No one chooses illness. Fate is about humanity's actions being free: We make choices, which determine our outcome. How can we judge, say, a newborn baby becoming critically ill and then dying as being an act of fate, considering he/she never had a chance to live on their own accord in the first place?
Understanding Evolutionary Dysfunction
Individuals do not become ill because of natural selection, but because of evolutionary dysfunction. Viruses and bacteria reproduce so rapidly; sometimes they evolve faster than the body's defence system has time to react. In some instances, individuals are not always able to escape their infections, and have to battle to the death.
Evolutionary medicine is concerned with how humanity is vulnerable to disease. Biologists present a germ theory of disease based on Darwin’s examination of human evolution in 'The Descent Of Man'. In Randolph Nesse’s paper 'Evolution: Medicine’s Most Basic Science' (Nesse RM, 'Evolution: medicine’s most basic science' in Lancet 372 (Suppl 1): S21–7 (December 2008)) he explains why people are all the same in ways that leave us vulnerable to disease.
Even when we live in different environments, people are still subject to illness. Heart disease, obesity and drug abuse, for example, are among the number of diseases particular to the West that are are caused by “a mismatch” between our bodies and our environments. Nesse goes on to say in his paper that the number of people with critical illness in other parts of the world, however, is almost double than it is in the west, because they are living in a "lesser natural environment."
The evolution of pathogens is a concept that medical science uses to help us understand health and disease, and protect, heal and recuperate individuals, which helps increase one’s life expectancy. If we begin to accept this idea rather than that of natural selection, we will have a basis for dealing with the critical illness of a loved one; and we can be prepared to care for them as best we can.
Caring For a Patient With a Critical Illness
An individual does not always have a choice to live their life the way that they would desire, but the general population has a choice to care for them or not. The fact that we have doctors and nurses willing to care for the critically ill accounts for positive karma, that we want to keep the human race alive for as long as possible.
Reacting to an illness also reminds us of our own sensitivity; and if we are willing to explore our fears we will then develop self-knowledge.
Life can be chaotic, so it is essential that a person stays strong in the face of illness and death, believing that each and every person has a purpose to live. Loved ones provide support and inspiration; so to those who are caring for a person throughout their illness, be sure to give them a sense of purpose:
- Spending time with the patient is an opportunity for them to develop their emotions, which will prevent them from dissolving into isolation and loneliness. A willingness to make them feel connected, heard, and able to reach out for contact and support, provides them a sense of fulfilment.
- Take time to reflect, looking back at the patient's life, and deciding what there is to be most proud of. In particular, think about the connections that have been formed with other people- what has been given to them, and what has been received. Determine what is unique about the individual and allow his/her strengths to inspire others.
- Be open and honest with the patient. Death is inevitable, yes, but making sense of life and illness can allow one’s journey to be changeable and enthralling. Imagination is one of human nature’s greatest gifts; every individual should take advantage of this as it creates a belief that we each have the power to embrace life as best we can, without fear or regret, and gain some personal satisfaction.
The way to achieve the human race living in peace and harmony with the natural world is to bridge the common perceptions of reality with the deeper, individual consciousness. Not everything in life is justified, and death is inevitable for each and every individual; however, this should not stop a person living life the way they would want.
Illness and death provide information to humanity as a whole, and self-knowledge and positive karma develop from the willingness to explore the human body and care for those less-able.
Andy Carrington - Andy Carrington is a Freelance Poet/Writer from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, currently residing in Bradford. He was educated at Wakefield ...
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