Monday, June 24, 2024

 Monday, June 24, 2024

     I made it to Chi Qigong this morning by 8 am. Clyde was there. Diana arrived later. The three of us stood facing the ocean and breathing it in. The view is particularly impressive at this spot, with large tide pools created by huge black smooth boulders of lava.  The smell of the ocean is the strongest for me here.  I usually don't smell it in other locations. My nose may become more sensitive after living here for 10 years.  The smell of the Pacific is disappointingly nothing like the smell of the Atlantic. Having been raised on the East Coast and enjoying many summer days at the beach when I was young, I associate the smell of the Atlantic with the sea and love it.  The smell here in Hawaii is only of the ozone. I learned the scent I love that I associate with the Atlantic Ocean is from rotting vegetation. There's very little to none here. It's a food desert. 

  I had plans to rush around doing some chores before I went home and met with twenty-six-year-old SL for a Zoom session. She texted to say she wasn't feeling well.  She was still recovering from surgery to remove a third breast from under her arm. 

  Yesterday, the topic of osteoporosis came up during our evening walk. I was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis at fifty.  I asked for a bone density test because I wanted a baseline reading at the beginning of menopause. The result was a surprise.  There was no apparent cut reason I should have had such bad bone density. The only thing I did wrong was smoke two packs a day for the better part of nineteen years, starting at age fifteen. While that is listed as a possible factor, it wasn't the worst offender on the list and doesn't account for the severity of my condition. I may have had trouble absorbing minerals. 

     Lutz, always a fund of information about anything historical, medical, or anything scientific in general, said, "It's a good thing you didn't have children. A woman always loses minerals that are never completely replenished during pregnancy."  I had other reasons for never wanting children. I was afraid I would be like my mother.  I committed to ending the cycle of abuse. I was not passing it on to another generation. 

   Mike and I shared that commitment. He felt the same way about his family of origin. We both lived nightmare childhoods, certainly not the worst possible, far from the worst, but lives that could have been better with a little effort on the part of our parents. 

   Lutz went on to say, "You know where the lowest incidence of osteoporosis is?" I didn't, and neither did Darby. "Bulgaria," Lutz declared. Darby piped up, "They eat yogurt." Yes, that was part of it, but there was more. They eat mushrooms, not just mushrooms but sundried ones. I put yogurt and mushrooms on my shopping list. I would have to sun dry them myself.

        I had no student for today. I was busy in the morning and couldn't see the Twins. Twenty-six-year-old SL wasn't feeling well, and Adolescent D was on vacation with his family until Friday. They either went on a local camping trip or to Oahu. No one goes to the mainland for four days for vacation unless it's an emergency. Well, this may be. I'll find out.

   I continue to be fascinated by the relationship between religious beliefs and population growth. I see a strong correlation.  When we lived in small, disconnected groups, we believed in local Gods who helped us with our daily survival needs. When a group got large enough, so it was impossible to know everyone's life story, things shifted to a God who laid down rules of behavior within the group.  When we see many large groups warring with each other, we see religions worshipping One God, the One True God.  That coordinates all those people under one banner.  At some point, the coordinating organization becomes based on a political unit under a king, for example. That's where we see the development of the conflict between religious leaders and political ones. Think King Henry VIII as a prime example of that. We start seeing a crack between church, or whatever the religious organization may be, and state.  As the population continues to increase and technology improves along with population growth, diverse groups are brought into increasing contact with each other. Religion has been replaced by the nation-state. (This by no way means I think a religious organization could do a better job.) The nation-state becomes a continent state, which becomes a global state. The larger the overseeing institution, the less voice for the individual, by necessity.  The US plan to maintain local government power had wisdom. Of course, deciding what to render to what is the thorny question not so easily answered.  With the alienation of all individuals from the governing body comes an interesting switch from 'religion' to spirituality. Individuals need personal contact with the powers that be; they also need comfort and security.  Having seen this correlation between population size, group integration, and religion, I can't unsee it. The more distant the governing agency is, the more personal contact with spiritual forces is needed.

  One caveat here: I think religions go through stages of development much like individuals do. Islam is several centuries behind the development of Western religions. Another possibility is that it just reached its retrograde stage before we did. We can't live under a single Godhead anymore when it's different for each religion.