Wake Up

Recently I had the opportunity to see a great movie called Divergent. It is a film based in a post apocalyptic future, where in order to maintain a functioning society, everyone is separated in five different factions or separated all together without a faction. The factions are based on your strongest and overwhelming attribute, like: kindness, bravery, selflessness, honesty, and knowledge. Each member of society takes an aptitude test that will determine which attribute they personify and helps them determine which faction to join and ultimately they only pursue perfection in that singular attribute and nothing else for the rest of their life. For the main character though, her test did not determine a single attribute that she personified but showed that she best personified three of the five, which made her Divergent and a "threat" to the entire order of the society. Which is the conflict seen in the rest of the movie.

Many things came to mind while and after I watched this film. I think there are many parallels with our society that we can take from this story. Although we do not have this literal faction separation, we do have factions or labels that we put on ourselves and others. We label children very early on with labels of ADHD, special needs, slow, gifted, honor students, etc. We give standardized tests to see if someone is allowed to go to college to receive "higher" education. People are placed in social circles that help them excel in business, like the old phase says, "it's not what you know, it's who you know." We all know that grumpy person, the needy person, the smart one, the super optimistic one, the person that everyone likes, the sickly one, the quiet one etc. Factions really exist and sadly we tend to become what we have been told we are or the label that has been given to us.

So my words to all those that read this, WAKE UP. Like the heroine in the movie, you do not need to conform to the labels that others or yourself has placed on you. You can have all the positive attributes that you want and become whatever you want to be. It takes work to develop who you want to be, and at times it is very difficult, but you can overcome any label! You do not need to accept labels like lazy, diseased, dumb, etc. The world needs more people awake to their potential. Our society is more threatened by labeled drones then by those that are truly living life, truly awake. Make doubters believers and become "Divergent."

-Mike E

Stress Haiku

New stress bombards us

Infinitely adapting

Find new ways to cope

-Mike E

Part 1 Epilogue

Well that was one of the fastest weekends I have ever experienced. Nine hours of testing over a day and half makes time pass rapidly. It turns out that I have been able to retain information for a year and a half of classes. I was able to keep track of how many of the questions I knew for sure the answer to, and to my joy it was more than half on all six sections, (you need 375 out of 800 or 46% to pass each section of part 1). Biochemistry was by far my strongest section, no surprise there. Although this is no guarantee that I have passed them, as with all standardized tests, they will now take all the tests from around the country and statistically adjust them; like if everyone got a question right, or if everyone got it wrong they throw it out and readjust and they will do all other types of statistical wizardry to get the final scores. Based on past results they tend to curve the tests in such a way that ~75% pass and ~25% fail each time they administer the exams. I feel confident that I am in the top 75% and I will get the official scores on May 5th.

With everything said and done, I am happy to have that experience done and over with. One less hoop to jump through before I can become a licensed chiropractor. I would like to thank all those that gave my support and sent happy thoughts my way way. Now on to pre-clinic next quarter and the next phase in my education.

-Mike E

National Boards Part 1

This weekend marks a large benchmark in my journey to become a chiropractor. I get to find out if anything from the last year and a half of my education has stuck in my brain.

Saturday and Sunday I will be sitting for the first of four parts of the chiropractic national board examinations. Without passing each of the parts it is impossible to be licensed as a chiropractor in the USA. I can still graduate but cannot practice chiropractic. 

In part 1, the first installment, I will see 6 subject exams, each allowing 90 minutes to complete. The subjects are: general anatomy, spinal anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, and microbiology. The first 2 will be on Saturday and the other 4 on Sunday. It will be quite the test of endurance, but I am sure I will hold out well enough. It is what it is so I cannot complain.

So any happy thoughts sent my direction will be greatly appreciated. I will report on how it went, if there is anything left of me... 

-Mike E

Season of Integrate

Cycle of Seasons

As one is able to take a step back from the spectrum, all of the Seasons of Wellbeing can be viewed as a single organic integrated whole. When one has passed through the first three seasons, an individual can look at each of the experiences and positives attributes that they experienced in each and learn to integrate them in new life experiences. They can apply the aspects that worked best for them in each of the prior seasons to work through each new moment and experience with much more depth and navigate better through life. The spectrum of the Seasons of Wellbeing can be viewed as a cycle, where each time around the individual is able to experience greater depth or height in their experiences. Awareness of which season one is in and being able to apply aspects of the next season into the one they are experiencing is a trademark of the Season of Integrate.

-Mike E

(I am taking most of this information from this journal article:
 REORGANIZATIONAL HEALING AS AN INTEGRALLY
INFORMED FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRAL MEDICINE
Simon Senzon, et al,  Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 6(4), pp. 113–130)

Season of Awaken

Here we come to the other end of the spectrum of the Seasons of Wellbeing. This is where a person has come to a heightened awareness of who they are. A new power to choose and orchestrate your own experiences emerges and this person takes control of their own life. This person has the ability to be aware of the spaces between people, words, and events and have a sense of the rhythm and energies that exists in everything around them. A heightened expression of love towards others and themselves is manifested in this season, as well as a desire to give that love to others. These empowering aspects of Awaken allow for a view of the big picture of all the experiences and opens up the possibilities of greatest evolution and change.

Some questions one may ask themselves in this season are:
"How can I embrace the space?"
"Where is the rhythm?"
"What is the energy/love telling me?"
"How can I grow the gratitude?"
"What gift has been given to me?"
"How can I sponsor the sharing of my abundance?"
"How can I receive others/ circumstances with gratitude as gifts?"
"How can we be each other’s wisdom/medicine?"

-Mike E

(I am taking most of this information from this journal article:
 REORGANIZATIONAL HEALING AS AN INTEGRALLY
INFORMED FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRAL MEDICINE
Simon Senzon, et al,  Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 6(4), pp. 113–130)

Season of Transform

This season fits in the middle of the spectrum of the Seasons of Wellbeing. This is the season in which the person really starts to develop a sense of self. In this state a sense of resourcefulness is cultivated. A person can create a baseline for real meaningful change in their lives. Personal responsibility and a sense of empowerment are major aspects of this season. Negative aspects of ones life and health are dissolved and room is created to bring in new more positive aspects. Resolution with past conflicts are obtained. All these things ready us for a new more powerful perspective in the next season.

Some questions that you may have in this season are:
"What can I do to never disempower myself again?"
"What else is going on?"
"What is really happening here?"
"How can I prepare myself?"
"How can I conduct an inventory and get rid of that which no longer serves me?"
"How can I resolve this?"

 -Mike E
 
(I am taking most of this information from this journal article:
 REORGANIZATIONAL HEALING AS AN INTEGRALLY
INFORMED FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRAL MEDICINE
Simon Senzon, et al,  Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 6(4), pp. 113–130)