Expert

"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it. "
Robert Heinlein, US science fiction author (1907 - 1988)

Back after another break. The challenge is to keep this going in the midst of much intensity at work and in life. At the moment, my family has been struck down with a nasty illness and I'm playing nurse while fighting the insurgents at the gates of my body. Being healthy is important and I would like to be an expert in this. But I don't want to be limited either. I guess the limitation of being an expert lies in the being bound by the law of cause and effect. Experts tend to be more concerned with the effects and do not have much grasp on the cause side. Take illness. What causes illness? Really. Experts - doctors in this case - will have detailed knowledge and expertise about illnesses and about their potential cures. However, the actual cause of illness is surrounded by smoke and mirrors. Are the bacteria or viruses, which are on the scene when the illness symptoms are observed, the cause of the illness or merely consistent scavengers of dying cells and tissues, rather like rats on a rubbish tip or maggots on a rotting carcass? Does the body get healed or does it heal itself? I guess it is easy to get bogged down in the details of what causes what and how things work etc - that is the realm of experts. The real question is, can we take a stand and cause things ourselves? Can I cause myself to be healthy? Can I cause myself to avoid the illness that is ravaging my family? Can I become an expert in cause? Or will I be an educated slave to effect?

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few. "
Shunryu Suzuki