We need to remember our primitive human-ness

Today I read an article on the body storing fat . The article (mentioned on the front page of my website), mentions that our bodies, which are still based on primitive mechanisms, will store fat; if we don't exercise (or eat) on a regular basis, our bodies assume we will never eat again, and we will store our fat until its needed by the body for protection or energy sources. In essence, our bodies become like hibernating bears in winter, needing to protect themselves for survival later through the cold months.

Ever wonder why you get goofy when you haven't eaten (or have eaten badly)? Your body is trying to take sustenance from your tissues to fuel your brain, the "control center" of the body, to keep the rest of the body alive! The unfortunate thing is, that the body will give up muscle tissue first -- the very thing which your body needs to stay lean -- and your brain capacity is reduced so that the basic survival features of the brain (pumping the heart, etc) can receive prime attention. The stored fat will go untouched for a very long time. What's worse, the damage which can be inflicted to yourself (and even mental damage on others, if you have an emotional tirade or 'meltdown') can be a very long-lasting reminder of your unhealthful decisions.

This means that anyone who skips meals is actually INCREASING their fat storage, not reducing it. This is, again, a basic primitive physical survival mechanism.

Moving on in my thoughts about our primitive nature, I started thinking about our natural tendencies to over-think problems, or even get overly excited about difficulties. If I return to the idea that we are merely primitive humans who just have a few fascinating toys (like cars, computers, cell phones...), it's natural that our minds work overtime for our survival. Buddhists say that "Thoughts are not truth; they are merely thoughts"; but our minds create the 'concrete-ness' of these thoughts. I think it's a primitive mental survival mechanism from long ago: perceived dangers get our attention faster.

We want to feel safe, protected, nurtured, and satiated. While this can go overboard (ie: some people overeat to feel emotionally safer), this is essentially the basic premise of our human existance. By eating regularly and healthfully, we nurture our bodies without 'want'. By surrounding ourselves with loving and safe people, we don't explode into quivering nervous wrecks.

Explained in other words, if we live our lives from healthful situations, we don't have to play catch-up with 'want' or desire or unfulfillment. . . we have to learn to recognize situations of unhealth, if "dis-ease".

Examples:

- If someone eats junk food (or skips meals altogether), not only does the brain shut down from lack of nutrients, but the body shuts down and the mind also. Solution: learn to make wise choices of food, so the brain and body can work optimally - and the emotions can be stable.

- If someone is feeling uneasy because of a relationship, he/she is no longer feeling "safe"; this will leave the mind 'wanting' and become anxious and nervous. All sorts of imbalances in the mind (and anxiety in the body) can occur. Solution: learn to recognize the patterns of unhealthy relationships and learn to see clearly. This needs to be done in an atmostphere where we are not distracting ourselves with time-consuming addictions or 'hobbies', which take our minds away from solving the problems. Learn how to take steps to change or leave the situation.

This is very hard. We are not a culture where we have been trained to look at the root problems, and solve them concretely. We have therapists who "just listen" ('talk therapy'), so that we 'get it out', and that's supposed to be a solution. Or we are told to distract ourselves. Or, as a culture, we are told to just immerse ourselves in a hobby. And, we have so many marketing people pushing junk food on us, which chemically-excite our bodies so we can't hear its cries for real sustenance.

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam say to pray to God to solve our problems. Their teachings say that we cannot (and should not) solve any problems ourselves, and, in fact, by solving problems ourselves we will anger God. (I can point to audio teachings from clergy which say this). This creates a culture of people who are completely devoid of the simple techniques to SEE problems at all... they spend so much time ignoring all issues that they create even more problems, which escalate the situations to epidemic proportions! In my humble opinion, this is not any solution: this is part of the disease. This way of thinking prepetuates staying in stuck lives and harmful patterns, waiting, waiting, while meanwhile they go on hurting others and themselves!!

The only solution is facing our lives directly, assssing who we are and what we do. We need to notice how we do everything, so we can move forward 'in solution'. While the Buddhists say, "just accept; be gentle with yourself and just accept", I have a different thought: assess, and be value-ful and change what is wrong. This may take a while to peel away the layers of conditioned-living, and it takes patience. It also takes love and support from ourselves and those around us. It takes honesty. It takes acceptance. And it takes us always wanting to get to the BOTTOM of the problem, the very ROOT, and knowing that there is a better way of living life healthfully, inside the mind and inside the body.