Healing: The Art and Science of Becoming Whole

“Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,”

This line, taken from the opening of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Ballad of East and West”, published in 1889, is perhaps one of the most misunderstood quotes in English literature. Taken alone it offers a dour assessment of the possibility of any real healing of the human condition. It seems to posit existential, and obvious, unbridgeable differences…except that was the opposite of Mr. Kipling’s intentions.

As we read on, the author’s true intent emerges:

“Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat.

But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!”

AHA! The whole point of this paean to the possibility of healing seemingly impossible situations is that not only is it possible, but points to what it takes for that to materialize. Again, WOW! Kudos, Rudyard.

The poem, ostensibly about a stolen prize horse of a British colonel in northern India by a tribal chieftain and its ensuing retrieval by the colonel’s son, seems to point to a way out for the British in their occupation of the India sub-continent. By the time Kipling wrote this ballad the British Crown had ruled the region for over 40 years, having taken over the rule from the East India Company. Approximately 30 million people of 1 million square miles were under direct control of a country of 40 million people of roughly 94 thousand square miles. At the dawn of the 20^th century, a scant 10 years after this poem, the British Empire covered roughly 11 to 13 million square miles of territory worldwide, up to 25% of the Earth’s total land area. As to population, it held sway over more than 400 million people, also approximately 25% of the human race.  The largest empire in human history, it defined colonialism, and defined racism.

This situation was untenable, and Kipling knew it. The poem points to the courage, compassion, and understanding necessary to heal Great Divides. Great lessons then, great lessons now. Read the poem, please. A narrative involving an epic horse race with ultimate stakes that ends with gifts being shared and ties of friendship sealed with a blood oath.

How, one may ask, does this apply to us as individuals, almost 140 years later?

Actually, the translation is quite simple, if we can make some substitutions in the narrative. The “Empire” stands in as a symbol of the what rules us- in particular the sum total of our beliefs and feelings that our egos maintain to control our behavior. This “rulership” is based upon domination and is ultimately rooted in fear and judgment. Such things are the ultimate cause of all of our sufferings and will remain intractable until we enter into a race to defeat them. As long as we see the problem as “out there”, or “the other”, we will remain in bondage, and in servitude.

The road to healing is not an easy one. The British Empire came into existence, in part, as a result of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The Indians rose in rebellion against the rule of the British East India Company, but the results were catastrophic for India. There were 6,000 British killed, but over 800,000 Indians perished, with many, many more dead in the famines(s) that followed in the aftermath. The Crown took over after that and exercised (as the does the Ego) a domineering control.

It took centuries for the British Empire to achieve dominance, and it took 100 years to overcome it. Need it take so long in our life to achieve freedom from our own egoic struggles? Look at one’s life as a Journey to Wholeness not only creates a different mental climate, it also rapidly accelerates our own Healing. We all ultimately crave “Wholeness” and that is the goal of all “Healing”. How to achieve this is both an Art and a Science. Here are (my) six useful steps:

• Recognize where we need wholeness (healing) and acknowledge that.
• Be grateful and prayerful as you begin the practice of being open-hearted and open-minded in exploring options for healing. Pain and challenges allow us to grow….take it as an opportunity not an obstacle or “problem”. Take notes.
• Develop patience and learn to Listen- to others (professionals and others) as well as your (inner self). Prescriptions without Intuition are likely to result in re-experiencing the issues that caused the (outer) problems.
• Experience the Joy of Balance as you integrate Mindfulness (and intellect) with Heartfulness (and Spirituality and Creativity). Work on these separately as well as together. Find (and own) your brand of Wholeness. Write it down.
• Incorporate the Learnings from this process of Healing into your daily life, and perhaps equally importantly share this in some manner with others in Sacred Service. No one does this alone, and this needs recognition.
• Give thanks and practice the Art (and Science) of Gratitude through the aforementioned Sacred Service and Prayerfulness. This truly completes the circle.

Finally, recognize that we are here to heal the world…but that this must begin with bringing us to wholeness first.