Tuesday, November 8, 2011

I Clap on Three and Five

I have a lot of musical friends, some have posted "Friends don't let Friends Clap on One and Three".

In this blog, about HEALTH,

I clap on three and five.

People who clap on 2 and 4, assume I'm clapping on one and three.  They're not listening.  Some, who might clap on 1 and 3, think I'm with them. They're not listening either.

Of course it's more complicated. I write this blog about HEALTH.

There are two main camps in medicine (both often call themselves 'health') care.  One, I call the "conventional medical community".  Medical doctors.The other's call themselves "alternative health", they are the "alternative medicine community".

I'm clapping on 5, for health.  Unfortunately, the health community does not exist.  Each side assumes the health community is part of their community.

Conventional medical people think they're clapping on 2 and 4 - and try to help me join them.

Alternative health people think they are really the ones on 2 and 4 - and try to get me to join.  On their 2 and 4, of course, because they are right.

Both complain when they hear me clapping on one and three. No-one hears me clapping on three and five.  They hear me on three.  And they hear me clap again, but they stopped counting at 4.

I clap on three and five.

It's the only way I can get my message across. My message is not the same as either side. Both think they hold the tune and the time, clapping 2 and 4. And my message is not on 1 and 3. It's different. My message can only be seen from a different place. When you are standing with either of the 2 and 4 groups you can't hear me.

I have noticed some curious effects as a result of clapping on three and five.  One comment to a blog post, for example:

Started with: " Interesting post."
Then: " I don't think your point ... is correct"
And finished with: "I do agree..."

We started out clapping together, drifted apart and then joined up again. All in a single paragraph.  All on a single subject.

Why do I clap on three and five?

My blog is about health.  Everyone knows something about health.  Unfortunately, most of what people know about health is actually NOT about health, it's about illness and disease.

So, I start talking about health, the hierarchy of health, disciplines of health, measurement of health, etc... - and people think I'm with them, on two and four.  But, they are thinking about illness and disease.  We're so close together. But so out of synchronization.  We're sort of together on three. They just think I'm slightly off beat.  And when I get to 5 - they think I've thrown a curve ball - or fallen off my rocker.

The fundamental concept, that all illness is caused by a deficiency or an excess - seems to trivial to be true, or too trivial to be useful.  It is true, and useful.  This simple concept, combined with the hierarchy of health, presents a completely new way to look at health.  And thus, a new way to look at illness.  And there's a problem.

The medical practitioners, and the alternative health practitioners are so busy looking at illness - they can't see health. And they have a lot invested in illness.  Their entire lives and careers. They can't afford to see, or hear, or dance to new music about health.

Suddenly I clap on five. They are dancing in 4/4 time. There is no 5.

So, they hear me clapping on 1. But something's wrong. I'm not on one and three.  I'm not on 2 and 4.  I'm not a doctor.  I'm not an alternative health practitioner. 

I'm a retired systems analyst, with 30 years experience analyzing systems from the inside and the outside, making challenges and changes to objectives, goals, policies, procedures and processes in a bureaucratic organization that wants positive change at the same time as it resists change.

I'm a thinker, blogger, a writer, a student of health with a unique point of view, a unique sense of time and place and a unique sense of health. I'm on the outside, on three and five.

I believe we need to study health, before illness.

When 'medical practitioners' (either side), study 'health', they think of health as binary. Either you are healthy, or you are not. - eg. You are sick. When you are sick, they want to help you - and when you are healthy - they move on to someone else. This view of health is so ingrained that it permeates the future. In Star Trek - where the 'medical tricorder' measures only illness, and comes up blank if there is no illness.

This blog is about health. Not about illness.  About health before illness.

This blog is about exploring the fundamental concepts of health - so that we can better understand illness.

And it's about freedom. The freedom we all need to make our own decisions.  The freedom of knowledge and information that we need to support the best decisions. And the freedom to make mistakes.  Right now, only doctors are allowed to make mistakes.  That's very wrong.

The freedom to clap on three and five.  Even if the best musicians know that 3 is wrong, and 5 does not exist.

For your health,
tracy
www.personalhealthfreedom.blogspot.com 

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Tracy is the author of two book about healthicine: