will be worth it, Ben. I hope.”
Daniel gently placed the pinecone in a large, ceramic, dragon-shaped bowl.
“The amazing power of the seed of health begins to manifest itself long before birth. Just think about the gestation period of a human being: over a nine-month period, a perfectly formed fetus develops according to a very predictable schedule. Now, I realize that there are sometimes genetic defects or weaknesses, but a lot of that is actually caused by humans disturbing the genetic pool or introducing chemicals at critical times in the crucial formative period of the fetus.”
“This is the interference that you were talking about last week,” said Max. “Right?”
“Exactly. This is one of the earliest and most crucial forms of interference, because the development that takes place at this point sets the stage for all future development in the life of the new human being. Think of the newborn baby: it is perfection. Under normal circumstances, it has two eyes, ten fingers and toes with little nails at the ends, an ear on each side of the head, and all of the internal organs, fully functioning and in the right place. Throughout the body are complex systems of electro-chemical complexes, hormones, immune system cells, blood vessels, muscles, tendons and ligaments, and a multitude of other crucial components. A central nervous system coordinates and controls the smooth functioning of all these intricate systems. It’s like an orchestra.”
Daniel’s face was glowing as he described the intricacies of the human body. Although this was not really new information, Ben felt like he was hearing it for the first time, or more to the point, that he actually understood its significance. How many people simply take for granted that their bodies will continue to function as nature intended, no matter what kinds of stresses they are placed under?
“—water, or herbal iced tea. And I’ve made gluten-free carrot and flaxseed muffins,” offered Elizabeth.
Ben hadn’t even heard her enter the shop. He found her gracefulness enchanting as she glided into the room. Her presence had a calming effect, a realization that surprised Ben, since he was already more calm and relaxed than he had been in years just by being in the shop with Daniel. He wondered if these people even knew what the word ‘stress’ meant.
“I hope you don’t mind if I join you,” she asked, looking at Ben and Max.
“Please do,” answered Ben. “Daniel was just describing the incredibly complex network of systems in our bodies that is controlled by our innate intelligence or life force. He compared it to an orchestra.”
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. She turned her gaze to Daniel and gestured for him to continue.
“A newborn infant has an instinctive sucking reflex that allows it to nourish itself, ensuring its survival. No one has to teach this new being how to nurse, or breathe, or process the nutrients it receives for sustenance and growth. It does not have to remember to direct the liver to secrete the proper digestive enzymes. It does not have to concentrate on keeping its heart beating and its blood flowing. It is the innate intelligence contained in the seed of health that enables the body to keep itself alive and healthy. It’s a miracle, Ben. Have you ever wanted to see a miracle? Look in the mirror.”
“The only miracle I’ve ever seen is when the Leafs made it to the playoffs during the Harold Ballard years,” said Max.
“And even then they were a better team than the Canadiens,” Vic replied.
Ben looked at Max and Vic and shook his head. When he considered all of the interconnected systems in the human body, and their thousands of interrelated functions, he began to realize just how much of a miracle his life was. At the same time, he was suddenly acutely aware of its fragility. He had spent enough time around computers to know that even a slight and seemingly insignificant interference could cripple even the most powerful computer. The human body, with an internal computer far more sophisticated than any computer on the market, was likely to be affected in much the same way if any of its systems were tampered with or experienced interference from external sources. He had tampered with his far too much over the past few years. The thought disturbed him.
“The human body knows exactly what needs to be done in order to heal itself when it is injured or stressed,” continued Elizabeth, as though anticipating what was going through Ben’s mind.
He noticed how seamlessly she had entered the conversation, continuing Daniel’s train of thought.
“It would be nice if they could invent a computer that could fix itself,” said Vic.
“They don’t need fixing very often, Vic, unless you misuse them. They usually run quite well if there is no interference,” said Max.
Elizabeth smiled at the bantering in the background, and then continued. “If a part of the body is cut, one of its many internal systems goes to work instantly to heal and restore the injured tissue. Now, just try and imagine what would happen if you had to consciously control all your bodily systems and functions. Would you be able to list the steps, in proper sequence, that your body would need to follow in order for it to heal a cut? Would you know that your tissues have to swell to cut off the flow of blood to the injured area? Do you know how to send special chemicals to clot the blood? Can you send extra blood cells to fight infection? How would you go about directing the healing process? In fact, you could not possibly do all these things, even if you knew how. Fortunately, your body knows instinctively what has to be done, and how to do it in the most efficient manner. It knows how to react to any situation, from a small cut or bruise to a flu virus or an injured back. Your body knows how to do this because of the innate intelligence contained in the seed of health.”
Vic stood up and walked across the room to inspect the partially dismantled Toyota engine. “Imagine all of that activity going on inside your body, Ben, without your having to worry about controlling it. Everything happens when it is supposed to happen. I’ll bet you would never hear any little voices inside your body yelling, ‘I’m still waitin’, Dayton!’”
“You’ll never let me live that one down, will you?”
“Absolutely not, Ben. It’s one of the highlights of my career. But don’t look at me. Your friend here put you in that difficult position,” he added, glancing over at Max.
Max held up his hands in mock protest, then moved over to help inspect the engine.
“If our body knows instinctively how to do all these things,” asked Max, “then why is that we still get sick? Shouldn’t our bodies be able to resist everything that attacks it?”
“I don’t know how your body could resist some of the things you dump into it, Max,” said Ben. “Those afternoon ‘snacks’ are scary.” Ben turned to Elizabeth, allowing her to continue.
“Well, Max, this may sound too good to be true, but it is a fact that, left to its own devices, the human body would certainly maintain itself in a state of perfect health. When we get sick, it is because we have done something that interferes with one or more of the systems in our body. Ultimately, our immune system is weakened and we succumb to illness. For example, have you ever wondered why, if someone in a group has a cold, only a few people might get it, even though everyone is equally exposed to the virus? It is because those people have weakened immune systems, for whatever reason, and are more susceptible to the illness. What it all comes down to is this: the less we do, the better off we are.”
“Now you’ve piqued his interest,” said Vic. “Doing less was his specialty in
