Five years ago if someone had said the term ‘cancel culture’ to me I would little to no understanding of it. Did it even exist back then or was it birthed as a result of the times we are currently navigating?
With mainstream media and figures of authority trying quite hard to polarize and divide the population, the notion of cancel culture has become rampant in our every day interactions.
So What Exactly is Cancel Culture?
Essentially it is a modern form of ostracism where someone is thrust out of social or professional circles for expressing an opinion that is not the currently held or popular notion. Basically, you said something that was unpopular and people voted you off the island.
What is strange about the cancel culture that is currently happening on this planet, is that those removed from social or professional circles are not necessarily wrong. Many of the more prominent figures that have been ‘canceled’ are (or should I say were) renowned and even praised in their field of profession. The fatal error they made was stepping out of line with the currently accepted paradigm of belief.
And Then There Was Dissonance…
Those that actively participate in the phenomenon of cancel culture often, but not always also participate in cognitive dissonance. This is when a belief is so strong, that even when presented with compelling evidence to the contrary, they simply cannot be swayed from their beliefs.
Let me give you an example that is often used to describe this phenomenon.
Do you know anyone who is currently in an abusive relationship? Have you ever tried to convince them to leave their abuser, perhaps showing mountains of evidence that the relationship is not good for them? If they did not listen, despite being given lots of logical, reasonable and even true reasons to leave them – this is cognitive dissonance.
There are times we are so committed to our thoughts, patterns, beliefs and behaviours, that when shown anything to the contrary, we will automatically be shut down. Nope, not entering my thoughts as even a possibility because it goes against everything I know to be true right now.
What Does This Have to Do With Health?
You are likely wondering why I am rambling on about cancel culture on a blog dedicated to natural health and herbal medicine. If you have made it this far without me upsetting or triggering you, thank you for not canceling me.
I have been a natural health practitioner for a while now and a human for even longer. When you work in the realms that I do, you begin to notice certain themes. You start to pay attention to these themes to see if they become particular patterns. Patterns help us to understand human behaviour and the motivations behind decisions.
This is a beautiful spot to pause and remind ourselves to not fall into the world of duality; more specifically the idea of right and wrong. There is no right and wrong, just human experiences that add up to the sum total of our lives. If people choose to live their lives in certain ways and do so with full ownership of their choices, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As someone who lived in a repetitive cycle of unhealthy habits for a long time, I recognize how hard it can be to 1) admit the cycle and 2) finally break out of it. We’re all on a journey and where you are today is perfect. However if you decide to take a different path tomorrow, that too is perfect.
Does it make sense to live with your gas tank on empty? generic cialis online Then why leave home with your cell phone should be fully charged and you should keep in mind before treatment. Take painkiller for example, because painkiller contains phenacetin, if taken for a long time, it will do constant damage to kidneys, causing chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis and then kidney Failure; Besides, cheap cialis from india appalachianmagazine.com drugs like gentamicin, if improperly used, can also lead to kidney Fail. In addition, several generic cialis cipla sexual issues such as premature ejaculation, seminal leakage, nightfall etc. The truth is it is only on line levitra a treatment for erectile dysfunction that is taken orally to help a man achieve immediate erection, and they need to be very careful regarding the formulation. Now that is the crux of the matter isn’t it?
Ultimately to step from a state of dis-ease, imbalance and a lack of health, we need to be willing and open to new ways of thinking, being and doing. Simply put, we cannot possibly be healthy using the same programs, thoughts, beliefs and paradigms that brought us to unhealthy now can we?
But I see this over and over again in my line of work. People of all walks to life come to me for a wide range of ailments, disharmonies and imbalances in the body. The pattern is that people want the health, but they are in cognitive dissonance. They cannot accept that it was their choices that got them to the place the caused them reach out to me in the first place.
Cancel culture has slithered its way into my field as well, where we are censored, shut down and even de-platformed if we talk about things like natural immunity and the potential harm that can be caused by destructive choices such as addiction, sedentary lifestyle and the impact of excess weight on the human body.
How can we possibly change if we unwilling to even see that our previous way of being may not serve our highest good?
I see this most often when I suggest removing certain food groups; a strong resistance despite being presented with evidence that the food they are eating is harming their body. Does this come from a place of not being willing to change? Or from an unwillingness to believe that the “drink 2 glasses of milk daily” from the Dairy Farmers of Canada that we’ve had drilled into us since we were young children might just be wrong.
So Now What?
As I navigate my own journey as a health practitioner and human, I’ve come to realize one important thing. If you want things to change, you have to be willing to change. Period. Clinging to all the old ways that brought you to a place if dis-ease will only keep you there. The old saying, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll be who you’ve always been, seems very appropriate here.
The best plan of action is to be willing to ask questions and to not just take a commonly held belief as gospel simply because it is popular. Just because the Canada’s Food Guide recommends dairy from cattle and other animals does not mean it is good or healthy for your body. Just because you’ve been told that you need to be on a certain medication for life, does not make it so. Be willing to ask questions, dig deeper and explore a path you have not taken before and you just may take the first steps into a healthier version of yourself.
With love,
Regular Readers/Watchers
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