[Manymoons]

Curious Guest

Take nothing on faith! That would be very yin and yinnizing. To maintain your own yang, granting the benefit of the doubt would be O.K.-- for a limited time. Klara's sentiment is well taken and I am certain she means to say that being open is an advantage beyond blind acceptance.

I think Macrobiotics has gotten a bad name because people have expected it to be a magic wand that is automatic and results will happen without much deep effort or involvement. There are no guarentees in life (except eventual death), and so with Macrobiotics. Life is dangerous and can be very messy. Even so, we still choose to live, but no one is immune to mistakes.

Living is not automatic and is far more than stuffing food in one"s face. We must create and earn the values that allow us to be alive. Macrobiotics is a philosophy with particular attention to diet. Diet is key and critical but only a single aspect of living. Living can be reduced to two alternatives--"To be or not to be". I personally have chosen Macrobiotics as one tool for improving the quality of my own life. By virtue of seeing things in terms of yin/yang it addresses everything and can help to integrate the whole experience.

Nothing is exempt from the yin/yang phenomena and all things are relevant and have a place. Finding and indentifing proper place is the art form. Does this or that fortify or undermine a particular circumstance? Does it contribute to being or not being? Every food, color, sound, texture, shape, form, attitude, intention, person, circumstance,etc. has a yin/yang implication and can be used to integrate or disintegrate. Life is a constant progression of choices (the root of morality) and judgement is the quality of our choices, good/bad---high/low.

Macrobiotics is really in its infancy, even after 60+ years. We have only begun to scratch the surface. I consider myself a 40 year beginner. Every day with every breath is a new beginning. Death also is a new beginning. Everything eventually becomes worm "dodo", which in turn feeds new life -- and so it goes-on and on.

The most workable balance is in the lesser extremes. Go slowly and observe. It is my own judgement that sudden and extreme moves, and repeated over extended periods of time cause the most problems. It is illuminating to note that several marathon runners have died after consuming large amounts of water suddenly during or immedeately after running. While they were dehydrated and conventional wisdom would suggest drinking. The very act of drinking flushed so much sodium from their system they died. A case of extreme and sudden change improperly balanced. As security against honest ignorance or oversight, go slowly and diligently observe.

There are tons of information out there both Macro focused and not. Gold is where you find it!

Manymoons