is so beautiful, and on a clear day like today, it’s even more magnificent. You know, even though I was born in Charleston, I get a lump in my throat every time I see these beautiful mountains from the air like this. Going the other direction, I always feel like I’m home when I can look out the window and see them all far off in the distance, welcoming me back. And leaving…it’s like they’re telling me goodbye and wishing me a safe journey! Ben, this is a great omen for the trip. You’re gonna have a fabulous time!”
“No doubt,” Ben echoed, “I’m pumped! Hope it stays clear the whole way. I’d love to see the great Salt Lake, the Rockies, the Mississippi—all those magnificent sights. Maybe we will!”
“Hopefully so,” Ryan agreed, turning to his book. “I’ve got a lot to learn here before the flight’s over. Hey Jules, what was it you were telling me about that Dossey book? I want to be sure our friend here doesn’t miss anything!”
Julian thought for a moment, then looked over at Ben and Ryan. “You know,” he began slowly, “it surprises me, Ben, that you’re reading this book. It’s not exactly mainstream medical reading! I got interested in Larry Dossey’s work shortly after I finished Peter Russell’s ‘From Science to God’, in which he postulated a new metaparadigm where consciousness was primary and everything else evolved from it. I found that pretty interesting, since I’ve spent a lot of my life rebelling against myopic materialistic science, which was essentially spiritually bankrupt and denied the existence of consciousness outside of the human brain. Well, a lot of new discoveries in quantum physics are showing the limitations of that point of view and are now pointing to an underlying energy field uniting all of life through an energetic web—a zero-point field, if you will, where energy exists even where it shouldn’t, even at absolute zero! Anyway, Dossey applied the concept of a universal nonlocal consciousness to medicine, calling it the third and most inclusive era of medicine—the era of eternity, or nonlocal medicine. In his view, the first era was very physical and mechanistic—drugs, radiation, surgery, you know, the physical side of medicine that is still practiced today. The second era expanded that to brain-body dynamics, adding a psychological dimension to the medical armamentarium. Well, Dossey went a step further and said that mind is not equivalent to brain, as science would have us believe, but, in essence, is a manifestation of a greater non-local consciousness not limited to time, space, and certainly not a single human brain! According to him, there is a collective, nonlocal universal consciousness that unites us all, essentially making the physical separation that we feel nothing more than an illusion. In reality, we are all part of the greater energy, and that which we identify as our ‘true self’ exists in an eternal realm beyond the body, time, and space. Very exciting stuff and right along the lines of Peter Russell’s thinking and a lot of other more ‘new age’ scientists. So, my friend, you’re in for a literal mind-blowing ride with that book. This is science and medicine at its highest and most inclusive form, in my humble opinion,” Julian smiled. “And I’m certainly glad you guys are getting a good taste of it. I’m sick of egocentric scientists and physicians who can’t see beyond the end of their noses, so read on, brother, and more power to you!” Pausing a moment, he couldn’t help but add, “Wow, that was pretty impressive, huh? You might as well close the book and take a nap…I told you all that you need to know already,” he laughed. “You guys owe me for that one!”
“Hmmm,” Ben mused, “maybe he’s right, Ryan. Perhaps it was good that we allowed him to sit with us, after all. I mean, he HAS demonstrated Socratic aptitude at the very least! I’ll check this book out and see if he even got close to what this guy’s trying to say. I do think medicine could use some serious reinventing, though—have to agree with Jules there. Anyway, off I go into the realm of the non-local…let me know if you see something cool out the window!”
With that, the three friends settled into their seats, each in his own introspective world—Ben with Dr. Dossey, Ryan with Dr. Ornish, and Julian with who knows what; from Ryan’s viewpoint, it looked like Quantum Consciousness or something like that.
A couple of hours passed before the three friends were unexpectedly jostled in their seats by a rather-pronounced shaking of the plane. Almost immediately, the Fasten Seat Belt sign was illuminated and the stewardess’s voice warned all passengers to return to their seats and buckle their seat belts. Ben, feeling a bit frightened, looked over at Ryan and asked, “What’s going on, man? Are we in a storm or something?”
Ryan laughed, as he had experienced this several times before. “No, just goin’ over the Rockies—get some wind currents and a bit of choppiness over the mountains. Wow, look down there! Aren’t they beautiful, all covered with snow? Bet there’s some serious skiing goin’ on down there. Wish we could drop in for a couple of days.”
“I don’t want to drop anywhere,” Ben quickly replied, still a bit nervous. “How long will the turbulence last?”
Just then, the captain’s voice came over the intercom. “Nothing to worry about, ladies and gentlemen. We usually pick up some wind currents and a bit of choppiness when we cross the Rockies. I’ll keep the Fasten Seat Belt sign illuminated for a while longer till it clears up. Shouldn’t be more than another fifteen minutes or so.”
“Well that’s a relief,” Ben sighed, “only fifteen more minutes of ‘shake, rattle, and roll!’ It’s making me sick to read with all this bumpiness. Think I’ll take a break. Maybe a nap is in order here.”
“What you need is a Red John,” Ryan smiled. “If it weren’t for all these new anti-terrorist rules about liquids, I’d have some in my backpack!”
“What on earth is a ‘Red John’?” Ben asked. “Sounds like some kind of illicit drug to me!”
“Do I look like a druggie to you?” Ryan laughed. “It’s a health drink, man. I whip some up in my Vitamix every few days, and it keeps me in tip-top shape—a lean, mean, studyin’ machine, at least these days!”
Ryan had Ben’s curiosity now. “So where’d you get that name?” he asked. “And what’s in it? Knowing you, I’m sure it’s probably organic fruits and vegetables, right?”
“Of course. There’s a ton of stuff that I put in it, but the red color is primarily from a beet, some strawberries, raspberries, radicchio, and some purple cabbage. I call it Red John because in about an hour after you’ve had a big glass, that’s exactly where you’ll be—on the john!”
“Hmmm…that sounds really great,” Ben teased. “A little inconvenient if you’re traveling, though. I haven’t seen you making any beelines for the back of the plane yet, so I assume you didn’t have any today,” he grinned.
“Well, I do try to ease off a bit on special occasions,” Ryan smiled. “It is really good for you, though, and gives you lots of energy. Maybe I’ll make you one in Charleston!”
“Pick a day when we’re hangin’ around the house, then, please,” Julian interjected. “I’m not as familiar with all the bathrooms in downtown Charleston as I used to be! Hey, how’s that book comin’, Ben? Looks like you’ve been pretty mesmerized over there, since you’re nap at least!”
“Yeah, you were right. It is fascinating, and all the more so because it’s written by an MD, not a philosopher or one of those ‘new age gurus.’ You know, he’s right—almost all of us tend to think of ourselves as separate people with our own unique personality centered inside our individual body and brain. We think our mind is confined somewhere in our skull behind our eyes. Isn’t that right? Don’t you?”
“Well, I guess I did till I read his book and several others. Being a medical student, you probably haven’t read Michael Grosso, the philosopher, but I’ve got a quote of his right
