the following is opinion, and I thought I would post it as it will give
others things to discuss on the lists. Due to being involved in many
activities, my time for such discussion is very limited. However, feel free to
discuss it - whether or not I join in the discussion.
Tom Billings
=========================================
Posting/Copyright Notice: This post is approved for posting on raw-food,
veg-raw, living-foods, Intestinal Health, and the Paleo diet e-mail lists.
It is also approved for M2M, "Health & Beyond" (and web site), and "REAL News".
Posting on any other list/website, or publishing in any other manner requires
advance approval. Those portions of the post below written by me are also:
Copyright 1998, by Thomas E. Billings; all rights reserved.
=========================================
THOUGHTS ON RAW VEGANISM AND SPIRITUALITY
An opinion by Tom Billings
In a recent e-mail conversation, the question of raw foods diets and
spirituality came up. I thought I would expand and edit an e-mail that I
wrote on the topic, and share it with others, as it may stimulate some
interesting discussions. The basic question being addressed below is the
linkage between raw foods diets and spirituality.
First, you might want to check out the "Hallelujah Diet", a Christian approach
to raw foods. I think their Internet web site address is:
< http://www.hacres.com >. Another Christian approach to raw foods is practiced
by the Essenes, a sect that believes Jesus was a raw-foods vegetarian. See
the "Essene Gospels" and related books by Edmond Szekeley for more information.
A few of my thoughts (opinions) on diet and spirituality are as follows.
* The ultimate goal of spirituality is to take you beyond the body, to spirit.
Diet deals primarily with the body, hence you may eventually transcend diet
(and dietary issues) if/when you progress far enough. I would note here
that some people who were/are considered enlightened do follow a dietary
philosophy (e.g., vegetarianism), while others who were/are considered
enlightened, do not.
* Raw foods diets have the same effect as fasting - they create the ILLUSION
of spiritual progress. This illusion helps you if it motivates you to go deeper
in your spirituality, and harms you tremendously if the illusion feeds the ego;
e.g. the negative, hostile approach of the dietary extremists who promote
dietary supremacy - condemning the "cooked", and claiming that rawists are
"superior". [I refer to the latter phenomenon as "raw ego".]
* Raw vegan diets, particularly fruitarianism, may produce a light or "euphoric"
mental feeling that some interpret as spiritual. Having experienced this myself,
I can assure you it is not like the genuine spiritual feeling one gets from
spiritual practices. Instead, it may be a symptom of zinc deficiency and/or an
unbalance in the nervous system.
* 100% raw vegan diets are well known for: 1) rarely working as a maintenance
diet in the long run (but often work well in the short run, and/or as a healing
diet), 2) the common opinion of long time rawists that very, very few of the
long-time 100% raw vegans are mentally balanced. It is in the 100% raw vegan
category that you find the hostile extremists, those with full-scale eating
disorders, and the mentally unbalanced. (Note: those who are 100% raw vegan for
healing usually don't experience mental problems - facing a serious illness
can be a very sobering "reality check" and attitude adjuster.)
* Because of the above, I would suggest that you not go 100% raw vegan unless
you are seeking healing. A mixed diet - even as little as 5% cooked - may
make a difference in mental health status, in my opinion and observation.
Another approach would be to go 100% raw for several months, then go back to
5-25% cooked for months, then back to 100% raw, and so on.
* If you do try 100% raw vegan as a maintenance diet, never, ever forget:
+ at all times, the diet must serve you and not the other way around
+ your health is more important than achieving 100% raw vegan
+ your spirituality is more important than achieving 100% raw vegan.
The above is plain, simple common sense - but it's the exact opposite of what
many extremists teach. They want you to become a slave to the false dietary
dogma they teach. The extremists have a god - their god is the raw foods
diet. You can follow the extremists, and worship food as a god, or you can
choose a more traditional (and positive) approach to spirituality.
|
