With Malice towards Darwin, Drugs & Diabolical Discourses

With Malice towards Darwin, Drugs & Diabolical Discourses

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

I have discovered a new secret, and as usual, I am keen on sharing it with you! Now you may get disinterested and bored (cruel ahh both at the same time) and say that "Oh…another brilliant addition to the so-called ephemeral yet perpetual weekly soap opera of "One Life-Changing Idea a Week" is Live! And behold! This is not the only letdown to you because, for starters, I do not begin with a story to keep you hooked. Now that is a real letdown – isn't it? Not getting spoiled more for your choices! What if that is my precise aim?

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I recently watched a 2016 documentary on the human microbiome. I was awestruck by the inspiring, informative, and eye-opening ideas discussed. Sadly, it has not even crossed 5500 views in the last six years compared to over 35 crore views of the song 'Kacha Badam' and its likes. The documentary raises many critical questions about the increasing distance and disconnection between human beings and mother nature. The film provides a fresh perspective on modern healthcare, science, and the environment, acknowledging the significant links between people, the food we eat, the soil that generates that food, and the natural world, including the mysterious, unseen realm of the human microbiome. Through interviews with stakeholders who have experienced healing, the documentary leads us on a journey of self-discovery as it reveals how we are interconnected with everything around us. The documentary captures a holistic view of the subject through good explanative interviews from every side, such as those involved with genetically modified and organic produce.

"Our most problematic dualism is not life fearing death but a fragile sense of self dreading its groundlessness. By accepting and yielding to that groundlessness, I can discover that I have always been grounded in Indra's Net, not as a self-enclosed being but as one manifestation of a web of relationships which encompasses everything." ― David R. Loy.
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The documentary begins with a brief prologue on the metaphor of 'Net of Indira' (Sanskrit 'Indrajala'). The Hindu and Buddhist philosophy metaphors explain the ideas of 'Sunyata' (emptiness), 'pratityasamutpada' (dependent origination), and interpenetration. The 'Atharva Veda' has the metaphor's first recorded use. The 'Mahayana' school advanced it in the 'Avatamsaka Sutra' of the third century, and the 'Huayan' school did so during the sixth and eighth centuries. The metaphor explains the interdependencies between every node of the ecosystem and how changing a single node may have widespread ramifications. The metaphor effectively conveys the nature of the complex relationship between every element of the ecosystem. The documentary further emphasises the rise of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, morbid obesity, and diabetes. The rising incidence of these diseases raises an essential question about our lifestyle, such as whether these diseases would be there if humans lived in their natural setting. In children, conditions such as type 2 diabetes have increased by over tenfold, especially in developed countries. The phenomena signify the altered nature of our immune system, which is behaving unnaturally and sometimes attacking our body tissues, which they are supposed to protect. Medical science has advanced to protect us against infectious diseases, but it also must deal with the rising incidences of chronic disease. The prolonged use of antibiotics to control infectious diseases has also harmed the complex system of bacteria in the human body.

"It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change." ― Leon C. Megginson
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On the contrary, the parts interact with each other and other natural systems at large, far beyond our simplistic understanding of a system. The popularity of Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest and a simplistic understanding of the complex system in which we exist makes us more vulnerable to rising incidences of chronic diseases. These assumptions, together, have led to linear thinking about health and wellness instead of appreciating the complexity and highly networked system in which we coexist. Fortunately, there is a growing recognition of dietary intervention's positive role in preventing and curing diseases. An epidemic of diabetes and nutrition-related problems is sweeping the developed world, impacting people's health span and lifespan primarily caused by an imbalanced diet.

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The natives in America are worst affected by diseases, and a researcher pursued the reasons for it. He analysed Hawaiians' historical data and lifestyle by studying their past photographs and drawings and found some fantastic insights. He discovered that Hawaiians were slim and fit way back in 1778 but had different dietary components. Number one, they had no sugar, a western intervention, in their diet in its current chemical form. They substituted the sugar with some native food supplements. There was not much meat or fat in the food back then, and whatever was there had significantly less fat and chemical per cent. Over the years, one may look at the sprouting fast-food restaurants—increasing emphasis on three meals a day, chicken, poultry, and dairy as healthy options. There lies the central problem: The healthiest way has always been nature's way of symbiotic coexistence for millions of years since our evolution. Rising fat and chemical components in the animals we consume today compared to earlier provide a clear impetus towards shifting to plant-based dietary options. An example is the US, where the obesity epidemic is increasingly getting more chronic each day.

“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.” ~ Carl Jung
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Today kids have diseases previously thought to be the realm of old age. Diseases like Asthma, diabetes, and blood pressure is being detected in kids. Fortunately, new evidence suggests that uncurable diseases (such as cancer, hypertension, and diabetes) have been cured with the help of targeted dietary interventions. Possibly, the natural elixir emanates from a highly complex, three-tier interaction between biological systems. The interaction of the human physical system with the food system, the food system with the soil system, and the soil system with the natural system. Now, look at the magnitude of the complexity where three complex systems circularly interact with each other. This phenomenon throws up unfathomable possibilities which our way beyond human comprehension.

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Another significant change many countries have embraced is genetically modified seeds which offer gains in productivity and protection against certain kinds of losses. Indiscriminate use of broad-range plant chemicals eliminates both harmful and good microbes. They are the precise replica of what we call antibiotics for human beings. These plant chemicals inhibit various complex interactions between the microbes and the soil system, creating further imbalances in the chain. Even the farmers no longer grow their food but procure it from retail stores. The paradox lies in the economics of scale, the pace of commercialisation, the introduction of exotic plant varieties, changing food preferences and the complexities involved in growing multiple crops, fruits, and vegetables.

There is one common flow, one common breathing. All things are in sympathy.” - Hippocrates
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Further, the oil consumption per person has increased significantly to an extent where current commercial production systems have become unsustainable. Still, both private and public investments have only funded commercial research. Fortunately, despite such drastic funding limitations, organic farming is increasing slowly but steadily on its own, contributing to the shift towards organic food products. If the trend continues, it can become biological insurance, which may replace the need for mainstream health insurance and social security measures. There is a growing need for society to recognise the role of a farmer as a 'community healer' than a 'community feeder'. Recently, a Canadian scientist was caught on camera defending a broad-spectrum glyphosate-based herbicide produced initially by Monsanto, which Bayer acquired in 2018. Interestingly, the scientist refused to drink it when he was offered to prove his claim. On the contrary, naturalists are more than happy to drink biotic compounds used on the soil to prove their claim.

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Natural farming is all about using biological systems to grow food and feed. It does not demand the addition of nutrients and chemicals from our side. Recent research published in the famous journal nature corroborates the significance of using natural farming. The study claims that people without certain good microbes are proclivity toward catching diseases like diabetes and obesity. The ecosystem comprises humans and other microbes. Together, human cells constitute ten per cent of total cell volume compared to ninety per cent of microbe cells. This phenomenon makes the interaction very complex between humans and microbes. There is an increasing admission that we have very little understanding of the human microbiome, which comprises human and microbial cells with complex interactions. Hence, any dietary changes or adding artificial nutrients or drugs to our body alters the existing balance. Studies on mice suggest that good microbes from slim people may be used to treat obesity, completely eradicating the need for chemical drugs. New shreds of evidence suggest a critical link between the microbes and the function of the human brain.

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Furthermore, increasing incidences of c-suction coupled with the reduction in breastfeeding stop the transfer of genetic material to the next generation. Imagine a complex interaction pattern within the human microbiome where each microbe interacts with others to complete specific tasks. The microbial DNA may be an essential part of our genetic makeup as much as our DNA. This may be noticed in children's behaviour, where they remain immune to consuming soil or other external microbes without getting sick. Our body is not a remote system, as we continuously interact with trillions of microbes in everyday life. Hence, the interaction or transfer of microbes from our body to our immediate environment is a non-stop dynamic process which has evolved over millions of years. It suggests that altering these interactions may have a chain reaction within the human microbiome and lead to the unsustainability of our very existence.

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It is high time that we rise as a society to embrace these ideas and create new ideals which buttress our coexistence with nature in a sustainable fashion. By blindly following Darwin, Drugs, and the Diabolical Discourse, we are accelerating the pace of human extinction. We are undermining the genetic legacy passed on to us by our ancestors by interfering with the human microbiome. Nature has already provided us with abundant resources to survive sustainably. We must respect that by decreasing our interferences in the human microbiome, we know very little of it until now. Our earlier civilisations have given us enough proof that nature's fury may have inaudible frequency but lethal amplitude. It may appear a utopian ideal in a society plagued by rising consumerism. However, it would do well for us to remember that the journey towards these ideals lies in our awakening. When we speak of enlightenment, it is essential to remember that the journey is as important as the destination. Moreover, the message is loud and clear - Embrace the balance now, or one may say never!

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Avinash Jha

Drive Commercial Strategy (Electronics); Lead Renewed & Refurbished Category

2y

The issue definitely needs more public discourse... Great to see you bring this up with your typical panache. An engrossing read.

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