Dear VCC Community, This week we did a soft launch of our two new initiatives - Raising Nature’s Child and Fearless Immunity Education. We were privileged to have Dr. Chris Shaw and Dr. Larry Palevsky provide a high level overview of why we need a new paradigm of health. Dr. Palevsky made a number of statements that struck a deep chord with me. He said: “You don’t build a healthy child by stopping them from getting sick.” and “Febrile illnesses, without suppression, cause a developmental growth spurt.” His
message was that by depriving our children from experiencing illness, we are depriving our children from development. An interesting idea that changes how we look at childhood illnesses, or any adversity for that matter. Then, as fate would have it, I felt compelled to pull the book - Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil from my bookshelf. The author, Paul Levy, writes about the phenomenon of evil which he calls ‘wetiko’, a Cree word. Levy’s position, not unlike Dr. Palevsky’s, is that by overcoming evil, we develop the higher qualities that we need to evolve. He writes: “The existence of wetiko requires us to strengthen our muscle of discernment” and “cultivate impeccability within
ourselves.” “Wetiko demands that we step into our power and become resistant to its oppression such that we discover how to step out of bondage and become free.” He suggests that evil is the greatest catalytic force of evolution.
These ideas resonate with my own experience as a psychotherapist. I came to the conclusion that ‘suffering is the gateway to wisdom’. I witnessed over and over again how individuals would develop strength and wisdom through the experience of confronting adversity. While there is a dark and destructive side to the evil that is prevalent on the planet today, I also see the potential for
humanity’s awakening. Each day I see beautiful examples of wisdom, courage, creativity and leadership that developed through our struggles. Levy concludes - “There is a psychospiritual disease that has the potential either to destroy our species or to wake us up, depending on whether or not we recognize what it is revealing to us.” Let’s use the adversity we face today to become even wiser and more powerful. Ted |
