Jane's Journey - The Beginning of Difficult Choices

Jane is a good person. She is a wife and mother who is very happy in her home and personal relationships. She has many interests and hobbies that she pursues, as time allows. She is also a religious woman who deeply values the principles that have been formed from her religious, philosophical, philanthropic, and social studies. She has taken, and continues to take, great care in developing her mind in order to form just, intelligent opinions. And while she may not be considered an intellectual giant, building her mental faculties and thinking and reasoning abilities, through learning, is a daily pursuit for her.

She strives to better herself through the increase of knowledge of those things that matter to her.  In her religious studies, she has learned that it is a good thing to deepen personal knowledge of many things so that she may be an asset to those she associates with as well as to her community. Yet, she struggles to find acceptance among many of her peers. Why? Jane is unsure. She has a kind heart and only desires to help and bring happiness to others in any capacity she can, even if it is only to teach others what she has learned. She has never been profuse with her opinions, typically keeping them to herself unless specifically sought out by another, or occasionally offered during a discussion. She feels very strongly that learning is part of her life calling, but because of the scornful treatment she has received from some when sharing her insights, she prefers not to participate unless she feels strongly that she should do so. The friendships and connections that Jane shares with other women are important to her. She longs to be able to express herself without fear of losing them.

Attending religious services is an important part of Jane’s life. Compassion, sympathy, unconditional love, acceptance, and many other important principles have, in part, been obtained through her religious studies and church participation. She desires to help others with the knowledge that she has worked hard to obtain, but when her opinions are offered, there are some who, instead of joining the discussion, turn to gossip or even openly ridicule. Jane wants to belong among the women in her religious community, so she typically chooses to keep to herself--most of the time--in order to get along. However, she no longer has the desire to hide behind the façade she has created for herself in order to fit in and to be accepted.

On one recent occasion, Jane offered a comment during a religious discussion. Some of the women in the room were observed bumping their elbows and rolling their eyes in disdain. In a room full of 30 or more women, only one of them had the courage to speak up in support. This was done kindly and tactfully. It was not the first time Jane’s opinions have been derided, but it was the first time, to her knowledge, that another woman was willing to stand with her, by speaking up directly in her favor and praising her for sharing her thoughts. Unfortunately, just one voice in a crowded room wasn’t enough to alleviate her feelings of loneliness in a community that preaches sisterhood. Jane realizes that not all of the women in the room observed this unbecoming behavior, and there are women who have been kind to her, but she has struggled for so long to be a part of an organization of women only to be met more with the lack of honest friendship and personal interest in who she really is by all but a very few.

Jane is at a crossroads: does she continue her struggle to maintain her façade in order to avoid being ridiculed, perhaps even ostracized by the women in her congregation, or does she allow herself to shine as she feels she was meant to, even if it also means loneliness instead of relationships with other women or even close friends? Jane realizes that this decision won’t only affect her, it will affect her whole family. Her husband fully understands and supports her and will walk the path with her, but she knows her children could be adversely affected. The thought that they will lose friends is a painful one, knowing that it will be, in part, due to the choices of their mother. Teaching her children religious principles is important to her, and she will continue to teach them; but the thought that they should feel unwelcome or be mistreated because of her actions is a large part of what maintains her façade. Jane has no desire to hurt anyone, so how can she address her own hurt? Is there a place where the women love and respect each other, even while speaking candidly about their thoughts and feelings? Where can Jane go to find the sisterhood she searches for?

This is Jane’s journey. This is the beginning of difficult choices.

The Future of Herbology

At the end of a study course, after having read the book Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine, by Barbara Griggs, I was given this question:

Herbal medicine has had a long and proud past, checkered with defiant people who stood up for what they knew was right. Presently, this same struggle continues with corporations, governments and the medical community trying to control herbology's rebirth. What do you think the future holds for herbal medicine? Should herbology become main stream like many herbalists believe, or should it continue to be taught and practiced as it is? What is your opinion?

 This was my response to that question:

I believe that, should herbology become “mainstream” in the sense that it is used instead of, or in conjunction with, medical science, it would be under controlling regulations and restrictions and be controlled by bureaucracy and monetary gain just as is found in medical scientific practice today. For any practice, medical or otherwise, that is said to hold the care of people first, but is controlled by a fore mentioned practices, it's true nature is not in the care for those they say they serve, but rather in serving themselves. Each time herbology has tried to become mainstream in the past, it has fallen prey to such practices as these and I believe it would again, as it seems to be a cycle that is repeated throughout history. We should learn from the past and not repeat it when the outcome is a negative one. I believe that only through personal and small communal practice of holistic care will it be able to survive and thrive.

 I also believe that supplements that are nothing but extracted chemicals, even though they be from natural sources, should not be labeled as holistic or nutritional, nor should they be sold with holistic foods and medicines, as they are not such. I believe this relation continues to be a sore on the herbalist and naturopath and each who practice in these areas should avoid their uses. It is a money-making practice that is just as chemically dependent as medical science and I believe it needs to be separated from holistic care in order for those who work in this field to be taken more seriously by the mainstream care practitioners.

I believe the struggle between the medical field and the holistic care givers will continue as long as those in the medical field feel threatened by the loss of revenue that will be generated by people seeking alternative ways of caring for themselves, but that alternative care will, as in times past, become more widely used and accepted. However, I do not foresee a fundamental change in the way society seeks medical care. The only way to bring about such a fundamental change is to teach people, and there are many who don't want to be taught and many more who don't want them to be taught. Our society runs largely on capitalism and, unfortunately, money is power, and those who oppose holistic care have a lot of both. I believe the survival of alternative health care in the United States must continue to be practiced on a very small scale in order not to be eradicated all together by the competition.

Have you read the book? Do you have an opinion regarding the question?

To Replace or Mimic

Not too long ago I read an article by Dr. Stan Gardner which he wrote concerning the reasons a person should not consume soy products (you may find the article here). I wrote a response to him noting that when people use such products the reason behind it is that they don’t truly wish to change their eating habits. It is only through a change in what we consume, by replacing unhealthy options with a whole new way of eating and not in using products that mimic our unhealthy lifestyle, that we can find optimal health.

This was my response:

I just finished reading your article on Meridian Magazine entitled “Why No Soy? Soy's Secrets” and found it to be very informative. However, I feel there are other aspects that should also be included in the discussion about milk usage, not just the source of the milk. As a Nutritional Herbologist I have noticed that most people use soy products as a “healthier” alternative to animals products in their diets. They want to be healthier by minimizing the amount of animal foods they eat and replace them with something similar to what they are already eating rather than eliminating them all together and replacing them with fresh plant-based foods.

Another idea to discuss would be what you are using the milk for and in what quantity. To use milk in the morning on cereals seems to be an unhealthy and over abundant use of milk if consumed on a regular basis several times a week. In most cases the cereal itself is less healthy than the milk used on the cereal. Again, a change of food type would be an excellent way to reduce, if not eliminate, the use of milk in the morning. Eating foods such as fresh fruits or eating oatmeal prepared with water and flavored with berries, honey, etc are a couple of healthier options.

I agree that over consuming processed foods, including soy foods, is an unhealthy way to eat. Our bodies become full of chemicals that they can't eliminate, causing our systems to malfunction due to imbalance. I believe a good way to help reduce this occurrence is not to replace one processed food with another, but to change the way we eat to a much simpler and more natural way. Through my own education I have come to have a personal philosophy about what we should eat and in what quantities which is that we should eat in abundance what the earth provides in abundance. Plant-based foods grow in abundance naturally and animal products take a bit more time to replenish themselves, each depending on what it is whether meat, eggs, milk, etc. With this idea we also need to consider how to replenish the nutrients lost in the creation of each food source. With plants, their nutrients return easily to the earth to be used again, with animals it is a much longer process, again eat according to how the earth can provide.

I feel a dialogue about changing the dependence on processed foods for an independence from processed foods, instead of replacing one product with another, would be a great discussion.

I hope you take a small amount of time to read and consider what I have written. Thank you for listening.

With all sincerity and health for all in mind,



Jodi McCombs

I was hoping he would read my response to him and begin a dialogue about the subject in order to help others searching for better health, but I have yet to see a response to my ideas and queries. Perhaps my ideas are too far fetched.

Diet And A Diet

In the past I have sought answers from doctors on how to manage my body's desire to put on weight. I have always been taught that being overweight is unhealthy, but my body just didn't seem to want to comply with that rule. I didn't really know what I was doing wrong. I ate from the food groups that I was supposed to eat from, making sure to have my meat and dairy portions every day as I was taught in school. I would even make sure we had cooked corn, carrots, peas, or green beans with dinner. I just didn't know what else to do for myself so I sought the advice of a medical doctor. He recommended a few different diet plans to me, all of which were too expensive for my pocket book. I couldn't afford to buy specialty meals that would make me loose weight. Why did maintaining a healthy weight have to be so expensive? Is that the only option for me? Isn't there anything else my doctor could recommend? But if there was something else, wouldn't my doctor know about it?

Doctors spend years in medical school learning how to treat a sick and diseased body through the use of modern medical procedures and drugs, but are woefully lacking in knowledge pertaining to the maintenance of health through consuming a proper diet. This is not entirely their fault. In school we are taught what we should know, and medical school is no exception to these teachings. Dr. T. Colin Campbell has researched this issue and shared his knowledge and discoveries in his book The China Study. Here are some excerpts of what he has had to say:

In 1985 the United States National Research Council funded an expert panel report that investigated the quantity and quality of nutrition education in U.S. medical schools. The committee's findings were clear: "The committee concluded that nutrition education programs in U.S. medical schools are largely inadequate to meet the present and future demands of the medical profession." But this finding was nothing new. The committee noted that in 1961 the "American Medical Association Council on Foods and Nutrition reported that nutrition in the U.S. medical schools received 'inadequate recognition, support and attention.'" In other words, over forty years ago, the doctors themselves said that their nutrition training was inadequate. Nothing had changed by 1985, and up to the present time, articles continue to be written documenting the lack of nutrition training in medical schools.

In conjunction with the 1985 government report, the president of the American Medical Students Association, William Kassler, writes:

Most nutrition in the formal curriculum is incorporated into other courses. Biochemistry, physiology and pharmacology are the courses most often alleged to contain some nutritioninstrucition. Too often in such courses, nutrition is touched on briefly, with the primary emphasis on the major discipline. It is quite possible to finish such a course and not even realize that nutrition was covered [my emphasis]. Nutrition taught by those whose interest and expertise lie elsewhere simply doesn't work.

It gets even worse! When nutrition education is provided in relation to public health problems, guess who is supplying the "educational" material? The Dannon Institute, Egg Nutrition Board, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Dairy Council, Nestlé Clinical Nutrition, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Baxter Healthcare Corporation and others have all joined forces to produce a Nutrition in Medicine program and the Medical Nutrition Curriculum Initiative. Do you think that this all-star team of animal foods and drug industries representatives is going to objectively judge and promote optimal nutrition, which science has shown to be a whole foods, plant-based diet that minimizes the need for drugs? Or might they try to protect the meat-centered, Western diet where everyone expects to pop a pill for every sickness?

- T. Colin Campbell, The China Study, pg. 327, 327-328, 328.

How often do people, especially women, go to a doctor for the magic diet pill or for advice on which diet plan they should follow? Our diet directly and immediately affects the functions of our bodies, both short and long term. If we want to be healthy we need to give our bodies only healthy foods beginning today and continuing for as long as we want to be healthy. Our diet should be a lifestyle, not a fad. The fat, funny cat we all know named Garfield once said "Diet is 'die' with a 't.'" I think he should have said "A diet is 'die' with a 't.'" Dr Joel Fuhrman, M.D., a board-certified family physician who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods, has this to say about diets:

What is wrong with every single commercial weight-loss program? They are all too high in fat and toolow in fiber because they cater to the American love affair with rich, high-fat food.

Weight Watchers brand foods contain 24 percent of calories from fat. Lean cuisine contains 25 percent of calories from fat. The Jenny Craig program requires the purchase of packaged meals with entrees such as cheese souffle and Salisbury steak, meals that are almost as bad as what most Americans eat at home. These commercial diet plans, since they are not very low in fat, must restrict portion sizes to offer "low calorie" meals. These "skimpy" portions represent an obsolete approach with a dismal track record. [...]

You can't eat out of boxes and consume powdered drinks forever, either. If you do lose some weight, you will always gain it back. Instead, permanent changes in your eating habits must be made. Learning new recipes and adopting different ways of eating that you can live with will maintain your weight loss and protect your health for the rest of your life.[...]

The result of denying yourself food is that when you go back to eating normally, fat accumulates even more easily than before because of a low metabolic rate. This leads to the familiar yo-yo phenomenon in which dieters lose weight, only to rebound to a heavier weight than when they started.[...]

So, instead of searching for weight-loss gimmicks and tricks, try to adopt a resolution to be healthy first. Focusing on your health, and not your weight, will eventually result in achieving successful long-term weight loss. Eating a healthy diet, one that is rich in an assortment of natural plant fibers, will help you crave less and feel satisfied without overeating. All diet plans fail because they cater to modern American tasters, which include too much processed foods or animal products to be healthy.

Stop measuring portions and trying to follow complicated formulas. Instead, eat as many vegetables, beans, and fresh fruits as possible, and less of everything else. Any other program is an insult to your intelligence.

- Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Eat To Live, pg. 114-115.

Our dietary habits should be those that keep our bodies at a healthy weight without extreme intervention, consisting of food that we can consume our entire lives without detrimental effects to our bodies and instead help them to thrive and function. If we are treating our bodies right they will adjust and maintain their weight within healthy parameters. This not only holds true for those who are overweight, but for those who are very thin as well. Every person's body is different and each person's body has its optimal weight. People should be realistic about what their optimal weight is, but not justify an unhealthy body as being their norm.

We only get one body in this lifetime. Why do we treat it so badly? Our bodies are one of a kind, they are irreplaceable. Once a person's body has worn out there is no going back for another. Our bodies give us what we give them. We truly are what we eat. If all we eat is unhealthy food then all we will get out of our bodies will be disease and illness. It is up to us individually to care for ourselves through proper dietary habits. Our bodies were made to consume natural foods, not packages ones. It also makes sense to me that the foods that are easily replaced through the seasons should be the ones we consume the most of. An animal takes months or years to reach the maturity necessary in order to consume it or its by-products; plants continuously grow and produce food throughout the warm months and some plant foods can store well for the duration of the cold months. Perhaps those are the portions in which we were meant to consume such foods in our diets.

Eating right doesn't have to be expensive, confusing, difficult, and filled with time consuming methods to determine if we have reached our maximum levels of fat, calories, sugars, etc. Following a dietary lifestyle that is based largely on fresh plant foods can help us avoid excess weight, disease ,and illness and grant us a long, high-quality life.

Health and Appearance

I recently read an article on an LDS website about obesity and missionary work. In the article, "Missionary candidates must watch weight -- or wait," by Joseph Cramer, M.D., he mentions how there are many young men and women in The Church who are not able to serve missions, or are honorably discharged from their missions, due to weight related illnesses and problems. By the end of the article he concluded with the basic idea that, after having spent a short amount of time reading a few articles, there is too much conflicting information, making it hard to say what we should do and what we shouldn't. He then gave a few pieces of his own advice, all of which would not have a very profound effect on a persons overall health.

After having read this article I realized how deficient in knowledge we are regarding our own health. There are some myths that need to be dispelled, and are mostly due to the great marketing abilities of large companies who stand to gain copious amounts of wealth from our poor health habits. This particular article gave me a great desire to read a book called The Culprit and the Cure by Dr. Steven G. Aldana. Dr. Aldana has worked as a professor at BYU and is heavily involved in researching health for the sake of knowledge and science, not for promoting products. I have begun to read this book, but have yet to complete it. However, I have already come across some wonderful knowledge. He has had something to say about the information disclosed to the public by researchers.

"The only way the typical American will ever hear about the study is if he or she reads the scientific journal or if someone in the media reads the journal and decides to do a story about it. . .

Journalists are paid to write stories that people will pay to read or watch on television. Therefore, journalists need to write stories that are of interest to readers and viewers, so sometimes they have to jazz up the studies to make them a little more interesting. . .

By far the most confusing and outright deceptive health information comes from advertising and marketing campaigns from the food, supplement, tobacco, alcohol, and exercise industries."

- Steven G. Aldana, Ph.D., "The Culprit and the Cure," pg 27.

Some of the beliefs we have come to have and associate with good health are if you are thin, have good muscle tone, have a lot of energy, exercise on a regular basis, and take supplement pills you are in excellent condition. It is true that all of these things can have an effect on your overall health, but how you go about achieving such goals as being thin and having strong muscles is more important than getting the specific result. Once we have become so moved that we act on the behalf of our health we need to remember: thinness does not equal health, good muscle tone does not equal health, having energy does not equal health, exercising on a regular basis does not equal health, and taking supplement pills does not equal health.

I'm sure you are more confused now than ever, so let me explain. Being thin, having strong muscles and energy are a natural result of being healthy, but are also obtainable through other means, so just because you have a certain appearance does not mean you are healthy. If you exercise regularly but still continue to feed your body badly you may appear to be healthy on the outside, but are not on the inside, where it counts. Taking supplement pills may give you an overall desired appearance, but will not change the damage that is underlying. Also, supplements should not be confused for pills. Pills can be used as supplements, but so can wholesome herbs. Anything that is added to your diet to enhance received nutrition is a supplement. However, you would do well to remember that pills are made of synthetic chemicals that have been forced together into an unnatural state and can do more harm than good to a body that is a natural creation, one which relies on natural foods.

Dr. Aldana has a great personal story to illustrate the difference between the appearance of health and true health.

"After hearing a lecture on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, two participants came by my office. The first, a 20-year-old male college student, came in to complain that he was not interested in changing his diet or getting exercise because he felt great. He could eat whatever he wanted, live however he wanted, and he generally felt great all the time. He even gladly reported that his blood pressure was perfect, his cholesterol was low, and he didn't smoke.

Right then he didn't have any major health problems and most likely wouldn't for another 30 years. He was not convinced that he should do anything differently, especially if what he was currently doing was working fine. He finished by saying, '"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and even if I do have problems, I'll just have the doctor fix me up.'

The second individual was a 58-year-old female who had raised a family and now lived at home with her husband. Like most people over age 50, she was by definition obese, had high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, and was recently told by her physician that she had diabetes and would likely be diabetic for the rest of her life. When she heard her doctor's diagnosis, she was shocked.

Something must have happened in the past 30 years because when she was 20, she could eat anything, exercise if she wanted, and was always thin and healthy. After hearing both of these stories, I introduced the young man to the woman and let them visit for a few minutes. The need to adopt a healthy lifestyle is important for all ages."

- Steven G. Aldana, Ph.D., "The Culprit and the Cure," pg 17.

When we are seeking true health, quick fixes are never the answer. An adult isn't born into their present state of ill health, but has acquired it over a period of many years. Because of this, once we have begun to feel the ill effects of our poor lifestyle, we should never expect our bodies to become healthy in just a few months. The longer we have lived a life of poor habits, the longer it will take us to cleanse our bodies and regain good nutrition. If your dietary habits cannot be maintained throughout your life while at the same time offering only good nutrition and health, then they are not good habits to have. True nutrition is what can be consumed throughout a lifetime and will always benefit the body and mind. While quick fixes and short lived habits are never the answer for obtaining good health, and the benefits of good health, it is never to late to make the necessary changes in your lifestyle. But the sooner you do, the better off you will be.

In future posts I will be writing more specifically about diet, exercise, supplements, weight loss, and other subjects that correspond with obtaining good health.

Sharing The Abundance

The Hippocratic Oath

"I swear by Apollo the physician and Aesculapius, and Health, and All-Heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this stipulation - to reckon him who taught me this Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this Art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others. I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art. I will not cut persons laboring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and further, from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves. Whatever in connection with my professional practice, or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret. While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times, but should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot."
- Hippocrates

Hippocrates is credited with being the "father of modern medicine," but there was much more to him than that. He believed in sharing his knowledge in order to benefit man, not only in his lifetime, but for generations following him. I would like to call your attention to the first sentence of the above quote. Hippocrates speaks of sharing his knowledge, free of charge, with his own sons, the sons of his teachers, and certain disciples, or followers, in the medical community. He believed in sharing knowledge for the betterment of mankind so that they may be able to care for themselves with what they learn. Then, in turn, pass their knowledge on to others who are interested in learning what it is they have to offer. He was willing to do this "without fee or stipulation" so that the knowledge he possessed could be passed along to others in order to help everyone.

This definition of "knowledge" is found in the American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster 1828 edition:

KNOWL'EDGE,
1. A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.
We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. God has a perfect knowledge of all his works. Human knowledge is very limited, and is mostly gained by observation and experience.
2. Learning; illumination of mind.
3. Skill; as a knowledge of seamanship.
4. Acquaintance with any fact or person.
5. Cognizance; notice.
6. Information; power of knowing.

Having knowledge isn't just the memorization of facts, it is "illumination of mind." It is also having a clear perception of truth and fact, obtained mostly through observation and experience. Hippocrates didn't gain his knowledge by sitting behind a desk, writing down answers and taking tests. He studied under the guidance of mentors, spent time in libraries, and treated those that asked for his help. He learned by emulating those who already possessed the skills he was wanting to be proficient in, as well as searching out knowledge from other sources. He was able to live up to his potential, feeling that he was doing right by humanity and leaving a legacy of good works and knowledge in order to be "respected by all men, in all times."

Not everyone will leave a legacy that is esteemed by so many as that of Hippocrates, but we do leave a legacy. What legacy are you leaving for your posterity? What knowledge are you seeking that will give you the skills you need in order to edify the lives of those around you? We should always be working towards the improvement of our minds and strengthening the abilities we feel will uplift and support the lives of those we come in contact with. We then have the responsibility to share what we learn so that our posterity will be better, and more knowledgeable, than we are.

Everyone should have the opportunity to obtain knowledge, but the reality is that there are many who are never given that chance. There are many who are blessed with an abundance of knowledge and choose to greedily keep it for themselves, or sell it for a heavy price. There are many who are blessed with an abundance of knowledge who spend their lives trying to help others and share what they know, freely and generously. If knowledge is to be purchased there will always be many who will never be able to partake of a greater life. If knowledge is freely shared and generously given, when asked for, there will be very few, if any, left in the darkness of ignorance. Knowledge should not be give only to the elite that can afford the price of purchase. Knowledge is a gift that is meant for all mankind to be sharers and partakers of.

Men are given the chance to be stewards over many things such as children, money, land, peoples, animals and knowledge. As stewards we are to take care of our charges in the best possible way. With certain charges, such as money, land, animals and knowledge, part of that care may be in freely sharing our abundance with those who are less fortunate than we are. Giving all that we can enriches our own lives and blesses the lives of those we share with. Hording knowledge and keeping it to a select few will create a society of ignorant people, slaves to what they are told to believe and, therefore, slaves to those who possess the knowledge. Freely sharing of our abundance in knowledge can keep us all a free and intelligent people.

Compelling Power

These definitions are found in the American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828:

Force, To compel; to constrain to do or to forbear, by the exertion of a power not resistible.
2. To overpower by strength.
3. To impel; to press; to drive; to draw or push by main strength; a sense of very extensive use.
4. To enforce; to urge; to press.

Compel, To drive or urge with force, or irresistibly; to constrain; to oblige; to necessitate, either by physical or moral force.
2. To force; to take by force, or violence; to seize.
3. To drive together; to gather; to unite in a crowd or company.
4. To seize; to overpower; to hold.
5. To call forth.

Compulsion, The act of driving or urging by force, physical or moral; force applied; constraint of the will; the application of a force that is irresistible.
2. The state of being complelled or urged by violence.

Upon first examination of these definitions we may feel that to be forced or compelled is something to be avoided. However, I ask you to consider what, or who, it is that is compelling our education. Is it someone else or their ideas that are being forced upon us, or is it our own desire to learn about a subject of our choosing that compels us? Are we driven by our own hunger for knowledge or by a system that was designed to make education uniform? The positive or negative state of these words is of our own making. Being compelled by another, to do something we hold no desire to do, makes these words appear to be negative in meaning. If we are driven by our own interests in pursuit of knowledge, under our own power to freely choose where our road will lead, these words take on a much more positive state.

When we are negatively compelled, we find that we feel negative emotions toward whatever it is that is compelling us. When we are positively compelled just the opposite is true. How, then, are we to have a positive educational experience? The answer is simple: by allowing our own educational desires to compel us to action, not the desires of others.

John Taylor Gatto worked as a school teacher for nearly 30 years in New York. After he won New York State Teacher of the Year he received almost 1,800 letters in response to some essays he wrote about what he had witnessed as a schoolteacher. Here are a couple of excerpts:

Frankfurt, Illinois "I had a rich personal inquiry going on in many things. School was for me a tedious interruption of my otherwise interesting life."

Madison, Wisconsin "I'm desperate what to do. Three bright and lively children but everyday I see a closing down of enthusiasm as they grind their way through a predetermined school program."

Force, compel, and compulsion do not have to be words whose actions we try to avoid. If we allow our own educational desires to drive us, these words can be the greatest force in who we become.

Awaken The Genius

An education begins with the pursuit of knowledge of those things that capture our interest. When we are young we depend on our parents to guide us through that pursuit, showing us where to find the troves of knowledge that will fill our desire to learn. When children are given free reign with their education, with a mentor's guidance (i.e. parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, teacher, and/or other trusted adult) they can learn at an amazing speed. Allowing children to follow their interests will inspire in them a love for learning and a love for learning will open up their hearts to the desire to be educated. As children learn about those topics that capture their attention the education they receive will seem like play. They will find joy in discovering the world that they want to know and become better acquainted with. Perhaps there are some true geniuses, but most geniuses are average people who were allowed to follow where their interests lead them and were guided by a caring mentor. All children have that capacity within them to become someone great, but it is up to those around them to provide them with the guidance they need in order to become that great someone.

We all have a lifetime in which to educate ourselves. Trying to force an education on a child will only result in that child developing the feelings of resentment for learning. It will seem to that child that an education is a painful process and must be unwillingly endured in order to become something. Children become unfocused, bored, moody, quarrelsome, disruptive, and are easily distracted when they have to sit for hours hearing about subjects that hold no interest for them. For the rest of their lives they will feel these emotions when they are in a school setting due to the fact that it was ingrained in them from the very beginning of their educational experience. Geniuses are not found in this type of setting, they are stifled.

In order to awaken the genius in children we need to allow them to decide where their interests are and guide them in following those interests. We cannot continue to mass educate with a one-size-fits-all education and expect individualism to shine through. There can be no master in a field of study if everyone has the same education. We are all unique and have unique qualities and interests, so why should our learning be something that forces sameness. We should teach children to be the individual we tell them to be by allowing their genius to govern their education. Do not stifle it by putting them into a situation that will induce pain; instead teach them there is joy in learning by guiding them through their own desires and then watch as the transformation from child to genius is made.