Definitive Health Advice

Balance - Addictions - Making Love

by Dr Patrick Quanten MD & Acharya Mo Quanten

Living a Life of Balance is the order of the day. We are urged to live in harmony with Nature, in harmony with ourselves, and not only spiritual arguments but now even Western science is proving the point of this vital piece of advice. Illness occurs when there is a prolonged imbalance in the way we live, the way we handle Life. Health, on the other hand, is achieved through constant vigilance regarding everything that may cause imbalances in our lives, especially if they happen to accumulate or our exposure be extended in time.

How can we be vigilant? How do we know when we are out of balance?

Balance in Life means that one is not affected greatly by outside or inside influences. We show how much we are affected through our behaviour and our attitudes. Raising your voice can show anger, worry and concern; maybe you feel cornered and making a lot of noise may frighten the perceived aggressor. A lump in the throat can express frustration and inhibition in not feeling confident enough to speak your mind. Heartburn can indicate a suppressed burning desire. A painful knee or hip can make it difficult for you to take the next step in Life. Any feeling of tension or stress can indicate a major resistance. But it is not only these so called negative emotions which can show us an imbalance; elation, extreme happiness, abundance of joy, the positive emotions can also be directed towards changeable objects like money, status, achievements. These feelings are then bound to turn into disappointments, attachments and be turned around into negativity. Being happy, joyful and contented does not rely on anything that will make you happy; it depends on one's permanent state of happiness, which of course is a perfectly balanced way of living.

Be aware of any if not all signs of the ups and down's, and view them as your barometer of balance.

Why do we get affected by almost everything that surrounds us in a way that can harm our health? The answer lies in Addictions.

Our lives have been molded into routines that help us to get through the common everyday stuff. These routines provide an automatic pilot system for Life. Don't think, don't observe, by all means don't question your actions, thoughts, feelings; just do. This un-awareness of Life - slavishly following set patterns of behaviour, blankly applying sets of values - leads us to having forgotten what it is we are doing and what we are doing it for. We have become addicted to the routine. And just like a drug or alcohol addict constantly looks for justification in the outside world, so do we to explain the reasons for our conduct, words or emotions.

How do we know we have become addicted, and it is not just a convenient routine we are using? Any habit that causes one physical, psychological or emotional pain when changed, is an addiction. So, any time you are confronted by a change and you observe a change in your body or brain function, you can be sure that you are watching an addiction being exposed. If it doesn't matter to you which shop you buy your groceries from, then it doesn't affect you that this one is closed. If it makes no difference to you what job you do, then it matters not that you have just been sacked. If it doesn't matter to you what you do in the evening, then it makes no difference that the electricity has been cut and all television programs are being broadcast without you being able to watch them or tape them. We can be addicted to anything; to health programs, to religion, to material gain, to being happy, to family, to work, to inactivity — an endless list.

Why is it so important to face our personal addictions? The short answer is that they all affect our life in a negative way. For people without a particular addiction it is easy to discuss the health benefits of not having that addiction. We all like to point out why drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, taking illegal drugs is so bad for one's health, however the real reason for their detrimental influence is much simpler and more universal, it is the same for all addictions no matter what the subject of your addiction is. And this reason is that an addiction stops you from questioning what is really going on; it does not allow one to be fully and constantly aware in one's Life. Not having this awareness leads you into darkness; it doesn't allow you to fully appreciate the constantly changing tide of Life's ocean; it keeps you locked into non-changeable routines which then no longer fit the reality, but which you are unable to question.

Addictions cause imbalances.

How can we not be affected deeply by our surroundings and all the happenings in Life?

It isn't that we should not be affected by it all; it is more that we should learn to incorporate an acceptance within our Lives. Instead of being hero's, knowing the answers, a bit of vulnerability would serve us well; being as vulnerable as when Making Love.

When truly making Love, we put ourselves into a very vulnerable position. Not only do we open ourselves completely physically, but we also put our emotions on the line. We trust the other with every bit of our existence and it is this trust and openness that results in a complete one-ness. If we remove the context of pure Love, we can experience the extreme pain, violation and devastation which accompanies the shell of "Making Love". If the union is not achieved due to the lack of reciprocal input, we witness the pain, embarrassment and anger. If emotions are not reciprocated we are left feeling frustrated, angry and being used. But Making Love is also Life-giving; and what is more, it is the only nourishing environment that can sustain Life.

If we want to live, we need to be as open, as vulnerable, as giving, as free, as non-attached, as totally focused on the other(s) as when Making Love. Only the continual awareness of the other's needs will provide us with a changeable road to never ending happiness. As during Making Love, the rewards for being totally open, totally committed, and totally focused are indescribable, and manifest as never failing health, eternal Life.

We do not need to justify ourselves or our actions; we don't do, we just are. We are what the moment wants us to be, just as when Making Love. We will change with the moment. We have no desires for ourselves; we only live to serve. In return we achieve Balance, Life without Addictions, and we live in a permanent state of Making Love to the Universe.

Now, go and be.

Patrick Quanten MD
Acharya Mo Quanten

February 2001