I dedicate my diary article to my mother and every caretaker with a big heart, those whose sacrifices, goodwill, and compassion should always be remembered and valued. I don't know about you but most people I've known, including myself, would admit that they hate going to see their doctor. Most of us would prefer a life in which we can avoid hospitals and medical treatments altogether. Most certainly, we cannot deny that in the most general terms, illness is very upsetting. I, personally, get particularly upset when I hear of a little girl or a little boy that has died because of cancer. It is absolutely dreadful to think about the suffering that cancer has caused on Earth. When it comes to healthcare systems, one of my personal frustrations, from childhood fast-forwarding to now, always seemed to revolve around concepts such as "prevention" or "preventive care." The reason is because in many parts of the world these concepts seemed to allude to a more wishful thinking reality than a reality made up of actualizations via efforts. At times, "preventive care" seems like a myth. Think about how many doctors have you met in your lifetime who, when they sat down with you for a routine visit, they were genuinely concerned with whether you eat well, if or not you exercise, whether you have experienced any trauma physical or mental, etc. We have a massive problem today to face, one which isn't going to go away simply by coming up with more sophisticated new medications on the market because medications do not cure ignorance or indifference. They certainly do not cure the other problem we have either, a lack of education. We know that a good healthcare system alone isn't going to solve the problems known as disease or illness. A joint effort between an educated society and a caring healthcare system is needed, should we ever defeat major illnesses or diseases that seem to plague our society today. And when it comes to the food industry, it cannot play the "blind game" to the immense role quality of food plays in the fight against illness or disease.
For those of us who aren't medical staff, I know it would be easy to point the fingers at medical practitioners alone, when things go downhill, but realize most of them are doing simply the best they know how and can, or what they are told to do. I cannot point the fingers because that would be a fallacy on my part. In all reality, most doctors don't think it's their job to educate you and me about preventive cures. In many cases, that would be unethical since one cure doesn't work for everyone. In addition, they don't have that kind of time on their hands knowing how many patients they have to see in one single day. Not to mention, they know they don't know everything there is to know. They also cannot control the quality of food sold in your local grocery stores which you purchase and consume every week. They are not responsible or in control of rules and regulations imposed upon them; they, many times, just have to follow orders. In addition, they don't manage your schedule, stress levels, where you work, the health of your relationships, in a nutshell, whether you stay away from major stressors which wouldn't serve your health well, as that is your job. Most practitioners believe they are in business to treat illness. When we go to the doctor, it is automatically assumed that we go because something is off, because some unforeseen or unknown ailment is threatening our way of life. By the time we visit a doctor, we may already be ill. And illness is dreadful. Because humans are anatomically very complex, there is not a "one size fits all" fix for everyone; therefore, each human is a unique subject. However, I truly believe that if academia, healthcare systems, the food industry, as well as each one of us, joined powers and efforts, we probably would be able to cure a lot more disease than we know and we would have less illness infesting our world with suffering. And what a better world that would be. As passionate as I am about this topic, I want to shift to something that is equally important. Here it is. Food is life, thus, get to know your food before you eat it. This is something I love and enjoy because I know how important it has been for me and my life. To know your food, it is required you love your body. Aged, overweight, hairless, toothless, whatever... you must love your body in order to love yourself but food comes next.
Most culinary enthusiasts like myself have a natural curiosity when it comes to the nutritional value in food. We want to know what makes it what it is, before we explore preparing meals. The first question is, "what is it and is it good?" Keep in mind, I didn't say "it tastes good." I said "is it good," a fine distinction worth noticing. The truth is that most people learn what is potentially "good" for them based on what they read in magazines, see on TV, notice others do, or feel "their bodies tell them" post consuming food. But when you think of knowledge as accumulated knowledge, none of these, not even when combined, would suffice in order to make an informed decision about the foods which are best for you. We must read to get informed and we must read from various sources. I read because I want to know. And I want to know more because I want to be informed. Sometimes there is too much information to know and it can get confusing, I get that. But, knowledge is important. For example, did you know that you can make garlic tea by boiling your crushed garlic no longer than 3 minutes? But do you know why or if it's good for you? Or do you just take someone's opinion and go with it? And if you know it's good for you, why don't you consume it regularly? These are the questions you cannot answer unless you have curiosity and desire to do so. Then, you need to go educate yourself. And to educate yourself, that isn't enough either because "one size fits all" just isn't true. Thus, this is what makes healthy living very challenging. More and more people are opening their eyes, true, that a need for education is critical since health is a good that is invaluable. Health gives humans a hope that is far superior than any other. When we are ill, we are miserable. We want it to go away. Thus, we want to get rid of it. More people are interested now-a-day in knowing what they eat rather than for example just eating to satisfy cravings. It's all a really good start, but we have a long ways to go.
We have way more to learn about nutrition than we know of, but it doesn't end there. A healthcare system that cares to not just treat illness but try to prevent it when it can, is imperative. I care about this so deeply because, well, I have personal reasons. One of my reasons though not the only one, has to do with someone with whom I've been very close, someone who had worked in hospitals for a great part of her life as a nurse and medical assistant. Let's just say, I was greatly disappointed when I realized that she sacrificed most of her life taking care of ill men and women who couldn't be cured because the focus was on treating illness, in many cases not preventing it. The person, which I love and respect more than life itself is my mother Anica, a woman who spent most of her life taking care of others' loved ones. I honor her name and her life. In addition, if you are a nurse or caretaker today, I honor you, and I hope you are appreciated and respected for your work. We all know there are shitty nurses and caretakers out there too, sadly so, but those are not the majority. Here, I address soul filled people like my mother, those who provide(d) a major service to your community and society that is immeasurably rich in a value only attainable via serving those who cannot serve themselves. I cannot tell you how many thousands of hours my mother cared for the ill, I stood by her side many times observing her heart beating for other hearts while she ran around trying to help. In addition, I too cared for others' loved ones when I was a caregiver myself, thus, I know the laborious efforts you must exercise daily while being of aid showing compassion towards others in times of great need, pain, or suffering. As caretakers you were not trained to necessarily cure, for there are illnesses not even God will cure despite our desires. You were trained to try to help in a time of difficulty or suffering and you did it because of compassion and goodwill, with a good heart, and in the best manner you could out of love for humanity and what it means to be human. Caretakers, who pour your hearts out because of care, giving aid to someone ill via treatment that is humane, I love every one of you out there who is in it for the right reasons, for to care for another as if he/she was one of your own is one of the most honorable of efforts in human history. It is not ever YOUR fault that illness exists. This fault isn't your burden to carry on your heavy hearts. If any one person points the finger at you, know they speak from their own ignorance and lack of understanding. For one, it's far too complicated and complex to pin it down on you whose compassion, sleepless nights, and commitment to serve others led you to care for the ill better than others could ever do or have done. I don't blame you. I blame the lack of effort between academia-healthcare-food industries and the corruption that permeates these realms, putting our world's goodwill and power-for-good at risk. I don't blame you, I blame the manipulation of resources for the purpose of satisfying greed-filled agendas of those unlike you who don't care about humanity and the real causes of suffering on Earth. I don't blame you, I blame the evil which places lust of money above goodwill and humane effort to be good to one another at work, home, school, etc. Nurses, practitioners, medical assistants, and caretakers those who ARE in it for the right reasons, to help humanity in the best manner possible, it is you I thank. To the good women and men who gave a great part of their lives to the most difficult task there is, caring for others, I thank you and I honor you today.
In Greek mythology, Pandora was given a box by Zeus that she was forbidden to open. However, she opened it out of curiosity and released all the ills that befell humankind, leaving only hope. In the Bible, the Quran, and Torah, we have the story of Adam and Eve who ate from the forbidden tree and as a result suffering befell on Earth where they were separated from God. Whether you believe in any of this or not, hope is all we have in the end. We have legends, myths, poems, stories, etc., but hope is present in them all. I am certain that many doctors will tell you themselves that human anatomy is very complex, in fact it's so complex that it would require a healthcare team of dozens of specialists to treat one person, which implies great difficulty. This doesn't mean we should stop trying to cure illness. Many people in the medical field today, that is what they try to do every single day. But if we could prevent illness, entirely, this would be the ultimate ideal, optimal experience of human life wouldn't it? I said it previously and I will say it again. A joint effort between an educated society and a caring healthcare system is needed, should we ever defeat major illnesses or diseases that seem to plague our society today. And when it comes to the food industry, it cannot play the "blind game" to the immense role quality of food plays in the fight against illness or disease. Awareness is not enough. Education is not enough. Great nutrition is not enough. Exercise and great diet are not enough. It's all of these things combined, which make a great difference. Yet, no matter how aware, educated, healthy you may be, the challenge of illness and disease continues to be a battle between life and death. In the end, we all know where we are headed. However, that shouldn't defer any of us from trying to live the best quality of life we can meanwhile we walk on our beautiful planet, Earth.
Someone once asked me, What is the best food in your point of view? First, I ask myself, "did it grow in dirt?" and if the answer is "yes" well the odds are it's probably much better than canned food. The second question is, "how was the dirt cared for?" We all are aware that even dirt can be dangerous if toxins for example pollute the nutrients in soil. For those of you who eat meat, here are the questions that I ask myself about the animal. The first question is, "when the animal was alive was it happy roaming about free, playing in the dirt?" They were offspring once too, can you associate with how healthy and fun it was to play happily in the dirt? I used to love it as a kid. I used to "feed" my dolls moss thinking it was good for them, ha, ironic! The second question is, "what did it eat?" They need to eat well too, just like you do. Today, I encourage you to do the best you can every day to eat as natural and organic as possible. In addition, be grateful for every moment of life for it is more precious than gold, count your blessings multiple times, hug and kiss those you love often, and try to participate to the good on this beautiful planet we humans call home for a temporary time, meaning for only the time which we were destined to know. And if you are going to open the Pandora box, know there are consequences for every choice you make.
Be grateful, show care, and do good. Your soul will thank you later.
Written with love for you.
Carmen A. Cisnadean
Author. Artist. Poetess.