| are many theories about why we get cancer | | | | instability), thus accelerating all the other changes. |
| individually, they range from genetic mutations through | | | | Using the metaphysical principle of as above, so below, |
| to environmental carcinogens, improper diet and the | | | | we can compare the situation of cells working in |
| use of cell phones and other electromagnetic | | | | co-operation to sustain the body with the similar |
| equipment. | | | | situation of human individuals being part of the larger |
| I intend to look at the question form a more | | | | whole that is life on earth. There are billions of us living |
| metaphysical perspective. | | | | as part of a larger organic system that includes every |
| First of all, how much do we suffer from cancer? The | | | | plant and animal species and the biosphere of the |
| statistic that is often cited, especially by people | | | | earth. Our species and individual health is totally |
| promoting alternative cancer cures, is that 1 in 3 people | | | | dependant on the overall health of this greater system, |
| suffer from cancer at some time in their life. | | | | sometimes personified as Gaia. |
| At first sight this seems unbelievably high so I went | | | | From this viewpoint we have many characteristics in |
| looking for the source of this information and found it in | | | | common with cancer: |
| statistics published by the American Cancer Society. | | | | • We have the ability to promote our own |
| In the period 2002 -2004 the chance of developing | | | | growth and ignore the antigrowth signals from Gaia |
| invasive cancer over a lifetime (from birth – | | | | (famine, drought, plague etc.) and are experiencing |
| death) is 44.94% or 1 in 2 for men and 37.52% or 1 in 3 | | | | huge population growth globally. |
| for women. | | | | • We have the ability to overcome genetic |
| Further information from the same source tells us that | | | | limitations and experience unchecked growth through |
| 1,500 Americans are predicted to die every day from | | | | technological advances. |
| cancer in 2008 and that it is responsible for 1 in every | | | | • We are developing the ability to live longer |
| 4 deaths. Globally, 7.6 million people died from cancer in | | | | and increase our replicative potential. |
| 2007. | | | | • We have the ability to increase our resource |
| The only good news in this deluge of death is that the | | | | supply above the limits of natural production, (the use |
| 5 year survival rate over all cancers in the US is 66% | | | | of fossil fuels that represent past deposits of stored |
| in 2008 which is up from 50% in 1975-1977. | | | | solar energy) |
| So, from a statistical viewpoint, and assuming that the | | | | • We have the ability of invading neighbouring |
| US statistics can be interpreted globally, more than 1 in | | | | ecosystems as evidenced by the continuing extinction |
| 3 of us will develop invasive cancer in our lifetime and | | | | of other species through human activity. |
| about half of those cases will prove fatal. | | | | • We have the ability to build colonies all over |
| What is cancer? As I am not a doctor I won’t | | | | the world and do exploit every available ecosystem. |
| attempt to answer this question from a medical | | | | My suggestion as to why we are experiencing so |
| perspective but more from a symbolic viewpoint. | | | | much cancer is that we are behaving so much like |
| We perceive our body to be a unique and singular | | | | cancer and that this behaviour is accelerated by our |
| organism but it is actually a colony of billions of cells | | | | loss of capacity or intention to repair our errors. |
| acting in alignment. Each cell in our body has an | | | | The cure for our collective cancer is therefore to |
| individual existence, it is created, lives for a period | | | | realign our purpose with that of the greater being of |
| carrying out its function and then dies and is replaced. | | | | which we are a part (of which we are currently apart). |
| This all happens below our level of conscious | | | | As a species we act to multiply ourselves at the |
| awareness but is essential for our continued existence | | | | expense of our environment even though we know |
| and good health. | | | | that we can’t survive without a healthy |
| Our very existence is a miracle of cellular co-operation, | | | | environment. Unchecked, we will become a tumour |
| every second of our life relies on millions of aligned and | | | | that kills the body that supports us. Global warming, |
| organised interactions and communications between | | | | natural disasters and resource depletion are the signals |
| our cells. | | | | from Gaia that are telling us to start acting for the |
| Cells are arranged in groups called organelles and | | | | good of the whole rather than for our own selfish gain. |
| organs and are differentiated to perform different | | | | On a society level we need to recognise that other |
| functions, all of which are necessary to the functioning | | | | cultures and societies are part of our greater being |
| of the organism as a whole. Our cells act with a | | | | and that fighting for ideological control or resource use |
| singular intention; to carry out their individual function for | | | | is ridiculous. Does your liver compete with your lungs |
| the good of the whole being. | | | | for blood supply? No, because they recognise that |
| Cancer happens when one or more of our cells starts | | | | they are both part of the same organism. If one |
| to act independently; it begins to grow and multiply out | | | | country goes to war with another to secure their |
| of alignment with the needs of the greater body. | | | | supply of resources but causes untold death and |
| It’s as if they no longer hear or obey the needs | | | | suffering in the other country, how is the human |
| of the body and set off to have their own existence, | | | | species better off? Ideas and ideologies that separate |
| even though this can lead to the death of the body | | | | peoples are errors of thinking that accelerate our |
| and therefore their own demise. | | | | society level cancer behaviours. |
| Cells don’t really have much imagination, when | | | | On an individual level we need to realise that we are |
| they set off for an independent existence all that | | | | members of families, communities and of society and |
| know to do is to multiply and so this is what they do, | | | | that our actions need to be aligned with the good of |
| some cancer cells will also continue to perform their | | | | the society as a whole. Our individual acts of |
| specialised function as they spread and multiply e.g. | | | | selfishness are metaphorical equivalents of the growth |
| cells from the testis, when cancerous, can produce | | | | of individual cancer cells. |
| high levels of oestrogen throughout the body. | | | | If we strive to increase our position and acquire |
| Cancerous cells have certain characteristics | | | | exclusive access to resources at the expense of |
| • They acquire the ability to promote their own | | | | others we are creating ourselves as tumours. We |
| growth and they develop the ability to ignore the | | | | may think that this behaviour increases our personal |
| anti-growth signals of the body. | | | | chance of survival but none of us can survive alone, |
| • They lose the ability of apoptosis (which is a | | | | we are all totally dependant on the survival or our |
| mechanism that allows cells to die if their genetic | | | | communities, our societies and our planet. |
| material becomes corrupted) which therefore leads to | | | | We have stopped listening to our intuitive guidance |
| unchecked growth. | | | | which is always prompting us to act in ways that are |
| • They lose the capacity for senescence, | | | | aligned with the greater good and are acting from the |
| leading to limitless replicative potential (immortality) | | | | viewpoint of personal ego. |
| • They acquire the ability to promote the | | | | We are dying of cancer at an alarming rate, I propose |
| formation of blood supply (angiogenesis) allowing the | | | | that unless we learn from our errors and start acting in |
| tumor to grow beyond the limitations of passive | | | | alignment with life itself by striving to ensure that every |
| nutrient diffusion. | | | | action we take is for the betterment of the whole then |
| • They acquire the ability to invade neighbouring | | | | cancer will continue to act to reduce our population. |
| tissues. | | | | Like our bodies, Gaia has inbuilt systems to maintain |
| • They acquire the ability to build metastases | | | | health, if we threaten those systems then they will act |
| at distant sites | | | | to curb our growth, (increased death through disease, |
| The completion of these multiple steps would be a | | | | resource depletion and natural disasters). If we |
| very rare event without: | | | | overcome those systems then we will die with the |
| • Loss of capacity to repair genetic errors, | | | | planet. |
| leading to an increased mutation rate (genomic | | | | |