Two things blew me away somewhat this past week – (three, if you include the sudden and sad passing of the wonderful global self-help Author and Teacher, Wayne Dyer, whom I’d just seen speaking in person not 3.5 days before). These two things I’m referring to were information and imagery…and as far removed from each other as could be. Yet both impacted me deeply; affected my worldview; they altered my thoughts about who I am, have been, and who I can be. So today, the kind of ‘health’ I’m writing about is not the kind you might expect.
The first mind-blowing thing came to me in the form of a ninety-minute documentary I happened to watch recently about the Milky Way Galaxy and the Universe we inhabit. The documentary took my mind right into space…out into the vastness of the cosmos. As I was hanging out with the billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, then beyond that with the trillion or so stars in Andromeda Galaxy (our nearest galactic neighbour), and then even further beyond that with the BILLIONS of GALAXIES in the Universe, I began to feel a little different. My awareness shifted. I began to see things differently. Wonderment crept in…you know, the kind you used to have when you were a child; when tiny insects held your attention for hours? When you were in awe of life itself. Yeah, it was that kind of feeling.
Amongst other things, I discovered that the space around stars and galaxies, called DARK MATTER, is dense. Actually, it’s more dense than stars and galaxies themselves…which is how a remarkable amount of stars, galaxies and space, are held together. As it transpires, this dark matter seems quite organized. There are filaments or lines of dark matter all across our universe. In fact, our galaxies sit on or along these filaments. My jaw literally dropped in awe as I observed the structure and form of the universe in 3D imagery, constructed from 500 Nasa computers. It was incomprehensible.
Now, you might NOT find this as fascinating as I. And I’m no astrophysicist in terms of explaining it, but what this documentary informed me of, and helped me FEEL, is how incredibly sophisticated and intelligent the Universe is, and it helped me understand some of the design behind it. How outstanding, monumental, spectacular and vast creation is.
I bet you’re thinking, ‘cool, so what’s the second mind-blowing thing you learned this week?’
Here goes. I’ve decided to spit it out all raw…
The other day, it was brought to my attention that in Spain, and God-knows-where else, one of the ways the Greyhound racing industry destroy/decease/kill racing dogs that are no longer deemed fit to use (for commercial/racing purposes), is by placing a 3-4 inch metal pipe in their mouth in such a way that the dog cannot open and close their mouths. They can’t eat, they can’t drink, breathing is probably hellishly difficult…and then of course, they die. I’m not sure how long the process takes, just that these organic/loving/living creatures do…die. Horribly.
I can’t tell you how much this information spun my head and heart – let alone seeing pictures of these deceased animals with metal pipes wedged in their wide open mouths, creating a tortuous death….it was challenging to think about…and to consider that A HUMAN BEING could do such a vile thing to another creature, and think that it’s okay or justifiable. What?! In fact, the information was so vast in its implications it was incomprehensible. My jaw dropped at least as much as it did watching images of the Milky Way and space – I experienced disbelief and incomprehension at both…for vastly differently reasons.
The sight of those outrageous images of unnecessary and hideous suffering of dogs caused a rush of emotions that ended with me feeling helpless. This only subsided when I recalled the Hubble images of the Milky Way Galaxy…the Universe…and remembered the feeling of its intelligence. I felt the part of myself and humanity that’s made from the same stuff that organizes and creates the unquantifiable brilliance and genius of our Universe; I recalled the wonderment of it all. And I realized two things more deeply than ever before:
ONE: Wherever this strange trait of man’s inhumanity to animals and/or other human beings arose from, it is highly unevolved and extremely overdue for a growth spurt.
And TWO: Apathy and ignorance are manmade creations – not our natural design, nor our essence. We are, and always can be, conduits for positive change, action and evolution – no matter how small that contribution may be or seem. Some of us do have that choice.
Hope springs eternal, in light of how much intelligence surrounds us. Not only around us, but also within us – our human hearts quietly beat with the same intelligence that created this vast universe. The trick is in learning live and act from that place. To remember who we really are. The heart holds the key to a higher operating consciousness; to TRUE HEALTH – in individuals and humanity as a whole.
In two or three billion years’ time, the Andromeda Galaxy will apparently collide with the Milky Way Galaxy. That’s something we can’t do anything about. But we CAN use our universal intelligence and the compass of our hearts to do something about the little (or not so little) things that matter, right here and right now on earth…like greyhounds and metal pipes, and a multitude of other unnecessary and very unintelligent things. Having the courage to look these troubled places directly in the eye is humane, compassionate and evolutionary. And this, my friends, is healthy.
Louise’s extensive experiences and background have led her to become a visionary and inspiring Author, Storyteller and Life Coach.