The World Peace Diet: Eating For Spiritual Health And Social Harmony

92 / the world peace diet
Our Body, Our Friend
When our intelligence is reduced, we use drugs to force our body as we
would force an innocent animal. For example, when our body in its wisdom
attempts to cleanse itself of the congestion and toxins introduced
to it through our diet, and generates a cold or fever to aid in this cleansing
process, we often ingest pharmaceuticals in order to try to suppress
the uncomfortable symptoms, thus derailing the natural healing process.
Intelligence would realize that our body is our most precious friend. It
works ceaselessly to maintain health and harmony and is our vehicle for
expression and experience in this world. What could be more valuable
and worthy of care and protection? It never works against us, but
always does its best with whatever it has to work with. It is a shame that
so many of these immeasurably valuable gifts from the loving source of
all life, beautiful expressions of spiritual creativity, are distracted and
harmed unnecessarily, saddled with heavy burdens that were never
intended or foreseen by nature, and tragically destroyed by ignorance,
fear, and a lack of caring. Radiant physical health is such a treasure; yet
how rare it is today, particularly among those of us who abuse animals
for food.
It’s actually quite obvious why heart disease and cancer “run in the
family.” Everyone in the family has their legs under the same dinner
table! 56 As children we not only eat like our family but also soak up our
inner attitudes from them. Unless we metaphorically leave home and
question our culture’s food mentality and the enslaving propaganda of
the meat-medical complex, we will find it difficult to discern our unique
mission and grow spiritually. Spiritual health, like physical and mental
health, urges us to take responsibility for our lives, and to dedicate ourselves
to a cause that is higher than our self-preoccupations.
By relying on the meat, dairy, egg, pharmaceutical, and medical
industries that have been unwilling to make the connections we’ve been
discussing, our culture has created the conditions for escalating disharmony
and bondage. Agribusiness is continually trying to produce more
for less through breeding, intensive confinement, and use of hormones,
antibiotics, drugs, and feed grains that are “enriched” with fish,
manure, and rendered animal by-products. The irony is this: by unnat-