June 2006

The allness of one mind

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

We were reading some of the timeless writings of our mentor, the late, great Dr. Joe Flesia, and this triggered the urgent need to communicate the concept of the "allness of one mind." There's a special place in each of us which, once awakened, brings achievement, excitement and purpose to our lives. It seems that, once awakened, everybody wants to be around us as if we were rock stars. If this special place isn't awakened, life seems to have no meaning. It's just a series of going through the motions. This is a vicious cycle that traps many an unwary DC in a downward spiral of boredom, a lack of gratitude and a passionless life.

Chiropractors everywhere are starting to realize that without purpose in their lives, financial success is hollow, leaving a metallic taste in your mouth that feels like "is that all there is?" There's a silent voice inside all of us that seems to be calling us to enlarge our vision ‑‑ and our dreams. If you have a burning desire and purpose in your life, you'll be financially successful beyond your wildest imaginings and you'll feel great about yourself and your life.

Imagine for a minute there were DCs in your geographical area educating people about being healthier. Healthier people, healthier planet. Your community would begin to change consciousness. Teachers would regain their purpose and dreams of really educating our children. Mothers and fathers would put the priority back on health and on raising self‑confident, successful and purposeful children. People would start to abandon the need to dominate other people whose views are different than their own. A nurturing, creative consciousness would emerge to replace the competitive "me over you" way of existence that currently prevails. When we as DCs adopt this "allness of one mind" or a common consciousness, our communities, our profession and the world will change for the better.

Author Matt Braun in his book, "The Savage Land," writes about the self‑directed, purposeful man or woman: "While Prentice knew full well that life could only be understood backwards, he was distinctly aware that it must be lived with audacity. Those who waited for the last card to show before making their move invariably ended up sucking hind quarter. Yet goaded as he was by this need to soar even higher, it was a hunger that he never fully comprehended. It was one of those things a man could fathom only when looking back; rarely, if ever, did he recognize it for what it was while he was living it. Sometimes he believed it was simply a gnawing of the gut, a loneliness of the mind, or flesh. Then that indefinable thing that lived inside his head would flare anew, and he realized all over again that the furies of the soul were like some carnivorous beast. Always hungry, never satisfied, driven on and on by the mindless will to stand above the petty commonplaces of lesser men.

"Sadly, it was the kind of hunger few could imagine, much less attribute to one of their own. Neither his parents, wife, nor family and friends could understand what drove him... and that bothered him at times. It sealed him off, made his life a solitary thing. For there was no one like‑minded enough to share his thoughts... or his dreams.

"Yet it did not diminish what he saw in himself, or lessen the savor of what he had accomplished. Instead it spurred him in some curious way to test himself even further... to reach still higher."  

For a western writer, Braun has his fingers on the pulse of the warrior. No doubt you all found yourselves somewhere in his comments. He even talks about how the second‑hander ‑‑ the failure ‑‑ tries to achieve more "backbone." After a confrontation that shook his life, George Suggans got busy breaking out a bottle he kept for occasions just such as this. Nerve medicine he called it. Whether a man was losing his nerve ‑‑ or just didn't have any to start with ‑‑ whiskey had a way of working wonders on the spine.

At The New Renaissance, we see whiskey as the active metaphor for the allopathic model and practice management procedures. Rather than having a do‑it‑yourself attitude and being the chiropractor they've always wanted to be, many DCs rely on an outside fix. You know,  non‑chiropractic income producing activities (the list is as long as the weaknesses of those chiropractors not on the warrior path).

We celebrate the doctors who've experienced the "Renaissance" or rebirth of their awareness of being fully human. These DCs bear testament to the growing number of chiropractors who want to create a shift in societal consciousness. 

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)