I Speak For The Spokes

Would I be crazy to argue that family is as important to human beings as our bodies? Would it be silly to think that we enable dysfunctional family living as easily as we medicate our hurting bodies?

Let's humbly admit that we are as responsible for the health of our family/community as we are for our bodies. Let's humbly admit that the breakdown of family/community relationships corresponds to the mistreatment of our bodies. And let's humbly confess that we are as incapable of functioning as part of the body politic as we are of attending to our bodies holistically.

To me, the words "whole" and "holy" are just two sides of the same lost coin, just as Good and God are a tossup. How is it that we can interest ourselves with the so-called "degrees of separation" between each of us, but not the degree of connection within ourselves?

We realistically (historically?) understand that we can't (shouldn't?) try to be God, but have no problem differentiating ourselves from others by our wealth, power and privilege. We distance ourselves from others to the same extent that we "remove" wrinkles, fat and blemish from our bodies. And we distinguish ourselves from others as surely as we tattoo or pierce our bodies.

There's plenty of body mechanics charging to customize our bodies, but not to culturalize us. There's plenty wanting us to make-over, but not many helping us to make good. There's seeking for evidence of the body rather than the body of evidence on fanaticism.

So call me crazy and silly; but when I need to know that I have a family and community to mourn my body's death, I'll want to know that I'll have them to celebrate my spirit of speaking for the spokes. 

The ride of a lifetime shouldn't have to suffer because yet another spoke of the wheel went off center.