My Unconquerable Soul

In his years of imprisonment and tremendous challenge, Nelson Mandella found inspiration in these words by Ernest Henley:

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 

I love the words “…the menace of the years finds, and shall find me unafraid.” I relate to these words. Like Rumi, Mary Oliver, and other wise souls, I have been blessed  with the loss of my fear of death. Here are some words from a song I wrote:

“By grace I went to the other side of dying. The beauty there is more than we can dream….”

This does not mean I’m in a hurry to leave this precious life, and those who mean so much to me. On the contrary, I’m living a life dedicated to optimizing my health and longevity. To me this means, eating organic, vegetarian food and exercising every day. The flesh of animals who have often been tortured before being slaughtered inhumanely has no place my table. See the DVD Food, Inc. if you want to know the truth of how animals are tortured and “processed,” before the pieces of their bodies appear in packages at the supermarket.

The same goes for dairy products. Although the organic ones involve less cruelty, milk products have many potentially negative health effects. In THE CHINA STUDY, two highly credentialed researchers believe that milk protein contributes to the progression of cancer.

Protein itself, according to the authors, needs to be severely limited in those who have cancer. They recommend no more than 5% of total calories from protein, and avoiding animal sources of protein altogether. THE CHINA STUDY is important reading for anyone who has cancer or loves someone who does.

This discussion is very different from usual focus in this blog. But since this information has come to my attention, I thought perhaps someone who wouldn’t see it otherwise would find it here.

Blessings to you, dear visitor. Please visit me at www.coupleswisdom.com.