Stress Health - Health Delivery.

In his book "The Stress Myth" Serge Doublet suggests that stress is an abstract concept in search of a reality - that is, it doesn't exist. He relates how the inventor of the idea in the medical sense, Hans Selye, changed his definition of stress throughout his life. He never found it!!

This is not to deny that we experience something when we complain of stress. But what is this something? Is your something the same as mine - as everybody else's? I don't think so. Can we locate it? Can we measure it directly? As we can not, of what use is this concept? In social chit chat, we sort of know what is meant by it - well, we think we do.

Actually it's a minimizing or cop out term. It's a polite way of saying I am losing control or not coping - my expectations and reality are clashing. With it we get to stay on the surface of our experience and avoid digging into what is actually going on. We get to avoid being vulnerable, truthful and expressive - looking foolish, weak or incapable.

There's the concept - a mental abstraction - a non-existent - a mental map. We end up giving more weight to it, our ideas, definitions and explanations, than we do to what's real and actual - our experience. What is real is negated by our mental gymnastics.

Commitment

Until one is committed
there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation),
there is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas
and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
that would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner
of unforeseen incidents and meetings
and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt
would come his way.

WH Murray Scottish Himlayan Expedition

We can all sense what this poem is about - the power of commitment. It's awesome.

The committed person doesn't comment on whether they are committed or not? They are not trying to be committed - they simply are. They are too busy being and doing. Others notice. They see its power. They want some of it. If I do commitment, the actions of it, I'll be it. This mimicry doesn't work. They develop ideas about what they think it is. This doesn't get them any closer to it.

What is commitment? We think we know what it is but do we don't. We know how it presents and our ideas about it but we do not know it. If we don't know it, we can not consciously set about manufacturing it. It's not a product of manufacture. It's got nothing to do with our egos. It is if anything an egoless state.

Commitment and stress are abstract concepts. We know what they are until we stop, really stop, and think. When we do, we find we can not locate either of them. We know our definitions and explanations. We may be able to say an awful lot about stress and commitment but we don't know either in an objective measurable way. There is no recipe for commitment. It can not be manipulated into existence.

Does this matter? Yes it does. Knowing the difference between an abstract concept and a concrete one makes navigating life a little easier. A concrete concept refers to an actuality - something we can point at. An abstract concept refers to a non existent. We feel something in our bodies and we say stress caused it. We see someone with single minded attention and say behind this is commitment. Neither commitment nor stress have ever been observed. Your and my ideas about these non existents are of as much value as your or my ideas about santa Claus.

If you and I sit down and nut out what we mean by commitment, carefully define it, then maybe we can have a productive conversation as long as we realise our talk is about abstractions not reality. It's about 'maps' which may or may not cohere with reality. The world is flat works as an idea when our horizons are small but it's not the truth - it's not reality. It coheres until our horizons expand.

Now what about health?

One widely accepted definition of health is that of the World Health Organization (WHO). It states that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO, 1946).

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. This is a circular definition. Well being = health. We are none the wiser. And anyway what on earth is a state of complete mental well being, for godsake? This definition gives us nothing - nothing to act from or with. It's hot air - jibbe jabba or to be blunt B.S.

Health is even more abstract and hard to pin down than stress or commitment. We know stress by feelings and bodily sensations. We know commitment by people's actions. When we stop and consider health we realise that the concept and all our talk about it, isn't the reality. What is the reality? What are its consequences? Your idea of the signs and symptoms of health will differ to mine and those of others.

We assume health exists because we experience its consequences - well we think we do. We see a person full of energy and aliveness. That's a healthy person we say. Health gives rise to aliveness and energy. Health however, cannot be located or known. We actually haven't a clue what is going on. Using the term health protect us from acknowledging our ignorance. As we can not know it and we think we should be able to, we start guessing and out of these guesses we generate definitions. We make them up out of thin air. Health is ........

Whose definition shall we use? Is there a definition that is the one and only - direct from God - the truth? If there isn't, then we need a definition which almost all can agree on. We know this will never happen. What we are left with is various groups with their differing ideas vying for the power to impose their beliefs on the rest of us - good intentions leading to tyranny.

What's the answer? The answer to pot of gold hunters isn't in finding a way to the end of any rainbow. It's too wake up and realise there are no pots of gold at the end of rainbows. There is no end of a rainbow. There is no rainbow. This realisation releases the pot of gold hunter from their fruitless search. Once released they have more time on their hands to enjoy rainbows and more energy to put into planting a garden or whatever. And with regards to health no inclination to impose on others.

At this point watch that little voice inside, the voice of the helper - well we can still facilitate others - enable them to be healthy. Whose idea of health are you on about now? And how will you know whether you are facilitating health? Yes you may be able to help but who determines what is helpful and what isn't? Not you! Well not for me you don't.