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Healing the animal

After three-plus decades as a veterinarian I can declare with confidence: “Animals are not machines or computers!.”

To state this in the reverse; animals (versus machines or computers) are endowed with a capacity to heal themselves and can reproduce.

We could quibble. Perhaps machines/computers that are able to heal themselves and reproduce are closer than I think.

However, it is my opinion that we have a long way to go before we’re at that point prophesied in the classic movie “2001 A Space Odyssey” or the more recent film, “The Matrix.”

The aforementioned capacity of an animal to heal itself is at the center of all the healing professions.

On one hand, all DNA-life forms (bacteria, insects, plants, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals including us) are pre-programmed to and will die.

On the other hand, it is possible to intervene in a disease process (behavior and mental-health diseases, too) and to avert a premature death.

How do veterinarians heal ailing animals?

We are taught (or we learn the hard way) to “First Do No Harm,” i.e. do everything possible – drawing on our training and our experience – to not interfere with the capacity of that animal’s ability to heal themselves.

The first step your vet takes is to identify the process or cycle which is making that animal sicker and sicker.

If they can interrupt the process or stop the cycle (while doing “No Harm”) death can dodged/delayed.

I think it is a fair to think of the USA as an ailing animal.

My wager is this election is not going to interrupt the disease process.

Like all human animals, I want a quick fix.

However, to fix the American animal, we need to take need to first identify the pathology.

You might say to me: Pete, your analogy is wrong.

An animal has just one plan at a time and every one of that animals’ cells buys into the plan.

To which I would exclaim “Thank You!

I wonder if you’ve identified the pathology?”

As I talk and interact with my fellow Wisconsinites, as I look at our governments in action, I see unhealthy bureaucracies (“animals,” or should I say “beasts”) with legislators, judges and folk in the executive branch (all of who are “cells” of these bureaucratic “beasts”) that are fighting against each other.

I wonder if there might be just one plan upon which we could all agree and embark?

One of our cultures’ elders, Parker J. Palmer, has written a book titled Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit.

Therein Palmer challenges his readers: If ‘We the People’ are to help heal our ailing democracy – and if we do not, who will? – we need to develop five crucial habits of the heart.

I hereby propose that we divided Americans buy into Palmer’s plan, that we agree on his “five crucial habits of the heart” as our just one plan.

My hope is to have piqued your curiosity herein.

You can find a listing of Palmer’s Five Habit of the Heart at www.kalliopeia.org.

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