Skillful Means
The Fight or Flight Mechanism in the Context of the Global Situation
Skillful means is the term I often used with respect to the two major paths on our incarnate journeys. Some beings are developing wisdom and some are learning to use energy and power skillfully.
With respect to the current world situation, we can see that very few people in high positions have mastered their lessons. In fact, the leadership has been so irresponsible and reckless that we can speculate that the majority are not advancing to the next level any time soon.
What is important about this concept in relationship to health is that we have been living in tremendously stressful times. If we are not afraid of the virus, we might be afraid of the vaccine. If we are faced with losing family and friends as well as jobs due to economic factors or conditions we cannot accept, our adrenal glands are on overtime.
As everyone knows, the fight or flight mechanism is associated with the adrenals; but we can posit the existence of a fright mechanism that is just as troubling as the fight or flight reactions to insecurity.
My theory is that the flight reaction is more typical of those on the path of wisdom. They assess the odds of prevailing in a crisis and move quickly to avoid an unfavorable outcome.
If we go back more years than some of you have yet lived, we could use the Vietnam War as an example. I had just started my first real job after finishing grad school when the Gulf of Tonkin incident was announced over the radio. At the time, I believed we had ventured beyond international waters and provoked a response. Little did I know that the incident never happened. It was a ruse conjured up by Lyndon Johnson who instructed his nodding heads to write 13 lies and he would decide which to use for the press releases.
There was still a draft at that time. Some people fled the country. I think we can consider the possibility that these are people who were unwilling to take risk or to involve themselves in armed confrontation. The Flower Children movement came into being; and had, in my opinion, a profound impact on the ability of the government to ignore the will of the people.
Some people seem to support the government regardless of the merits of the policies and actions based on the policies. This is what we are seeing in Russia now. Though the press is saying that Russia is building a huge army, 1.5 million people, many citizens are escaping to other countries. Others are demonstrating, and some are on the frontline and facing wounds and massacre.
Before this started, I felt Vladimir Putin was one of the more intelligent and skillful politicians on the planet. He often gave very thoughtful and insightful answers during meetings with the press. Even if the situation in Ukraine was a can of worms, I did not expect a person of his caliber to resort to war as a solution to the issues. The only excuse I have heard is that Ukraine refuses to come to the table and negotiate so that option was not available.
This explanation may be based on fact, but it still does not represent skillful means. Meanwhile what we are seeing is that the domino effect of those with inordinate power is that their decisions and actions affect millions of others. In short, unlike a quarrel with a partner or colleague, powerful people have a much bigger responsibility than average people. They are therefore dangerous unless they develop skillful means.
Worse, if the actions are not popular, there will be a reaction. Initially, there may be small waves, but what we are seeing in many countries at the moment are demonstrations involving millions of people, four million in Argentina. But there have been people on the streets in many countries, not to mention the truckers. Eventually, numbers matter. The minimum consequence is the loss of power. Depending on many factors, those who have misused power may become fearful and eventually paranoid. This is the main health risk, but the political risks may involve arrest and trial and whatever consequences are decreed in the trials.
The trouble is that most people with power are ambitious, not wise. Some were perhaps born into circumstances conferring many privileges, but most rise to the top by aiming higher and exploiting opportunities to take advantage of lack of oversight.
We see the consequences now in a failed relationship to sustainable living and massive accumulation of wealth and power by a very small number of people. Whether people are crying foul due to dissatisfaction with vote tabulations, as happened in the U.S. and is now ongoing in Brazil, or they are opposed to draconian measures to control a virus, or they are opposing confiscation of farms or war, people are reacting. This means that those at top have to consider the repercussions of their unpopular positions.
Those who are victims are probably mostly people on the path of wisdom. From their point of view, the solution to the situation in Ukraine would be a plebiscite. Let the people who live in the contested areas vote. If the international community keeps sending arms, the situation will simply escalate. A few manufacturers and politicians will get rich, and others will die, become injured, widowed, and/or orphaned. For the victims, of course, the leaders are deemed insane. The ones who are most affected by policies are the ones whose voices should be heard. The rest of the world should insist on peaceful means by thwarting escalation. Sanctions can be placed on Russia until the fighting is stopped.
With such a simple solution, why isn’t it being used?
It is not being used because those in a position to provide the funding to keep the fighting going are also on the path of action . . . and have not mastered the skills to use their power justly. Their actions are also colored by ambition and partisan relationships.
How this relates to health is that all those impacted by whatever actions are under stress. To be as clear as possible, those on the path of wisdom are affected by restrictions on their life styles, insecurity over health and finances, and fear of the drastic measures those at the top may take to maintain their positions. Rightly or wrongly, people in high positions tend to defend their actions rather than to accept blame.
When the adrenals are overactive, coping margins can be extended. People on the path of wisdom need more flexibility and elasticity in order to handle the stress. People on the path of power need more stamina and resilience. Well, everyone needs more staying power, but I formulated two elixirs, Yin Elixir for those who are not in control and Yang Elixir for those who are setting their own goals, some of which may be sincere and important.
These are formulated using adaptogens, a term coined in Russia in the 1940s that refers to substances that help us to maintain our coping ability. To qualify as an adaptogen, the plant must be safe, even in very large quantities. Adaptogens are not however specific to a particular stress. For example, the stress may be chemical or microbial; or, it may relate to personal concerns such as the stability of a relationship or job. It could relate to fear of food shortages or war or loss of something or someone treasured. The adaptogen supports the individual through trying times. Ideally, there would be no increase in cortisol output.
We can take any of the issues used as examples and show how the tensions could be resolved IF the parties involved would take the risk of validating and recounting ballots. The alleged winner has nothing to gain so would naturally oppose fairness. The ostensible loser has nothing to lose so would, of course, prefer an examination of the ballots and voting machines. It is really this simple, but in a winner takes all situation, resistance can be formidable. In the meantime, the truth is not coming to the surface, this whether we are talking about one country or another country.
With the confiscation of farms in Holland, an elite body of qualified experts should be assembled to examine the long-term effect of loss of food sovereignty versus whatever measures might be taken to use the land in an environmentally conscious manner. Most likely, fair-minded individuals will not give the government the right to confiscate farms, but they might require some changes in farming practices. Until there is a win-win, there will be strong reactions. This is what we call karma and the repercussions teach us to perfect our behavior through finding mutually agreeable solutions instead of forcing something that is unpopular. Obviously, this strategy applies to any situation in which more than one entity is involved.
In the meantime, we can posit that the typical reaction to threats to those on the path of wisdom is fear or nervousness, usually followed by study of options and development of strategic responses. In contrast, the most common reaction of those on the path of power is inflexibility and resistance because these people maintain their positions by dominating, not by cooperating. They can be obstinate but when a leader reaches out to find fair solutions, he is mastering his path.
First published 25 January 2023
Copyright by Dr. Ingrid Naiman || All Rights Reserved
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