The Honor System

I have to preface by explaining that I read the Wall Street Journal daily, because the paper has talented columnists and content that is intelligent without pandering to sensationalism. I refer to the paper often. On November 28, 2009, Eric Felten wrote a great opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about the World Cup incident with Thierry Henry grabbing a ball that was going out of bounds with his hands. For the unknowledgeable sports person (like me), hands are a no no in soccer. Henry was able to place the ball near his foot and set up the winning goal. The hand use by Henry was missed by the referee, and after the game was won, Henry felt the referee’s mistake made it a fair win. Felten laments that Henry is just an example of how professional sports today has lost its sportsmanship. He worries about sports and society at large (like lawyers, financial advisors) if the solution is simply to put more referees and more rules to police people in the game. The honor system should be internal.

In Ayurveda when a person has become ill, the goal is to find the source of the illness. Sometimes the source is physical, but the source can be on a spiritual or emotional level. People may engage in behaviors that cover up their natural intelligence or feelings just to reach some perceived outcome. The outcome is important, but who we have become on the way is just as important. The disregard for our spirit or emotions makes the achievement hollow, and the pushing beyond our limits will affect our health at some later point. We were created with body and spirit and the two should be harmonious for total health. There is no need for someone or something outside ourselves to police us, we have everything we need to do the job.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa