What makes the bee leave the flower? The nectar is so good and life-giving, why would it ever leave? Contentment. Why do lions rest after the hunt, leaving a half-eaten carcass for the hyenas? Contentment. Why do we balance our working life with vacation and play? Contentment. Satisfaction. Joy. Peace.
Studies have shown that mice will eat continuously until their stomachs rupture and they die, if the hormone of satiation, or being full, is inhibited. Have you ever eaten a big meal on Thanksgiving? How do you feel afterwards, with your hands across your belly on the couch? Full? Yes. But also, content.
It is this feeling of contentment that lets us know that a process is complete. For without this ability, one would never stop what they started and exhaustion, and eventually death, would result.
It is for this reason and this reason only…to experience contentment…that we do anything. It is present throughout nature and is what drives life forward. If we did not have this ability, we would not eat, drink, or do anything for that matter. It is the reason for living. Whether that reason is merely to survive, to procreate and continue our species, or to live to our fullest potential and make a dramatic difference in the lives of others, it is the resultant experience of contentment that drives us to act upon our intentions.
Why would we take one step on this Clear Path to Healing if it was not to savor a fuller experience of contentment? Whether your desire is to break free from the prison of pain and suffering or to experience your optimum health potential and fuller expression of life, it is this longing for a feeling of contentment that drives us.
It is contentment that sets the parameters of balance in our biochemistry. It is contentment that causes our body to adapt to change and recover from the adaptation once the change is gone. It is contentment that stimulates evolution and growth and drives us to act physically upon our mental intention and to create harmonious relationships with others. It is this Response Ability of Contentment that drives and completes the other six Response Abilities, for the word Contentment means “to hold together.” It provides the fuel that urges us to approach this Clear Path to Healing. It gives us the courage to take the first step, provides the persistence, confidence, and ardor to continue on the path, and rewards us with the satisfaction, gratitude, and delight it provides.
Now that we have examined what it means to be healthy, a new question emerges: Why do we get sick? What causes us to lose our ability to respond appropriately to changes in the environment. In the next entry, we will begin to explore The Cause of ALL Disease.
An excerpt from the book, A Clear Path to Healing, by Dr. Barry S. Weinberg
With Love and Appreciation,
Dr Barry