Peter Attia’s Outlive is for me a personal manual to the human body.
But there is another aspect of being alive. And is far more fascinating.
I got interested in Wayne Dyer’s writings in the 90′, in the second trimester of my life. I had a busy cardiac surgical practice, often operating at night, on weekends, or when not even on call. My family grew to six people, and, I invited my parents to move with us from Poland. I felt the weight of responsibility. All four of our children were active beyond school, and all chose unusual, time – intensive activities. Fortunately, I had a harmonious marriage, and we shared most of these functions with Bonnie. I didn’t know the limits of what can I do, but sensed, it was close.
Then, in a bookstore in Camarillo, I came across Wayne Dyer’s Your Erroneous Zones. Actually, it was his audio tape collection. I started to listen to them in my car, during hours long trips to hockey practices. It’s funny that my son, who sat next to me during our long escapades, still remembers his name.
It was a frantic time in my life. I felt stretched to the limits. To support my family, I had to mature as a surgeon. To grow my family, I had to grow as a father. I had to maintain my health. The integrity of my marriage was of a paramount importance. And I still wanted to travel.
I saw my peers having problems with their wives, with their children, and with their professional lives. I didn’t want that to happen to me.
I needed a counterbalance to my everyday’s busyness.
Then came a discovery of Wayne Dyer’s writings.
Every thinking person, at some point of their life, usually asks the following questions:
- Where did I come from,
- What’s my purpose in being here,
- What will happen after I die.
That’s not a matter of religion. That’s a matter of philosophy. It’s just a fact, all the religions try to address these questions. Each of them in its own way, and in the end, they come to the similar conclusions.
Each of us has to come up with our own explanations. And each of us comes to a point where faith and science merge, some say collide. Or do they?
It’s easy to get lost in everyday chores, when you look at your life from your 5–6 feet of height. But with age, we can see the world from 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 feet. And finally, from space. The higher you go, the better you see. The crowds are not there, the air is cleaner, there is less noise, and one doesn’t see so many meaningless, distracting details.
We all keep looking.
Happy searching.
For an extra credit, Here’s the link to the movie, a companion to his book The Shift.
The movie is OK, but its message is outstanding.
While Dyer’s ideas address all-inclusive aspects of spirituality, Christians find all the answers in the Bible. And it served us well for 2000 years.
