thinking and feeling processes are neurological in essence. However, they are also affected by the ideational food they ingest in the form of sensory stimuli, thoughts and beliefs entertained by the mind.
It is not what one eats but what one assimilates that is of consequence. The digestion process is essentially an extraction process where the non-nutritive fiber is separated from the nutritional liquids. The liquids are assimilated into or 'made similar to' the bodily tissues. If food is not chewed well enough, it will not break down sufficiently and will therefore pass through the body unused.
In like fashion, ideas that are 'swallowed whole' or believed without being put to the tests of contemplation, reflection, analysis and vigorous inquiry cannot become sufficiently incorporated into the mind and spirit. Thoughts and beliefs carried around with insufficient 'mental digestion' only serve to cause confusion and distress -- mental and spiritual indigestion or poisoning -- in the one who carries them.
It is good to be exposed to the wisdom of the ages frozen
on the pages of world religious scripture, writings of philosophers and
current ideas tossed about across the seemingly infinite number of forums
available today. But no idea is of any value to your being until it has
been rigorously and athletically pondered and tested against your currently
held values and experience. My advice is to choose the best material and
spiritual food you know. Chew it well and see if it nourishes you. If not,
find other, better food. You'll know it is better by experience. But don't
take my word for it. Try it yourself.
Bob Gonzalez is a freelance writer who also, with his family, manages Ansley's Natural Marketplaces in Tampa, FL. (813) 239-2700.