untruth contributes to confusion;

confusion contributes to disorder;

disorder contributes to strained relationships;

strained relationships lead to stress-anxiety;

stress-anxiety leads to signaling in the neuro-endocrine-immune complex manifesting as tension, inflammation, sickness, suffering.

* * *

Sometimes truth and untruth are plain and clear.

But sometimes truth appears as untruth, and untruth appears as truth.

Falling into autopilot and mistaking automatic for authentic,

failing to reclarify our higher values,

mistaking i-centered selfishness for collectively uplifting wisdom,

forgetting how to rigorously self-examine our thoughts, words, and acts,

craving sweet medicine and avoiding bitter medicine,

we fall prey to mistaking partial truths as total truths, mistaking non-wisdom for wisdom, mistaking untruth for truth.

* * *

now for those who wish to heal or prevent tension, inflammation, sickness, suffering: seek to heal or prevent stress-anxiety;

for those who wish to heal or prevent stress-anxiety, seek to heal or prevent strained relationships;

for those who wish to heal or prevent strained relationships, seek to heal or prevent  disorder;

for those who wish to heal or prevent disorder, seek to heal or prevent confusion;

for those who wish to heal or prevent confusion, seek to heal or prevent thinking and speaking untruth;

thinking and speaking untruth, what should we do with that? Replace it with truth.

Because…

truth leads to clarity,

clarity leads to order,

order leads to healthy relationships,

healthy relationships lead to eudaimonia,

eudaimonia leads to signaling in the neuro-endocrine-immune complex manifesting as health in mind and body

* * *

Truth waxing and untruth waning: how is that? A few thoughts:

> step out of automatic and flow in authentic,

> create space and time to reclarify one’s higher values,

> face courageously and humbly where we have fallen, currently fall, are setting ourselves up to fall in the future from those higher values by distinguishing our i-centered selfishness from collectively uplifting wisdom,

> remember how to rigorously self-examine our thoughts, words, and deeds for strengths and weakness,

> embrace the right medicine whether sweet, bitter, both, or otherwise;

in this direction we clear the mind and heart, discerning partial truth from total truth, wisdom from non-wisdom, and truth from untruth.

Bothering with this work at all, we naturally incline toward choosing truth over untruth when the picture becomes clear.

* * *

The human psyche is rich, complex, multilayered, polychromatic;

many ingredients in the stew, many layers to the cake.

Neither underemphasizing nor overemphasizing factors influencing health,

taking care to study right principles and apply right practices,

reflecting carefully on one’s lessons as well as on one’s own shortcomings and flaws,

not afraid to dance with demons nor angels,

having the humility and courage to admit truth whether beautiful or ugly,

committed to correcting errors,

asking for help in the work from Higher Self and emptying the cup,

one organically proceeds in the direction of upliftment