(From Handbook For Humans)
Natural processes evolved over countless eons of time. As such, they possess an innate wisdom that can be trusted. And in general, the older the process the more it can be trusted.
That’s a primary difference between the body and the mind. The rational mind is a much more recent development than the body. It’s like the new kid on the block, all sizzle and dazzle. And indeed, the mind has great powers which can be harnessed to our benefit. Nevertheless, it lacks the profound wisdom of the body because it doesn’t have the maturity of the body. The thinking mind hasn’t been around as long, it isn’t as close to nature as the body is.
One time I paid a lot of money that I really couldn’t afford to fly to a distant city and attend a two-week seminar. I left a failing business, but believed that the seminar might help; however, it proved to be unsuitable for that purpose, at least for me at that time. Then I wanted to leave, but felt that too much money and effort were already invested. Besides, maybe the seminar would get better.
What to do? Each day brought more indecision, more tension in my stomach and shoulders.
On the 5th day I woke up and wrote down my thoughts about staying and going. My mind gave me a number of good reasons for going, plus a number of equally good reasons for staying. I tried to sense my intuition, but couldn’t seem to access it. A feeling of utter confusion enveloped me.
Then I had the presence of mind to ask my body if it would speak to me about the situation. I tore off a large new sheet and prepared to write its reply at length.
On the sheet one huge word formed: GO.
In that moment I made the decision to go and suddenly knew that I was doing the right thing. The tension in my stomach and shoulders disappeared. Harmony was restored.
The body always knows what to do to restore harmony because that is precisely its business. That is what it does all day long. I learned on that day that the body can be trusted. It doesn’t prevaricate; it’s not clever. Though the body is inconceivably complex, it expresses itself in a natural, organic simplicity. The body doesn’t lie or sit on the fence.
As mentioned before, the body is so much wiser than the mind because it’s so much older. It’s been evolving for hundreds of millions of years longer than the mind. It has a flowingness about it, a balance. It’s natural.
The mind, on the other hand, is a very beautiful child, but still young. It’s still trying out its new powers: It can argue anything, take any side, justify anything. That’s why it’s said that the mind makes a wonderful servant, but a poor master—because it’s smart, but not wise. It doesn’t have the body’s deep simplicity and wisdom.
Have you ever been in a situation you thought you liked, but your body felt rather uneasy? Have you ever liked somone instantly? Have you ever wanted to do something, but felt no energy towards it? The mind can get lost in its justifications and splitting of hairs, but the body has a simple, direct, and straightforward quality about it. Concerning any subject or situation at all, the body quickly knows whether it’s “in-harmony” or “out-of-harmony.”
Nature in general has a simple and organic wisdom that we do well to try to get in tune with. The days are gone when we fancied that we could use technology to lord it over nature. In areas from personal health to the ecology of the planet, we’re finding out that we must let go of our arrogance and allow ourselves to learn from nature and align ourselves with its profound wisdom. To the extent we do, we go towards greater life. To the extent we don’t, we swoon towards death.
This principle, like the others, applies in all dimensions. In this chapter let’s explore its application to our personal body—our “inner” body:
© 1997 by James Sloman
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