Elchanan - Personal Notes [Principles for Vibrant Living: Constructive Use; HBG; Harmlessness] (WAS: Raw Food: Worth Its Weight In Gold ...)

[Guest guest]

Hi Blanc,

 

Happy to share further. I'm guessing that the speaker you heard made that

comment with a certain disdain, yes? So I suggest taking his/her comment

with a grain of salt.

 

Blanc, much of the RF world operates with a very distorted sense of food in

the larger scheme of things. Food is merely one input, among many, to our

overall vitality and sense of well-being. Examples of other inputs are fresh

air, sunshine, physical activity, mental activity, work, play, social

connections, sexuality, and much more. To be fully vital and alive, we

humans need to eat well, interact constructively with the physical world,

engage in pursuits that express our intrinsic sense of curiosity and

wonderment, and more. So no, for me food is not " a religion " .

 

That said, the ministry I serve, in which I live, is called " Vibrant Living

Ministries " . A core theme, a core component of the belief system, involves

exploring and discovering how to live in harmony with Nature's design ... as

opposed to controlling Nature's design. So we have, as a Principal for

Vibrant Living:

 

Every organism nourishes, cleanses, restores, and replenishes itself

through constructive activity (use).

 

In other words, every organism possesses the capacity, to a great extent, to

create its own vitality, its own health and sense of well-being, from the

inside, out. I say " to a great extent " , because certain acts of Nature, such

as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, famine, and the like can

create conditions that are beyond the responsive capacity of organisms and

therefore fatal.

 

That said, eating becomes nothing more or less than an activity ... an input

....which we may pursue in a more or less constructive manner, that is, in a

manner that is more or less convergent with our design, with Nature's design

for our species. When we eat simply, particularly one food at a time; when

we eat predominantly high-water-content, low-fat, low-protein,

low-indigestible-fiber foods, we eat in accordance with that design. When we

eat in any other way, our systems find ways to cope, but always at a cost in

terms of energy, awareness (and particularly self-awareness, presence,

poise, and the like.

 

Another core component of our beliefs arises from the ancient teaching,

" Thou shalt not kill. " (More literally from the Hebrew, " You no kill. " ) We

need kill no creature in order that we may live and enjoy life to the

fullest. In fact, we can ONLY live and enjoy life to the fullest when we

stretch ourselves, when we consciously choose to stop the killing. For our

species' history well demonstrates that we humans know not how to stop

killing, once we begin. Our genetic knowledge includes the experience, the

learning, of ancient ancestor species that were indeed designed to eat the

flesh of other creatures. We can only step beyond this core programming by

reprogramming our subconscious beliefs and through proactive, conscious

choice.

 

More generally, we hold to two ideas, the Doctrine of Highest and Best Good

and the Doctrine of Harmlessness, which guide our choice-making in almost

every respect.

 

According to the Doctrine of Highest and Best Good, an option can only be in

the highest and best good of one if it is in the highest and best good of

all. This gives us a way to test out our options before we make choices: We

can ask ourselves, " Is this option in his/her/their highest and best good,

as well as my own? " If the answer is " no " , then this option is not in our

own highest and best good, and we are guided toward consideration of other

alternatives

 

This belief might guide our food choices. For example, I am aware that, if I

choose to eat in ways that diminish my own energy and awareness, then I am

disserving the highest and best good of all life. I may therefore

consciously choose to lift myself up toward some higher aspiration.

 

According to the Doctrine of Harmlessness, we seek to harm no part of

Nature, to minimize our impact upon the world around us, to leave the world

a better place than we found it. The specific belief " Thou shalt not kill "

falls within the domain of this larger, more comprehensive one.

 

This belief might guide our food choices. For example, I am aware that

nurturing ecosystems benefits both me all all life around me, whereas

growing food in isolated monocultures does the opposite. I am further aware

that, by eating predominantly fruits and leaves, I leave intact the flora

around me, and I might seek, over time, to create a lifestyle wherein I can

harvest food directly and without taking the plants from which the food

comes.

 

Well Blanc, I hope this sheds a bit more light where you were hoping to have

some light. Write back as you wish.

 

Best regards,

Elchanan

_____

 

Blanc <blancw

February 24, 2009 8:54:12 PM PST

 

Yes, this does answer my question, but it would be interesting to know more

about your transformation. I heard a speaker some weeks ago refer to the

religion of eating raw that some people practice, so it's a bit amusing that

you would be living a combination of eating raw and a ministry. Which was

first, or did one lead to the other?

 

Blanc

_____

 

Elchanan

Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:48 am

Raw Food: Worth Its Weight In Gold [Economic Benefits of Healthful

Living: Diet and One's Personal/FAmily Budget] (WAS: Diet on a budget)

 

On Feb 23, 2009, at 8:48 AM, Elchanan wrote:

 

Hi Blanc, and thanks for asking! Yes, that was back in the 1980s, and at

that time I had a very different values system. in 1982 I received an MBA

from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University, widely regarded in the

business community as the top school in the U.S.A. I came to Silicon Valley

and began working in the world of high-technology startup companies.

Eventually, I started my own little software company. For quite some time,

I had no one else to support, zero debt, and I thought I loved " living

well " . So I did.

 

In 1997 I was introduced to raw foods, and I was beginning to tire of high

tech and of the whole " corporate scene " . At that time I learned a few

things, began exploring inside in many new ways, and chose to transform my

entire life into a ministry. I have lived in this way ever since. That is

what I " do " .

 

If you wish, I'm happy to share more, or not if that seems sufficient.

 

Best regards,

Elchanan

_____

 

Blanc [blancw]

Monday, February 23, 2009 6:11 AM

To:

</post?postID=tN6ySxLVP9Y_Fw38y_y

8MZ_F9jrGuS5lgm_IfZfvaymMB9K5z7zPOPwjF1qeBIZgklfhn7rpfVKHh_CqwgODBMS_4A>

 

Re: RAw Food: Worth Its Weight In Gold [Economic

Benefits of Healthful Living: Diet and One's Personal/FAmily Budget] (WAS:

Diet on a budget)

 

Thousands and thousands, wow. Pretty soon, you're talking cash. What was

your occupation, investment banker? Heh. And what do you do now, if I may

ask, besides the Path of Health discussion site?

 

Blanc

 

_____

 

<Elchanan Elchanan

Feb 21, 2009, at 12:38 PM

 

I appreciate this topic, Ron.

 

- I used to spend thousands ... and thousands ... of dollars eating out,

on fine wines. Now that cost approaches zero. (Occasionally I eat at a

restaurant with friends or the like.)

 

- I used to spend more thousands of dollars on prescription and OTC drugs,

especially antibiotics, antihistamines, and decongestants. Now that cost IS

zero.

 

- I used to spend hundreds, of not thousands, of dollars on tissues, toilet

paper, personal hygiene products, and household cleaning products. Now that

cost is very low. My consumption of tissues, toilet paper, and the like has

decreased by at least 95%. My consumption of personal hygiene products has

done the same. (Still buy razor blades. And my consumption of household

cleaning products has dropped significantly (but I haven't monitored

specifically, so I don't have a percentage of decrease).

 

- I used to spend thousands ... and thousands ... of dollars on fancy

clothes, shoes, and the like. Now that my entire relationship with Nature

has changed, I spend a tiny fraction of that amount on such products. And

when I do buy something, wherever I can, I buy organic or better.

 

So when I go shopping for food, I buy only the best I can find, and I pay

virtually no attention to what it costs. After all, it's saving me a

fortune,, each and every day of my life!

 

Best to all,

Elchanan

_____

 

Ron Koenig [

</post?postID=6017Q-3YYznenuej-uS

kzdlSUkwnPAhJjjBKtxsfqHVNg4Hpp0vtpKFvO9Mz0r8FgsFuTS8mWPpg9r2f6nI>

theveganking]

Friday, February 20, 2009 11:22 AM

To:

</post?postID=gnjHfu4kdS9GPrwxAi7

w7mJ4WERPUhM2bAXkQsT7ydH0CeAZ4Oqri1bB7uCTsegH1ujgBi7s9u2OeNBnInKKfBfm7bw>

 

Diet on a budget

 

There's been talk on the news about people switching over to lower- cost

fast food instead of eating out. (Not only are they going to have financial

stress if they lose their job, their body is going to get all stressed out

from that food.) Of course we have a totally different approach to eating.

For me the way to save money is by ordering good food in bulk or buying good

food where it is sold at the cheapest price. I think another good approach

would be to learn what foods can be eaten out in nature that you can get for

free. Any thoughts out there about this? I'm working with a very slim

budget right now.

 

Ron Koenig