Environment vs. Attitude

Springtime may be beautiful and deeply refreshing, but for many people it is also dreaded allergy season. Allergies have been on the rise in the last few years, and in many ways they remain quite mysterious and not completely understood. Some people never experience one single allergy in their lifetime, while others suffer for years and sometimes seem to react to every particle that enters their body. 

The most interesting thing about allergies to me is that it is not the substance that we react to that matters - the allergen is never the actual cause. Rather, it is always something deeper - an underlying imbalance, weakness, issue that is causing us to react to various substances, whatever those substances may be. This also reminds me of germ theory and Louis Pasteur's quote that "the microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything" - a quote that went directly against his life's work regarding how germs are the active agents that cause disease. And yet here we are, munching on antibiotics, washing our hands with antibacterial soap, and sterilizing every surface in our house. 

So what does this mean? We live in a complex environment that is exhibiting increasing levels of toxins, superbugs, Frankenfoods, pollutants, and soul-crushing concrete. Every illness we have, every allergic reaction, every bad feeling, every incident of experiencing stress can be easily blamed on some kind of external factor - the allergen, the germ, the rainy weather, the broken computer, the busy traffic. The interesting thing is not how many things there are to complain about, but how inconsequential they become in comparison to ourselves and our choices as to how to respond. 

How we feel, what we think, how we view the world, our paradigms, attitudes, beliefs - everything that lives INSIDE us - are the things that determine our life experience - including whether the germ passes us by on its merry way or attacks us with the strength of a cow. 

I'm not saying that we can defeat our allergies using positive thinking; however, I think they are a fascinating example of how we continue to blame external things as the causes of all our problems, when there is always a deeper underlying issue to be addressed. This issue is always within ourselves, whether it is incomplete digestion or the inability to embrace the present moment. 

One technique that is always helpful is to stop dwelling on how toxic and scary our world and our health appear to be, and to feel grateful for anything and everything. Our environment and our lives are full of infinite beauty and magic, and it is up to us to rediscover the wonder and joy that is always there in every single moment!