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Sixth-Day Adventist vs Seventh-Day Adventist. My Six-Day Weekly Work Schedule

**Sixth-Day Adventist vs Seventh-Day Adventist. The formula for Positive Work Culture**

The Seventh-Day Adventists believe that the Sabbath should be observed on the seventh day of the week, i.e. from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. I coined the phrase SixthDay Adventist to give my highest priority to God’s Commandment asking man to perform labor or work for Six Days. In my analysis, God ordained a Six-Day Work Schedule without which man cannot seek the blessings of Sabbath. The Rudi-Grant Connection at Whole Foods follows the Six-Day Weekly Work Schedule.

**June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture**. **This article is dedicated to the loving memory of Jessica Cole of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Bangalore (Bengaluru), India.**

This article is dedicated to the loving memory of Jessica Cole, my relative who lived in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India as a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. She inspired me to formulate the Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture.

**June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture**

The U.S. Working Week

As in most industrialized countries, the Standard Work Week in the United States begins on Monday and ends on Friday. During the Depression, President Herbert Hoover called for a reduction in Work Hours in lieu of layoffs. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a five-day, 40-hour workweek for many workers.

Benefits of a Healthy Work Culture

The benefits of a healthy workplace culture are innumerable. Some of the most astounding benefits that a strong culture has to offer include

Highly engaged and productive teams—Research shows that when employees view their organization’s culture positively, they are 3.8 times more likely to be engaged at work; in fact, a staggering 89 percent of “highly engaged” employees claim that the culture in their organization is positive.¹ Some of the markers that are associated with increases in employee engagement rates include workplace connections²; clear communication around organizational goals, objectives, and plans for implementation or execution³; community, inclusivity, and teamwork; learning and development opportunities⁴; frequent feedback; commitment to wellbeing and wellness programs; and above all, trust in senior management.

Improved retention and recruitment—In a study conducted by Deloitte, organizations that had the strongest workplace cultures were much more likely to attract and keep talent, including 59 percent less attrition. Given that corporate culture is now more important than compensation or material benefits when employees decide whether to work for a certain organization, organizations with high employee satisfaction rates and employee experience stories testifying to a strong workplace culture are likely to have a larger pool of potential hires to choose from compared to their competitors, and are likely to hold on to new talent for the long-term—a needed perk amongst mounting evidence that suggests that Gen Z, on average, is spending significantly less time at a given job compared to older generations.

Healthier employees—While toxic work cultures are linked to poor health outcomes, the opposite is also true. Research shows that employees who think positively of their workplace culture tend to have lower heart rates and blood pressure, as well as stronger immune systems. As this makes employees less likely to get sick, organizations that tout healthy workplace environments also observe 41 percent reductions in absenteeism and presenteeism.

Fewer accidents, injuries, and mistakes—In addition to fewer absences and less sick days, founder and CEO of Choose People, Kris Boesch, reports that organizations with people-centric or “people-first” cultures boast 26 percent fewer mistakes, accidents, and work-related injuries.

Greater customer satisfaction and higher profitability—When employees feel healthier and happier in the workplace thanks to a positive work culture, research shows that such feelings tend to rub off on the customers they interact with, making for an improved customer service experience. Consequently, PwC insights reveal that organizations with strong cultures are a whopping 89 percent more likely to report higher customer satisfaction.—but not only that, they are also more likely to report revenue increases up to four times that of their competitors (with an average increase of up to 682 percent for organizations with thriving cultures compared to just 166 percent for organizations with poor cultures).

Organizational resiliency and adaptability—Managers almost unanimously agree that a positive workplace culture creates more resilient teams. In fact, a strong company culture is responsible for helping nearly 70 percent of organizations adapt better to the pandemic. According to new insights from PwC, 67 percent of senior leaders cited a strong culture as the tool that helped change initiatives happen and helped them to maintain and drive successful outcomes.

The Concept of Positive Sixth-Day Adventist Work Culture is inspired by God’s Work Week:

The details of God’s Work Week are vividly described in Genesis, Chapter 1.

Six is a number perfect in itself. God created the world and the man in Six Days because this number is perfect. For that reason, the man must also choose a Six-Day Work Week.

**June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture**. **The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, California inspires me to formulate the Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture.**

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed for it is not inspired by the Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment

Professional Wellness Month is celebrated each year in June and it throws light on the workplace’s role in creating a holistic environment for employees. It also focuses on how organizations that place emphasis on professional wellness are largely successful, attract top talent, and drive employee retention.

I ask my readers to reject the assumptions and the criteria described by the Fair Labor Standards Act as they contribute to Unequal Employment Opportunities at the American Workplace. As such the Fair Labor Standards Act is not consistent with the Natural Law principle of Equality that formulates the Supreme Law of this Land.

Cultivating a Healthier, Happier Workplace

Despite the vast advantages of a healthy workplace culture, new insights from Gallup show that only about a quarter of U.S. employees strongly agree that their organization delivers on its mission and promises, say that they can apply their organization’s values to their work, and actually believe in those values. This once again goes back to the employer-employee disconnect driving attrition and toxic workplace environments: When leaders attempt to unite their workplace around a common goal, value, or mission without taking into proper account the needs, concerns, or values of their employees, such efforts ultimately fail.

Instead, the cultivation of a healthy, harmonious workplace culture happens only when everyone in the organization is involved, and not just those at the top. That said, some of the best practices that can help organizations to improve their environment and enhance their workplace culture include those listed below.

Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Daily Operations

First and foremost, building a healthy work environment and a strong culture requires that organizations reimagine what diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace looks like (or the alternative acronym, EDI). Without ensuring that discriminatory, oppressive, or limiting policies, practices, and biases are absent or disbarred from the workplace (i.e. without ensuring that the workplace is equitable), toxicity in the workplace will prevail, as will its numerous costs and consequences.

That said, employers need to look beyond diversity recruitment and pivot their focus toward creating a sustainable environment that treats all employees as equals, helps them to reach their full potential, and motivates them to stay. This may include ensuring that all groups present in the workplace (namely, all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, etc.) are accounted and spoken for before any important decision is made, that everyone has a chance to be heard during meetings, that everyone has the same opportunities for growth and promotion within the organization, and that everyone is treated with the same level of respect.

Providing Training Opportunities for Leaders and Managers

While healthy workplace cultures revolve around the equitable treatment and involvement of all members of an organization, establishing that workplace culture starts at the top. How leaders communicate, behave, and defend or explain their behaviors in the workplace inevitably influences employee behavior, sentiment, and their experience at large. That said, many experts on corporate culture underscore the importance of providing training opportunities to teach leaders from all levels of the organization about the signs and characteristics of toxic workplace cultures, the role they play in determining workplace culture, and how they can prevent toxic cultures and, alternatively, foster positive cultures. This includes encouraging leaders to seek out cross-cultural experiences that help them to enhance their awareness of other cultures and really connect with the needs, interests, and values of their employees; allowing them the time and opportunity to help them build key skills, like empathy, active listening, and recognition; and organizing workshops dedicated to teaching leaders how they can be supportive of employees’ workplace mental health and wellbeing needs, and be accommodating toward their personal and professional goals.

Offering Educational and Professional Development Opportunities

As leaders are trained to be more empathic, inclusive, and accommodating. One of the best ways in which they can show support to their workforce, according to employees, is by offering career-enhancing education and continual development opportunities that tie them to their organization’s key missions or purpose, reassures them that their work and talents matter and are valued, and motivates them to look for new and improved ways of contributing to their organization. Research shows that employees who feel as though their employer not only values their work but cares about their long-term career prospects and individual success are likely to feel happier and more secure, creating a culture of celebration instead of cutthroat competition. Some of the most sought-after professional development opportunities include management and leadership training, certification programs, technical and interpersonal skills training, and employer-subsidized degree programs. By incorporating development opportunities into daily operations, leaders establish an equitable and inclusive culture in which all believe they have the potential to rise to the top, regardless of connections, backgrounds, or other unfair advantages that, when advantageous, perpetuate toxic cultures.

Prioritizing Holistic Wellbeing; Implementing Wellness Programs and Flexible Benefits

When employees feel as though their leaders look down on their health and wellness needs as a detriment or burden to the organization, they are more likely to feel detached from their leaders and peers, disinterested in their work, and overall, less committed to their roles and employment with the organization. In fact, a new study has found that the majority of today’s workforce (86 percent) would be more likely to leave a job if it did not support their wellbeing, while 83 percent say they are more attracted to organizations that demonstrate a “progressive culture” that cares about workers’ holistic health and wellbeing. In order to create such a culture, numerous studies point to the importance of maintaining workers’ work-life balance and upholding their “right to disconnect”; prioritizing flexibility and autonomy when designing benefits offerings, such as by offering work-from-home and choose-your-own-hours opportunities, unlimited paid time off (PTO), as well as health and wellness stipends; and incorporating stress-reduction, mindfulness, and meditation practices into the workday. When employees are given the okay to relax, recharge, and recover, they’re protected against chronic or excessive stress, which not only improves their performance, but also improves their mood, which in turn creates a happier, more cooperative, and good-natured culture.

The Hourly vs the Salaried Employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed

The Hourly vs the Salaried Employees.In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as the Hourly and the Salaried without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was signed into law on June 25, 1938 claiming that it will provide protection to people working in the US.

Knowledge Work vs Manual Work.In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

**The Blue Collar vs the White Collar Employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed.**

There can be no distinction such as the Skilled and Unskilled among the workers as Life can only be defined as ‘Knowledge in Action’. All human beings process similar kind of information and use chemical energy to perform similar kinds of sequential, guided, purposeful and goal-oriented actions described as ‘Metabolism’. In fact, no man can perform Unskilled work.

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

I ask the US Congress and The US Department of Labor to discard the flawed Act and dump into the dustbin to put an end to the division of workers into White and Blue Collar. As such, each employee and his or her employer must make the determination about compensation or remuneration and agree upon the terms for wages and benefits for performing any kind of labor.

In my view, the Natural Sciences and the Medical Science in particular does not validate the concept of the White-Collar or the Managerial Class as no human being performs executive, administrative, or professional service while operating the metabolic functions of human bodies of their own. No man lives as the boss, the manager, the administrator, the executive officer, the ruler, the governor, or the controller of his own body.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE-ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22-VIKAS REGIMENT

FACT SHEET – WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION (WHD) – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Clipped from: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/whdfs17s.htm

Fact Sheet #17S: Higher Education Institutions and Overtime Pay Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The FLSA requires that a non-exempt employee receive minimum wages for his or her work, as well as overtime wages whenever he or she works more than 40 hours in a workweek. Section 13(a)(1) of the FLSA, however, exempts certain employees who perform bona fide executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales duties from minimum wage and overtime requirements. These exemptions are often called the “white-collar” exemptions. This fact sheet discusses the applicability of these exemptions to jobs that are common in higher education institutions.

**The Exempt vs the Non-Exempt Employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed.**

General Requirements for Exemptions

To qualify for a white collar exemption, an employee must generally satisfy three tests:

1. The employee must be paid on a salary basis that is not subject to reduction based on the quality or quantity of work (the “salary basis test”), rather than, for example, on an hourly basis;

2. The employee must receive a salary at a rate not less than $455* per week (the “salary level test”); and

3. The employee’s primary duty must involve the kind of work associated with the exempt status sought, such as executive, administrative, or professional work (the “duties test”).

4. Additional information concerning these exemptions is available in Fact Sheets 17A-G. See https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdcomp.htm.

Exemptions for Common Higher Education Jobs

Teachers

A teacher is exempt if his or her primary duty is teaching, tutoring, instructing, or lecturing to impart knowledge, and if he or she is performing that duty as an employee of an educational establishment. See 29 C.F.R. § 541.303. Educational establishments include elementary school systems, secondary school systems, institutions of higher education, and other educational institutions. See 29 C.F.R. § 541.204(b). If a bona fide teacher meets this duty requirement, the salary level and salary basis tests do not apply. See 29 C.F.R. §§ 541.303(d), 541.600(e). Given these standards, professors, instructors, and adjunct professors typically qualify for this exemption.

A faculty member who teaches online or remotely also may qualify for this exemption. The regulations do not restrict where bona fide teaching may take place, to whom the knowledge can be imparted, or how many hours a teacher must work per week to qualify for the exemption. The exemption would therefore ordinarily apply, for example, to a part-time faculty member of an educational establishment whose primary duty is to provide instruction through online courses to remote non-credit learners. The exemption could likewise apply, for example, to an agricultural extension agent who is employed by an educational establishment to travel and provide instruction to farmers, if the agent’s primary duty is teaching, instructing, or lecturing to impart knowledge. To determine a teacher’s primary duty, the relevant inquiry in all cases is the teacher’s actual job duties. Job titles or full/part-time status alone do not determine exempt status.

A teacher does not become non-exempt merely because he or she spends a considerable amount of time in extracurricular activities (such as coaching athletic teams or supervising student clubs), provided the teacher’s primary duty is teaching.

Coaches

Athletic coaches employed by higher education institutions may qualify for the teacher exemption. After all, teaching may include instructing student-athletes in how to perform their sport. But a coach will not qualify for the exemption if his or her primary duties are recruiting students to play sports or visiting high schools and athletic camps to conduct student interviews. The amount of time the coach spends instructing student-athletes in a team sport is relevant, but not the exclusive factor, in determining the coach’s exempt status.

Professional Employees

The FLSA provides for several kinds of exempt professional employees—such as learned professionals, creative professionals, teachers, and employees practicing law or medicine. In higher education, employees eligible for the professional exemption are often either teachers (as discussed above) or learned professionals (as described below). To qualify as a learned professional, the employee must satisfy three requirements:

1. The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring advanced knowledge;

2. The advanced knowledge must be in a field of science or learning; and

3. The advanced knowledge must be customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.301. Unless the employee is a teacher or practicing law or medicine, he or she must also satisfy the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests to be an exempt professional.

In higher education, examples of exempt non-teacher learned professionals generally include certified public accountants, psychologists, certified athletic trainers, and librarians. Postdoctoral fellows, who conduct research at a higher education institution after completing their doctoral studies, likewise generally meet the duties requirements of the learned professional exemption, and they may additionally qualify for the teacher exemption if teaching is their primary duty. Of course, an employee’s qualification for the exemption depends on his or her actual job duties and education. Job titles alone are not sufficient for determining whether an employee satisfies the duties test.

Administrative Employees

Various employees at higher educational institutions may qualify as exempt administrative employees. The administrative exemption applies when the following requirements are met:

1. The employee’s compensation must satisfy the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests;

2. The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers; and

3. The employee’s primary duty must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.200. Such administrative employees in higher education might include, for example, admissions counselors or student financial aid officers. An employee’s qualification for the exemption depends on his or her actual job duties; job titles alone are not sufficient for determining whether an employee satisfies the duties test.

Notably, there are specific regulatory provisions for certain administrative employees—known as “academic administrative employees”—whose primary duty is performing administrative functions directly related to academic instruction or training in an educational establishment. To be exempt as an academic administrative professional:

1. The employee must satisfy the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests or receive a salary of at least the entrance salary for teachers in the same educational establishment; and

2. The employee’s primary duty must be to perform administrative functions directly related to academic instruction or training in an educational establishment.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.204. Employees who work in higher education but whose work does not relate to the educational field (such as work in general business operations) do not qualify as exempt academic administrative employees. See id.

In higher education institutions, exempt academic administrative personnel generally include department heads, intervention specialists who are available to respond to student academic issues, and other employees with similar responsibilities. Exempt administrative personnel would likewise generally include academic counselors who administer school testing programs, assist students with academic problems, and advise students concerning degree requirements. Again, whether an employee satisfies the duties test for these exemptions depends on the employee’s actual job duties, not just the employee’s job title.

Executive Employees

To qualify for the executive exemption, an employee must satisfy the following tests:

1. The employee must receive compensation that satisfies the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests;

2. The employee’s primary duty must be managing the enterprise or a customarily recognized department or subdivision thereof;

3. The employee must customarily and regularly direct the work of at least two or more other full-time employees or their equivalent (for example, one full-time and two half-time employees); and

4. The employee must have the authority to hire or fire other employees, or in the alternative, the employee’s suggestions and recommendations as to the hiring, firing, advancement, promotion, or any other change of status of other employees must be given particular weight.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.100. Various positions in higher education institutions might qualify for the executive exemption, including deans, department heads, directors, and any other manager or supervisor whose job duties and compensation satisfy the above criteria.

Student-Employees

As a general matter, most students who work for their college or university are hourly non-exempt workers and do not work more than 40 hours per week. The following, however, are examples of students who often receive a salary or other non-hourly compensation:

· Graduate Teaching Assistants. Graduate teaching assistants whose primary duty is teaching are exempt. Because they qualify for the teacher exemption, they are not subject to the salary basis and salary level tests.

· Research Assistants. Generally, an educational relationship exists when a graduate or undergraduate student performs research under a faculty member’s supervision while obtaining a degree. Under these circumstances, the Department would not assert that an employment relationship exists with either the school or any grantor funding the student’s research. This is true even though the student may receive a stipend for performing the research.

· Student Residential Assistants. Students enrolled in bona fide educational programs who are residential assistants and receive reduced room or board charges or tuition credits are not generally considered employees under the FLSA. They therefore are not entitled to minimum wages and overtime under the FLSA.

An employment relationship will generally exist when a student receives compensation and his or her duties are not part of an overall education program. For example, students who work at food service counters, sell programs or usher at events, or wash dishes in dining halls and anticipate some compensation (for example, money or meals) are generally considered employees entitled to minimum wage and overtime compensation.

Compensatory Time at Public Universities

Public universities or colleges that qualify as a “public agency” under the FLSA may compensate non-exempt employees with compensatory time off (or “comp time”) in lieu of overtime pay. A college or university is a public agency under the FLSA if it is a political subdivision of a State. When determining whether a college or university is a “political subdivision,” the Department considers whether (1) the State directly created the entity, or (2) individuals administering the entity are responsible to public officials or the general electorate.

If the public university or college qualifies as a public agency, non-exempt employees generally may not accrue more than 240 hours of comp time. However, employees engaged to work in a public safety activity, an emergency response activity, or a seasonal activity may accrue as much as 480 hours of comp time. See 29 U.S.C. 207(o)(3)(A). Private higher education institutions may not pay employees comp time in lieu of overtime pay.

Where to Obtain Additional Information

This publication is for general information and is not a regulation. For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.wagehour.dol.gov and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone at: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243).

Note (added January 2018): *

The Department of Labor is undertaking rulemaking to revise the regulations located at 29 C.F.R. part 541, which govern the exemption of executive, administrative, and professional employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime pay requirements. Until the Department issues its final rule, it will enforce the part 541 regulations in effect on November 30, 2016, including the $455 per week standard salary level. These regulations are available at: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/regulations.pdf.

**The American Workplace lacks a holistic environment for employees**

World Brahmin Day – The Rudi-Grant Connection is proud of its Brahman Heritage

**World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self**

Brahmin, also spelled Brahman, Sanskrit Brāhmaṇa (“Possessor of Brahm”), highest ranking of the four varnas, or social classes, in India.

Brahmin is a varna as well as a caste within the Hindu society. In Vedic- and post-Vedic Indian subcontinent, Brahmins were designated as the priestly class as they served as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and spiritual teachers (guru or acharya)

The term Knowledge is intimately associated with Brahman. Hence, the person identified as Brahmin is the Seeker of Knowledge, is the Teacher of Knowledge and the discoverer of his own true or real Self with the guidance of Knowledge.

**World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self. Animate vs Inanimate Dualism. The separation of Man into perishable Body and Imperishable Soul is flawed.**

The Discovery of Real or True Self:

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. The Great Banyan Tree of Kolkata has lived for over 250 years. This tropical fig tree known as Ficus benghalensis is native to India; ‘adventitious’ roots that grow from its branches go downwards and take root to form new trunks over a relatively wide area. In the Sanskrit language, the Sacred Fig or Ficus religiosa is known as ‘ASVATTHA’. In my opinion, Hindu Scriptures refer to Banyan tree as ‘ASVATTHA’. It is cherished for its everlasting or imperishable nature. If the tree is living, we need to know the nature of its substance that keeps it living.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. The Banyan Tree offers an unusual appearance. It has roots that appear growing from its branches and the roots are located up in the air and away from the ground; it has trunks and branches growing downwards apart from the normal branches that grow upwards and outwards. Because of its adventitious roots, Banyan Tree spreads to cover a wide area and lives for a long time. Knowing and understanding this Asvattha Tree is important to gain the Knowledge of Vedas, the Hindu Scriptures that reveal the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self or Adhyatma Vidya.

The Knowledge of the Banyan Tree:

The Hindu Scripture, The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XV known as Purusottama Yoga speaks about the nature of the Supreme Person. It metaphorically compares the Supreme Being to the popularly known Fig Tree or Asvattha.

**Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Ficus religiosa or the Bodhi Tree is often worshipped in India. The tree is also described as “Sthaanuu” which means immovable.**

I ask readers to visualize the Banyan tree called Ficus benghalensis rather than the holy tree called Ficus religiosa, or the Bodhi tree under which Lord Gautama Buddha experienced Enlightenment.

PRAYER BANYAN TREE sri-bhagavan uvaca urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham asvattham prahur avyayam chandamsi yasya parnani y... — **Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of Spiritual Self. The Knowledge of Banyan Tree.**

The first verse reads as follows: Sri Bhagavan Uvacha: “Urdhva-Mulam adhah-sakham Asvattham prahur avyayam, Chandamsi yasya parnani yas tam Veda sa Veda-vit.”The Supreme Lord Krishna said: There is a (Banyan) Asvattha Tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and metaphorically it is imperishable, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this Tree is the Knower of the Vedas ( the person attains the Knowledge of the Ultimate Reality or the Supreme being).

When we know the Banyan Tree and its apparent imperishable quality, we may understand the true nature of man. The man is a spiritual being. The truth or falsity of this proposition depends on the fact of man’s having a substance that is of spiritual nature. Such a substance of spiritual kind is perceptible to the senses, is amenable to direct observation, and could be subject to verification by experimental science. To establish the fact of man’s spiritual nature, it needs reasoning based upon scientific validity.

The structure and the behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. If the man has a set of defining features based upon his structure ( Human Anatomy ), function ( Human Physiology ), and behavior ( Human Behavioral Science ), the spiritual nature of man could be proved on theoretical and practical reasoning and could be verified by scientific experiments. I am not seeking to discover a soul or spirit that could have an existence independent of man’s physical being. However, it will be important to note that it is not possible to conceive of a soul or spirit if it is never associated with its human body. My purpose is that of describing the spiritual nature of the human organism and of other living beings. To understand the true nature of human being, we need to ascertain the validity of Knowledge that pertains to the Spiritual Self.

Man is a Mortal Being:

The man’s greatest need is not only to know the world around him but also to know himself better. The man must understand what it is to be a substance and what it is to exist. The man is a physical being or thing with matter and form. The corporeal body of man is composite of two principles; matter, and form. What is called matter is a potentiality, and what is called form is the actuality. The corporeal substance or matter called protoplasm becomes an actuality and is recognized as a living person because of the uniqueness of its genome that operates its living functions and defines its size, shape, color, and external form or morphological appearance. However, life comes into existence only when matter or substance has the ability to acquire energy from its external environment. The human being comes to life when his corporeal substance uses its ability and power called ‘Nutrition’ to acquire energy and matter from its environment.

Life begins with fertilization, the union of sperm with an egg cell, and this event called conception proceeds to develop a human being after an important event called implantation. The life journey after conception continues if there is a connection between the energy seeking embryo and its maternal energy provider. To exist means that the living entity is maintaining a relationship, a partnership, a connection, or association with its source of energy.

The man leads energy-dependent existence deriving energy and matter from nature which supports other living forms with a similar corporeal substance called protoplasm. The mortality of man must be understood as the dissolution of man’s physical form. The dissolution of a living man into non-living molecules and chemical elements would not alter the potentiality of protoplasm to acquire energy and matter to create its own substance.

Things in Nature change with Time, but what is called Human Nature remains unchanged even under the influence of Time. As per the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy, as described in classical Physics, mass or energy remain constant. The potentiality of living substance to acquire energy and matter to form its own kind of substance has remained unchanged or unaffected by major natural calamities and other cataclysmic events. Life forms perish and yet life continues as new life forms. During the billions of years of existence, planet Earth has experienced several minor, and major Extinction Events described in its geologic history.

The Science of Paleontology offers information to support a hypothesis based upon theoretical and empirical evidence to propose that the substance called protoplasm is eternal, immutable, and indestructible as the Chemical Elements that constitute protoplasm have those defining attributes such as immutability and imperishability. At a fundamental level, it could be stated that the man is a mortal, physical being who derives his physical form because of its association with an imperishable substance. During any stage of its existence, the form called man cannot be separated from the eternal, immortal, and imperishable nature of its chemical elements.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. California State Tree known as Redwood includes Sequoia sempervirens and the Giant Sequoia is known as Sequoia gigantea. The Redwoods are the most massive trees in the world and could attain a trunk diameter as large as 30 feet. They also include the tallest trees in the world averaging about 300 feet high. They include the oldest known living trees and may reach ages of over 3,000 years. What is that corporeal substance that is living apparently in an imperishable manner?

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.Sequoia sempervirens. The man has officially designated this tree as the State Tree of California State. What is the connection between man and plants or trees? What is the corporeal substance shared or common to all living entities?

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Sequoia gigantea is a massive tree. A living thing has a form and has matter. We often recognize the form and give it a name. What about the “MATTER” that constitutes the substance of this living thing? We need to understand the ‘potentiality’ of the Matter to know the nature of the Form. The Form has no independent existence of its own. The Form lives if and only if it has Matter that is living.

What is Soul or Spirit?

Traditionally, man has been divided into two parts; body, and soul. In common usage, the term soul represents the immaterial aspect of a human being. The soul is further defined as that part of the individual which is considered to survive the death of the body. The term spirit is often used to describe a disembodied soul. On separation from the human body, the soul or spirit has a life of its own, a capacity for independent existence or self-subsistence which describes its immortality. I inform my readers to evaluate the possibility of immortality by understanding the immutable attributes of the Chemical Elements constituting the Living Matter.

The conceptions of Soul:

There are a variety of conceptions about the soul or spirit. Some of the traditional conceptions of the soul are the following:

1. The soul is the immaterial substance, form, or principle of self-motion, vitality, life force, or life in living things. The insentient body is completely distinct from the sentient soul.

2. Soul describes the Doctrine of the Self and is considered to be synonymous with the True-Self. In a human being, the soul confers the Individuality and its Human Nature.

3. The soul is often described as a thinking substance and is often equated with the mind. The soul has knowledge of itself by the reflection of its acts. The soul is the knower and it knows the physical, and mental acts of the human body where it resides.

4. The soul is important to maintain and to preserve life. The soul may not directly participate in the activities of the human body. However, the activities of the human body may have a polluting effect on the soul. If the soul is tainted or contaminated by the sinful acts of the body, the soul may obtain purification by its release from the body. Some form of human effort, activity, attitude, and behavior is essential to keep the soul in its natural, pure, and perfect condition.

5. The soul that has experienced the polluting effects by its association with a human body would be forced to experience perpetual reincarnation by a process called transmigration. The soul continues to reside as a prisoner in different bodies until such time it attains its original state or condition of purity and perfection.

6. The soul is a transcendental or noumenal object that is real but not visible and could not be detected by human sensory perception. The human body that is visible is, in fact, unreal or is a product of sensory illusion.

I ask my readers to attach a simple meaning to terms such as the soul or the spirit. It would be sufficient to describe the soul or the spirit as the vital, animating principle found in all living things.

The relationship between Soul and Human Body:

Most religions and cultures speak about the soul and describe it as some incorporeal or immaterial substance/principle of human life that is distinct from the body. Despite the frequent acceptance of the existence of a soul, different religions and philosophers have developed a variety of theories as to the nature of the soul and its relationship to the human body. There are divergent views about the origin of the soul, when and how it gets implanted into the human body, and the mortality or when and if the soul dies. I would like to share the view that is attributed to Lord Krishna, the avatar or reincarnation of Hindu God Lord Vishnu.

Adhyatma Vidya – The Bhagavad Gita:

The word ‘vidya’ is related to acquired knowledge or learned experience derived from studies or from instructions given by a teacher. The term ‘adhyatma’ pertains to the individual soul, Atma, or atman which describes the Spiritual Self. The phrase ‘Adhyatma Vidya’ could be described as the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.

The legendary Indian Sage Veda Vyasa known as Krishna Dvaipayana was the author of the epic poem ‘The Mahabharata’ (Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty). Veda Vyasa is recognized as the compiler of ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas. The Book VI of Mahabharata narrates Lord Krishna’s conversation with Prince Arjuna while the warring parties of Pandavas and Kauravas had assembled at the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna reveals His views about the soul, the human body and their relationship in “The Song of the Lord” known as ‘The Bhagavad Gita’. These poems of The Bhagavad Gita give a synopsis of the religious thought and experience of Indians through the ages.

**Spirituality Science. The Knowledge of Spiritual Self. Adhyatma Vidya. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10, text 39.**

Chapter X of The Bhagavad Gita is titled ‘Vibhuti-Vistara Yoga’ and it describes the divine or transcendental attributes of the Supreme Lord. In verse #39, the Lord claims, “I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving( “Chara-acharam” ) that can exist without Me.

**Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.**

Verse #32, the Lord proclaims, “….of all the branches of Learning and Knowledge, I am the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self (Adhyatma Vidya).

**Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. In all living beings, I am consciousness.**

In verse #22, the Lord describes the nature of His connection with the living beings that He has generated, “…. and in living beings, I am Consciousness (“Bhutanam Asmi Chetana”).” He also clarifies that Consciousness or Chetana as a different characteristic and separates it from the mind, intellect, and organs of sense perception. The mind is traditionally viewed as the major organ of sense perception, the seat of thoughts, intellect, emotions, feelings, and self-ego. Consciousness or Chetana is associated with the characteristics of a living being.

The Lord also cites The Vedanta Sutra to make the distinction between the body, the soul, and the Supersoul. The Vedanta, the insights from Vedic Scriptures describe three manifestations of the Supreme Lord’s Energy. These are 1. Annamoya or dependence upon Food for existence, 2. Pranamoya or the manifestation of the living symptoms and life forms, and 3. Jnanamoya or the Knowledge of the distinction between the body, the field of activity and the Knower who resides in the body. If a living being needs food for its existence and performs its living functions in a state or condition called awareness or consciousness, it could be described as the manifestation of the Supreme Lord’s Energy.

**Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. I am ‘LIFE’ or “JEEVANAM” in all Living Entities.**

In Chapter VII titled ‘Paramahamsa Vijnana Yoga’ or Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth, in verse #9 Lord Krishna claims: “I am the life (“Jivanam”) of all that lives.” He demonstrates a connection between life and consciousness to describe the spiritual nature of Self.

**Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.Tat Asmi Prabhu – Fifth Mahavakya – Existence Precedes Essence.**

The Chapter XIII of The Bhagavad Gita titled ‘Kshetra – Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga’ deals with the dichotomy or distinction between the material body, immortal soul, and the Supersoul. It states the view that the material body is called the field of activity or Kshetra. One who knows this body, the field of activity is called the Knower of the Field or Kshetrajna. The Knower of the Field is the Owner of the body. The Supreme Lord is also the Knower of the field of activity in all bodies( verse #3 ).

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते ।
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥ १३-२॥

śrībhagavānuvāca
idaṃ śarīraṃ kaunteya kṣetramityabhidhīyate
etadyo vetti taṃ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tadvidaḥ

The Blessed Lord said: This body, O Kaunteya is called KSHETRA (the Field) and he who knows it is called KSHETRAJNA (the Knower-of-the-Field) by those who know them (KSHETRA and KSHETRAJNA) i. e. , by the sages .

In this human body, there is another indwelling Observer, a Sanctioner, a Preserver, an Enjoyer, and indeed ultimate Controller called ‘Paramatma’ or Supersoul. The Supreme Lord or Paramesvaram is residing equally in all living entities( verses # 23, 27, and 28 ).

**Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Body, Soul, and the Supersoul.**

The final Chapter XVIII of The Bhagavad Gita titled ‘Moksha-Upadesa Yoga’ comes to an interesting conclusion about the Single Reality that pervades all existence that is divided into innumerable forms. Verse #20 reads as follows:

“Sarva bhutesu yenaikam bhavam avyayam iksate avibhaktam vibhaktesu taj jnanam viddhi Satvikam.”

Understand that Knowledge by which one undivided, imperishable (Avyayam) reality is seen within all diverse living entities is in the nature of goodness (Satvikam).

What is that undivided reality that is imperishable that connects all the diverse, living entities?

The Body-Soul Dichotomy:

In the Indian tradition, the individual soul is known as Atma or Atman. The Supreme Soul or the Supersoul is known as Paramatma, Paramesvaram, or Brahman, the Ultimate Truth, and the Reality. However, the concepts about Atma or individual soul vary and the Hindus belong to different schools of thought. While the concepts about the individual soul are different, there is general agreement among various Indian thinkers and philosophers about the distinction between the material, insentient, and perishable human body and the immaterial, sentient, and imperishable or immortal soul. The soul is independent and is not attached and it still requires the substance of the corporeal body.

However, I am not able to draw that distinction between the Body and it’s embodied Soul as I am not able to make that separation from the substance and its function. To describe a function, I need the substance. Man lives and functions with consciousness because of the fundamental nature of the corporeal substance called protoplasm, and this substance is apparently imperishable, indestructible, and immortal. We could destroy the physical form of man and several other living forms, but man or nature and the influence of Time have not demonstrated an ability to destroy this living substance which has survived on planet Earth continuously over billions of years. Man cannot create life and man cannot destroy life. Man can only live or exist because of the spiritual nature of his corporeal substance with which he can not seek separation until the time of dissolution of his physical form after an event called death. After physical decomposition, the chemical elements get eventually taken up by other living things. The substance has a life of its own and continues to create the new substance of its own kind and becomes visible as a living life form with a different identity or morphological appearance.

Man is a Created Being:

The status of man in nature describes the man as a created object; a new object, one of its own kind, distinctive, and unique which cannot be duplicated by using any known reproductive technology such as cloning. Genetically identical twins can still be separated as Individuals with Individuality.

The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality:

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra State, India, Fresco-type wall paintings. Man’s spiritual dimension describes man’s humanity, moral nature, individuality, and Consciousness.

Religious thinkers have further defined Soul as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity. People of all races, cultures, and religions would like to investigate the nature of this God-Connection as they perceive the world and the universe in which they exist as a fact of Creation. I have not discovered evidence that would fundamentally deny the fact of Creation.

Man is a Social Being:

French philosopher Auguste Comte(1798-1857) coined the term Sociology. He believed that the scientific study of social organization would make possible a reconstitution of the social order based on principles of moral progress.

Apart from being a created Physical being, the man is recognized as a Social being as he displays social instincts and social behaviors in all of his activities. A rudimentary understanding of Sociology or Theories of Social Science would clarify this matter. Social instincts and Social Behaviors are seen in all animals including bacteria.

At a cellular level, the social function is called ‘Association’. Man is an association of trillions of cells. Each human organ and organ system represents an association of cells that display functional subordination to perform selective tasks. Life is just impossible without social structure and organization.

Matter, Energy, and Knowledge:

The Greek philosopher Aristotle had observed that corporeal substances are composite of two principles, form and matter. What is called matter is a potentiality, what is called form is an actuality. The totality of things has been divided in various ways. The three fundamental distinctions are 1. the distinction between the natural and the supernatural, 2. the distinction between the material and the spiritual, and 3. the distinction between the lifeless and the living. When we make the distinction animate/inanimate, living/non-living, and inorganic/organic, a question arises about the nature of that distinction. The difference, is that one of kind or degree? The Mechanistic View claims the continuity of nature in terms of the universality of purely mechanical principles.

I define Life as the organization of matter with implanted supernatural Knowledge. The establishment of supernatural Knowledge in matter describes the operation of ‘God Principle’, Spirit, or Soul. Life comes into existence when matter and energy come together with the establishment of ‘God Connection’.

Life and Consciousness:

Amoeba proteus, the unicellular, protozoan organism is conscious or aware of its own state of existence. It has the abilities of Motion, Nutrition, and Reproduction. All of its living functions are goal-oriented. It responds to its environment and survives adverse environmental conditions by a process called encystment.

The basic characteristic of a Living Cell or organism is the presence of consciousness. I recognize a cell as a Living Cell if it displays functions that characterize the presence of awareness or consciousness. The Living Cell or Living Object need not be aware or conscious of the Subject who may be investigating or observing the properties of that Object. The Living Object needs to be aware of its own existence and its condition called Living. Atoms and molecules display their properties and interact according to the Laws of Physics and Chemistry. Living organic molecules show individualistic behaviors under experimental conditions that could be repeated and be verified. The Living Cell is very selective and it responds in a variable manner to physical and chemical stimuli. It can communicate or send signals to other Living Cells present in its environment. It responds according to its internal condition in relation to the environment in which it exists. The interactions of non-living physical matter are not goal-oriented. The interactions of Living matter are goal-oriented and they specifically achieve the purpose of sustaining, preserving, defending, and continuing the Living functions.

Life and Death is a continuous process:

When does Life begin? When does Life end? Life always comes into a state of existence from a previously existing Living Cell. Life and Death is a continuous process and is recognized by the presence of Consciousness and Individuality.

When does Life begin? When does Life end? Every Living Cell is derived from a previously existing Living Cell. Life has not experienced the final event called DEATH. Life continues its act of Living through a function called Reproduction. A given species is considered to be totally extinct only if there is no surviving member to represent that particular species. In spite of numerous major and minor extinction events, Life exists on planet Earth as if Life is imperishable.

The Soul and God Connection:

All types of Living Cells with or without nucleus represent thermodynamically unstable systems. Without a continuous input of energy, a Living Cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. Biological existence is possible because of an association or connection, or partnership between energy seeker and energy provider.

There has been no clearly defined and universally accepted metaphysical conception of the term Soul. It is a term often used without a precise definition in philosophy, religion, or routine conversation. In this discussion, I face the problem of using words to which no definitive meaning is attached. If I make an attempt to define the word ‘God’, my readers may even speculate that I may belong to a new religious order. We need to come to a consensus even if an entity called ‘God’ does not exist.

**Life is a condition that describes Synchronized Existence, the synchronization of activities, the connection between energy dependent life functions and its Source of Power.**

A majority of life forms have synchronized their state of existence with an event that produces alternating periods of light and darkness while that source of light is not being turned ‘on’ and ‘off’. Rather we are forced to experience the effects of an illusion. Sunrise and Sunset is the reality that governs a majority of Biological Rhythms that control the life processes. The illusion is the necessary condition for the biological existence of Life.

WHO HAS ESTABLISHED THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AUTOTROPHS AND HETEROTROPHS? The creative mechanism to trap Solar Energy describes implanted Knowledge to formulate the connection between autotrophs and heterotrophs.

In mitochondria, many substances(food) are oxidized and ATP, the energy-storing chemical of the Cell is produced. The most important equations for living things are mutually inverse. Respiration of humans and Cellular Respiration represents the reverse of Photosynthesis.

Soul and Death:

The idea of ‘Soul’ always comes in the context of Death. If the man is immortal, we will not be spending our time and energy to verify the existence of an immortal principle.

Red Blood Cells display functional subordination to serve the purpose of the Whole Organism. Functional differentiation and Functional Unity are important to support the existence of the Subject or Individual who is, in reality, an association of trillions of cells.

In a multicellular organism, the consciousness works both at the level of each individual cell and to establish the functioning of the organism as an individual unit. Without functional unity, the organism cannot maintain its biological existence. Cell differentiation is the process by which the individual cells use adaptation to perform specific tasks. Red Blood Cells perform specific tasks.

The neurobiological aspects of Consciousness:

Reticular Formation of Brain Stem has connections with almost all other parts of the Central Nervous System and it helps to coordinate and integrate actions of different parts of the CNS. It is important for Behavioral Arousal and the Capacity for Consciousness.

In the Human Brain Stem, several neurons, and nuclei which are in an area called Reticular Formation are functionally adapted to compose the contents of human consciousness. The Reticular Formation gives the Capacity for Consciousness. The contents of this consciousness are read in the cortical areas of the cerebral hemispheres and described as Cortical awareness.

Consciousness is awareness of existence, the facts that relate to the state or condition of existence. Behavioral Arousal and Cortical awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations is an important component of total Biological Existence.

Identity and Individuality:

The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality is described in The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, verse 12. Lord Krishna spoke to the Pandava Prince Arjuna: “Na tv evaham jatu nasam na tvam neme JanadhipaH; Na chaiva na bhavisyamaH, sarve vayam ataH param.”

For each of us, our Individuality existed in the past and our Individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Certainly, never did I not exist, nor you, nor all these Kings and certainly never shall we cease to exist in the future.

Image result for bhagavad gita chapter 2, verse 12 — The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality is described in The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, verse 12. Lord Krishna spoke to the Pandava Prince Arjuna: “Na tv evaham jatu nasam na tvam neme JanadhipaH; Na chaiva na bhavisyamaH, sarve vayam ataH param.”

For each of us, our Individuality existed in the past and our Individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Certainly, never did I not exist, nor you, nor all these Kings and certainly never shall we cease to exist in the future.

The issue of spirituality, the nature of Soul and consciousness must be explored in the context of arriving at an understanding of man’s Identity and Individuality. If the man is viewed as an association of trillions of cells, we need to know the Identity of that Subject who lives because of the functions of the trillions of cells.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

Bhavanajagat

SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE KNOWER – THE KNOWING-SELF: THE MAN, THE ENTIRE HUMAN ORGANISM IS DERIVED FROM A SINGLE FERTILIZED EGG CELL . HOW IS THE IDENTITY AND INDIVIDUALITY IS ESTABLISHED AND IS KNOWN IN THIS COMPLEX MULTICELLULAR ORGANISM ?

Whole Blessings – Whole Dude brings the Blessings of Peace to your front door

**Whole Blessings – Whole Dude Wishes You Less Troubles and More Blessings and Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door**

The idea of peace is always associated with the idea of well-being and good health. The idea of perfect well-being also includes ideas of mental peace, mental tranquility, and mental equilibrium. The physical, mental, and social well-being are a part of man’s well-being in the environment, and community where he lives. To achieve perfect, and complete peace or Whole Peace, we must include the dimensions of the man’s moral, and spiritual well-being apart from the physical, mental, and social well-being. The aspects of external and inner or mental peace work together to contribute a Blissful Existence while man experiences Joy in his mind, and Love in his heart. Hence, peace is not mere absence of war and strife.

Whole Dude Wishes You Less Troubles and More Blessings and Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door

Yes indeed, Life is Complicated. The complexity of Life involves the fundamental problem of mortal existence. It evokes a sense of fear and anxiety even if the fear and anxiety are not overtly expressed in behavior and actions. The man can never escape from the need for peace and tranquility to overcome the challenges of existence.

Human existence evokes a sense of fear and anxiety. The fear is associated with the idea that the journey is long and tedious and the uncertainty of reaching the shore line. The anxiety is because of the fact that the life span is over as the time marches on relentlessly. The passage of day and night, the change of seasons, the spring and the winter, the life span is over even if the individual wants to cling to his life.The life span is compared to air bubbles in water and the bubble exists only for a moment. The long journey generates fear and the short life span produces anxiety. When the heart is troubled and when the mind is afraid, there is no peace.

SEARCHING FOR PEACE

May Your Troubles Be Less and Your Blessings Be More

1. For he himself is our peace. (EPHESIANS 2:14)

2.”Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. (JOHN14:27)

3.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (GALATIANS 5:22-23)

4. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS4:4-7)

Whole Dude – Whole Observance

Remembering and Honoring the Law of Love on Memorial Day

**Mark the observance of Memorial Day to Remember and Honor God’s Love. The last Monday in May is observed as Memorial Day in Memory of the Dead Servicemen of all Wars.**

The tradition of Memorial Day holiday was instituted in 1868 as ‘Decoration Day’ to honor the Civil War dead. The last Monday in May is observed as a legal holiday in memory of the dead servicemen of all wars for they gave their precious lives to let the countrymen enjoy all their freedoms.

WHOLE BODY - WHOLE LOVE - WHOLE HOLIDAY: THE LAST MONDAY IN MAY IS OBSERVED AS MEMORIAL DAY IN MEMORY OF THE DEAD SERVICEMEN OF ALL WARS. — **Mark the observance of Memorial Day to Remember and Honor God’s Love. The last Monday in May is observed as Memorial Day in Memory of the Dead Servicemen of all Wars.**

On this solemn occasion, I ask the members of the US Congress to pass a decree or law to commence a new tradition in the national life that celebrates the central role of love in developing wholesome human relationships.

WHOLE BODY - WHOLE LOVE - WHOLE HOLIDAY: THIS IS AN OPEN APPEAL TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE US CONGRESS TO PASS A DECREE OR LAW TO BEGIN A NEW TRADITION IN THE NATIONAL LIFE THAT CELEBRATES THE CENTRAL ROLE OF LOVE IN WHOLESOME HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. — Mark the observance of Memorial Day to Remember and Honor God’s Love. The last Monday in May is observed as Memorial Day in Memory of the Dead Servicemen of all Wars. On this solemn occasion, I ask the members of the US Congress to pass a decree or law to commence a new tradition in the national life that celebrates the central role of love in developing wholesome human relationships.

Love is central to a man’s relationship to God and the man’s relations with other persons.

WHOLE BODY - WHOLE LOVE - WHOLE HOLIDAY: GERMAN PHILOSOPHER FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE(1844-1900) HAD STATED: "WHAT IS DONE OUT OF LOVE ALWAYS TAKES PLACE BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL." GOD'S LOVE FOR MAN IS UNCONDITIONED. — Mark the observance of Memorial Day to Remember and Honor God’s Love. The last Monday in May is observed as Memorial Day in Memory of the Dead Servicemen of all Wars. German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) says, “What is done out of love always takes place beyond Good and Evil.” God’s love of man is Unconditioned.

While retaining the essence of The Code of The Ten Words Jesus changed the Operating Principle of the TORAH or The Law. Jesus instructs that the Law must be followed by His believers not through the use of force or authority but by simply embracing the equally powerful influence called Love.

Holiday is a day of freedom from labor sanctioned by God, and it is set aside for leisure and recreation to renew man’s relationship with his Creator. In Civil Society, certain days are set aside by Law or Custom and Traditions for the suspension of official business activities and very often in commemoration of some important events in national life. I am using the term ‘Whole Holiday’ to recognize a specific day that is set aside by Human Law in recognition of the Divine Law that is conducive to the development of harmonious, or wholesome interpersonal relationships that are essential to promote the health, and well-being of all people. In the US, there are several holidays that are legal and none of them directly address the central issue of developing Love relationships.

Jesus Christ has established ‘LOVE’ as the God’s Greatest Commandment. The Gospel according to Apostle Matthew (Chapter 22, verses 37-40),

The Gospel according to Apostle Mark (Chapter 12, verses 28-31) describe the Commandments of Love: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first great commandment. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two Commandments.”

The Gospel according to Apostle John, Chapter 13, verse 34 describes the need for neighborly relations among people based upon Love: “A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

WHOLE LOVE-WHOLE TRADITION-WHOLE LAW-WHOLE HOLIDAY:

In the United States, we have no Law, or a cultural tradition to commemorate the event in which Jesus Christ issued the two great commandments asking people to observe the Law of ‘Whole Love’ which demands, 1. The Love of God with Whole Body, Heart, Mind, and Soul, and 2. The Love of Neighbor as a requirement of God’s Law for man.

After my discovery of the experience of ‘Whole Love’ at Whole Foods Market, Ann Arbor, Michigan on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, I have decided to promote the establishment of a tradition’ to follow the Spirit of the ‘Whole Law’ to truly observe the Commandment of Love.

To commemorate my Discovery, I am writing this appeal to ask all the members of the US Congress to approve a new Law to observe the last Wednesday of July as the ‘Whole Love Holiday’. The choice of Wednesday is very appropriate as most other legal holidays are observed on Mondays as a matter of convenience and not for the purposes of obedience of a Divine Law which should be the source and inspiration for the Human Law. The concept of ‘Whole Love’ represents the ‘Whole Law’ that is explicitly pronounced by Jesus Christ as the only Commandment that the man must follow and observe in his lifetime. To acknowledge the ‘Whole Law’, to celebrate its pronouncement, we need a new tradition by instituting a new Holiday.

Indian Existence is the only basis to define the Cultural Identity of India

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India

**Bharat Darshan. Defending the Republic of India. Spiritualism vs Nationalism.**

SPIRITUALISM vs INDIAN NATIONALISM-KARGIL WAR 1999 : Indian Army Personnel salute the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, Jammu & Kashmir, India on August 12, 2012 in celebration of 65 Years of Independence. The photo insert shows the winner of Gallantry Award of Param Vir Chakra, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.

Essence and Existence in the Land of India:

SPIRITUALISM vs INDIAN NATIONALISM : On August 15, 2012, Indian people are celebrating the 66th Independence Day in commemoration of 65 Years of Independence. The Red Fort in New Delhi is the traditional venue for this celebration and the Indian National Flag is hoisted by the Prime Minister of India, the elected representative of People of India. In this context we have to explore the relationship between Spiritualism and Nationalism.

Today, on August 15, 2012, people of India also known as ‘BHARAT’ are celebrating the 66th Independence Day in commemoration of 65 Years of Independence. In this context, we have to examine the relationship between Spiritualism and Nationalism. In the ancient Land of India, human beings have lived continuously for thousands of years. But, it was a Land divided into several hundreds of small and large kingdoms until Indian people joined together in a Nationalist Movement to win their Freedom from foreign rule and occupation. Indians won this Freedom on August 15, 1947 when Great Britain ceased its occupation of India.

What is Nationalism?

SPIRITUALISM vs NATIONALISM-THE LAND OF INDIA : This National Flag of India known as ‘Tricolor’ has infused a sense of new ‘SPIRIT’ called Indian Nationalism, a sense of Devotion to one’s Nation.

Nationalism is the state of mind in which the individual feels that everyone owes his supreme loyalty to the Nation-State. Nationalism is a modern movement and it belongs to the modern world. Before the 18th century, people gave their loyalty to their communities, tribes, feudal lords, princes, or religious groups. The historical sense of attachment to the native soil, to social and cultural traditions, and to established territorial authorities has changed by the end of the 18th century when Nationalism began molding public and private life. Since then, Nationalism has become an important factor of modern history. The American Revolutionary Wars (1775-1783), and the French Revolution (1789) could be regarded as the first manifestations of Nationalism. It led to the formation of modern National States in Europe. The 19th century has been called the Age of Nationalism in Europe. The World War I, and World War II resulted in the spread of Nationalism in Asia and Africa and has manifested itself as a struggle against European Colonialism.

SPIRITUALISM vs NATIONALISM-THE LAND OF INDIA – Indian Nationalism won Freedom at a huge cost in human lives. The British Empire while leaving India during 1947 had divided the Land creating new National entities. The disorder that followed the Partition of India caused the loss of over one million human lives. The concept of Cultural Nationalism cannot and will not defend and preserve human life in the Land of India.

Nationalism began to appear in India after World War I. The Indian National Congress founded in 1885 began a new political process in the private and public lives of Indian people. It had produced leaders such as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) who joined the Nationalist Movement for Indian Independence during 1915. The people of India started replacing the king as the center of the Nation. The State had become the people’s State, a National State, and a Motherland.

SPIRITUALISM-NATIONALISM-THE LAND OF INDIA : Mahatma Gandhi is correctly recognized as the Father of the Nation. He won a huge political battle and won Freedom for millions of Indian people. Did he secure Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the living experience of the People of India? The Past is Never Dead. Spiritualism is the potency generated by Consciousness; the Consciousness or Awareness of the fact of existing in a given physical environment. Spiritualism demands the existence of a Living Soul or Spirit.

Nationalism is not a political program or ideology; it is a perspective on such programs or ideology. Nationalism can be described as a sentiment that places the existence and well-being of the Nation highest in the scale of personal loyalties.

In political terms, it signifies a person’s willingness to work for the Nation against foreign domination. It reflects a person’s willingness to resist foreign political, economic, and cultural domination. Nationalism implies a group’s consciousness of shared history, language, race, and values. Its significance lies in its role in supplying the ties that make the Nation-State a cohesive, viable entity. The terms such as nation, state, or country describe a political entity in which people are united under a particular political organization and are occupying a defined territory. However, the term ‘Nationalism’ demands more than the existence of boundaries or political institutions. Nationalism includes the feelings or thoughts of patriotism, zealous love of one’s country, advocacy of national unity or independence and it involves the creed that fidelity to one’s State or Nation is more important than fidelity to individual interests.

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Land of India. The Cultural Unity of the people of India was not enough to stop the foreign aggressors who ruled over India

We, the people of India and of Indian origin have to truthfully examine if ‘Nationalism’ has ever existed in the Land of India. We have to truthfully explain as to why the Land of India exists as an easy target for foreign invasion, foreign conquest, foreign occupation, and foreign political, economic, and cultural domination. The Cultural Unity of the people of India was not enough to stop the foreign aggressors who ruled over the Land of India.

Indian Nationalism won Freedom at a huge cost in human lives. The British Empire while leaving India during 1947 had divided the Land creating new National entities. The disorder that followed the Partition of India caused the loss of over one million human lives. The concept of Cultural Nationalism cannot and will not defend and preserve human life in the Land of India.

The Problem of National Unity and the role of Cultural Nationalism in India:

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Land of India. In the ancient Land of India, human beings have lived continuously for thousands of years. But, it was a Land divided into several hundreds of small and large kingdoms.

There is a fundamental problem with the experience of life in the Land of India. The Nation – State was nonexistent during the greater part of Indian history. People did not give loyalty to the Nation – State but to other, different forms of feudal states. Before 20th century, political allegiance was determined by mostly local and regional factors such as that of a local princely ruler, regional language or regional culture.

Indian Cultural Nationalism mainly consists of expression of some national characteristics through nonpolitical activities such as art, literature, music, dance, and other forms of culture such as the performance of Temple Worship and Pilgrimage. A vast multitude of people may come together at a particular place in celebration of an event and return to their native places. India did not exist as a large, unified territorial state with political, and economic centralization.

The political, and economic centralization that existed in India was largely a product of foreign rule and foreign occupation of the Land of India. This lack of National Unity and the lack of a National identity and Individuality made India an easy target for foreign, military attacks.

The History of Jihad in India

**Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Land of India**

Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a former Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University, a historian, reviewed the records kept by Al- Utbi, the Secretary of Sultan Yaminu -d- Daula Mahmud bin Subuktigin known as Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna. The Secretary in the Persian document called the Tarikh -i- Yamini recorded the details of several episodes of bloody campaigns waged by Sultan Mahmud between 1001 A.D. and 1027 A.D. Persian historian Ferishta (“Tarikh-e- Fereshteh” work by Ferishta about Mahomedan Power in India) also recorded the military conquests of India by Sultan Mahmud. The Sultan of Ghazna directed his military attacks on places of spiritual pilgrimage in India. He attacked the temple towns of Nagarkot, Thanesar (1011), Mathura (1018), Kannauj (1019), Kalinjar (1023), and Somnath (1024-25). He also attacked the holy places of Varanasi, Ujjain, Maheswar, Jwalamukhi and Dwaraka. These attacks were witnessed by Persian writers such as Al-Biruni (Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Biruni) and Ferdowsi (Abu ol-Qasem Mansur or Firdawsi/Firdusi). All of these historical records and documents reveal the scale of loss of human life. It is estimated that about two million people died in the Land of India during Sultan Mahmud’s repeated attacks. Asaru -l- Bilad, a Persian geographer had also described some of the foreign conquests of India.

K.S. Lal, an Indian historian estimated that about sixty to eighty million people in India may have died between 1000 and 1525 CE due to foreign invasions. It clearly demonstrates that the idea of Cultural Nationalism did not play a significant role in defending Indian people and had failed to preserve human life. Apparently, Cultural Nationalism did not generate the cohesiveness or Unity that is needed to resist and to defeat foreign military campaigns.

Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism – The Clash at Kurnool Medical College, Andhra Pradesh:

CULTURAL NATIONALISM vs SECULAR NATIONALISM – THE CLASH AT KURNOOL MEDICAL COLLEGE : The clash at Kurnool Medical College is a consequence of my participation as a student delegate in a National Student Seminar on National Integration that was sponsored by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, International Youth Centre, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India during June 1967.

SPIRITUALISM – NATIONALISM – THE LAND OF INDIA : Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Superintendent of Kurnool Government General Hospital worked at Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool City, Andhra Pradesh, India from January 1957 to August 1968. He represents the face of forces opposed to the idea of Secular Nationalism. I was a student at Kurnool Medical College who had advocated the need for a National Identity and National Individuality and promoted the idea of formulating marital social relationships neglecting traditional cultural values based upon religion and caste. He had actively opposed my personal initiative and had encouraged my paternal uncle, Dr. R. Anjaneyulu, M.D., Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, B. J. Medical College and Sassoon Hospitals, Pune City, Maharashtra State, India to sabotage my career in Indian Army Medical Corps by using his influential contacts with senior Officers of Indian Army Medical Corps.

I submitted an application to Chief Minister Office, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, India on September 02, 2012. The request made by me is registered by the Secretariat Departments of Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Application Number is shown as : SR 12014477 and it reads as follows:

“I was a student of Kurnool Medical College from November 1965 to June 1970. I represented the State of Andhra Pradesh as a student delegate at the four-week long National Student Seminar on National Integration sponsored by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, New Delhi during 1967 to promote the need for developing a National Identity and National Individuality for National Unity and National Integration. I encouraged students to ignore any identity that is derived from region, religion, language, and caste as India needs Secular Nationalism and not Cultural Nationalism. This was opposed by Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, M.D., who then served as the Professor of Medicine and the Superintendent of Kurnool Government General Hospital. Since he had actively opposed the principle of Secular Nationalism, I would request you to reconsider the decision made by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to name a building on Kurnool Medical College/General Hospital Campus to honour him.”

ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE IN THE LAND OF INDIA:

The ideas about human soul or spirit( Atman or Atma in Sanskrit language) find their profound expression in the oral and written literature of India. Indian thoughts about the nature of man and his existence can be traced to the ancient texts of Vedas (the Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, and the Atharva-Veda) which were compiled from c. 1500 B.C. to c. 500 B.C. The Sanskrit texts known as the Upanishads (c. 900 – 500 B.C.) have systematized Indian philosophy. There are six classical systems of Indian philosophy that accept the authority of the Veda and the Upanishads; 1. Nyaya (6th century B.C. ) is a school of logic and epistemology, 2. Vaisheshika (3rd century B.C.) posits a sixfold classification of Reality (Substance, Quality, Activity, Generality, Particularity, and Inherence), 3. Samkhya (6th century B.C.) expounds two basic metaphysical principles; Purusha or Soul and Prakriti or Material Nature, 4. Yoga (2nd century B.C.) of Patanjali accepts Samkhya metaphysics, presents an eight-stage discipline of self-control and Meditation, 5. Purva-Mimamsa (2nd century B.C.) sets forth principles of interpretation of the Vedic texts, and 6. Uttara-Mimamsa or Vedanta which includes different schools of thought based on the Brahma-Sutras of Badarayana (early century A.D.) which summarize the Upanishadic doctrine and explain the teachings of the Upanishads. The most important schools of Vedanta are 1. the non-dualist (Advaita) Vedanta of Shankara (A.D. 788-820), 2. the qualified non-dualist Vedanta of Ramanuja (A.D. 1017-1137), and 3. the dualist Vedanta of Madhva (A.D. 1197-1276). Buddhism and Jainism are two important schools of thought that do not accept the authority of Veda and Upanishads. To a great extent, Indian traditions claim that man is an embodied soul. The mind, and body that represent the physical person is an illusion as the human body is thought to be “Asat”, or unreal, perishable, full of ignorance, and not happy. The real or true man as represented by soul or spirit is unborn. The real person is viewed as an eternal person who is not subject to change called life and death. Indian tradition considers that the Objective Reality of man or Essence of man is soul or spirit.

We must note that it is impossible to describe this mental concept called soul or spirit if it is never associated with its human body. The separation of man into body, mind, and soul is not supported by scientific study of man. Man comes into existence from a single, fertilized Egg-Cell. This man cannot be separated into distinct entities like material or physical body, thinking substance called mind, and an immaterial principle called soul. These three aspects of man have no independent existence of their own. There is no life and there is no human existence if body, mind, and soul are separated. Who you are describes your Essence and it is defined by What you do to establish the fact of your Existence. In other words, the Essence (Who you are) is preceded by the reality of Existence (What you do). Thus, Existence is the precondition to recognize Essence. Hence, I describe man as a living soul and not as an embodied soul.

In my impression, the traditional Indian views about human soul or spirit have failed to recognize the importance of human Existence as a precondition to define the nature of human Essence. Indian people have to give due recognition to the problems of human existence and must realize that Essence has no value if its meaning is not attached to the condition called Existence.

In my opinion, Spiritualism demands the existence of a Living Soul or Spirit to understand its characteristic functions that generate peace, harmony, and tranquility as a living human experience. Indians must define the concept of Spiritualism in the context of Self-Preservation.

If Indians seek their existence as a Nation, they have to forget the parochial differences to develop national individualities and the primary focus of allegiance must be the Republic of India and not that of the local language, religion, or culture.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Danavaipeta Municipal/Corporation High School, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India,

S.S.L.C. Class of March/April, 1961.

**BHARAT MATA OR MOTHER INDIA REPRESENTS THE COUNTRY AND THE LAND OF MY ORIGIN.** **SHE IS THE CULTURAL AND SECULAR ICON OF THE LAND FOR SHE IS THE OWNER OF THE LAND,**

Reporting my Health Status on World Health Day 2023. The Heart is Broken

**World Health Day 2023. My health status – Living a Life with a broken heart**

World Health Day 2023 – Health for All

World Health Day (WHD), held every year on 7 April, marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 and each year focuses on a specific public health concern. In addition to focusing on the journey to achieving Health For All, which is this year’s theme, WHO will observe its 75th anniversary under the theme 75 years of improving public health.

In 1948, countries of the world came together and founded WHO to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health and well-being. WHO’s 75th anniversary year is an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved quality of life during the last seven decades. It is also an opportunity to motivate action to tackle the health challenges of today and tomorrow.

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health

In my analysis, there can be no ‘Theory of Health’ without sharing a ‘Theory of Man’. The question, “What is health?” cannot be asked without raising the question, “What is man?”

In my view, ‘ the existence of a man always precedes the essence of the man’. For that reason, the biological basis of the man’s existence must be identified to define the living entity called man. The natural event called ‘death’ precedes the natural event called ‘birth’ which heralds the arrival of newborn Life. The newborn always arrives after several programmed cellular death events.

The man’s existence in any condition, good health or ill-health, at any age, at any given time and place, depends upon Mercy, Grace, and Compassion (Sanskrit. KRUPA or KRIPA) of LORD God Creator. The man does not exist in the natural world because of his physical and mental work. The man needs input of matter and energy, from an external source, from the moment of conception to the conclusion of his entire life journey. The man’s existence is always conditioned as he cannot regulate either internal, or external factors that determine the fact of his existence.

I invite my readers to review the article titled “What is health?” published in Microbial Biotechnology by Dr. Harald Brüssow. I took the freedom to add a few comments to his article to help my readers to examine the topic in a critical manner.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

BHAVANAJAGAT

What is health?

Clipped from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917469/

Microbial Biotechnology. 2013 Jul; 6(4): 341–348.

Published online 2013 May 6. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.12063

PMCID: PMC3917469

PMID: 23647782

Harald Brüssow*
Summary

The Medical Science fails to define the term ‘health’ for it fails to define the term ‘man’. To attach meaning to health, I must attach meaning to the word called ‘man’.

Classical medical research is disease focused and still defines health as absence of disease. Languages, however, associate a positive concept of wholeness with health as does the WHO health definition. Newer medical health definitions emphasize the capacity to adapt to changing external and internal circumstances. The results of the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study provides keys for a quantifiable health metrics by developing statistical tools calculating healthy life expectancy. Of central social and economic importance is the question whether healthy ageing can be achieved. This concept hinges on theories on the biological basis of lifespan determination and whether negligible senescence and the compression of morbidity can be achieved in human societies. Since the health impact of the human gut microbiome is currently a topical research area, microbiologists should be aware of the problems in defining health.
Introduction
The man represents a biological or biotic community of trillions of individuals; independent, living cells with individuality. The Man is also a natural host to trillions of microbes. Human life must be defined in terms of biotic interactions; both intraspecific, and interspecific biotic interactions.

Science has its fashions. Suddenly the leading science journals are full of articles about a specific topical research area. Sometimes, this wave of popularity follows a technological break-through which permits asking questions that were previously impossible to tackle or at least very hard to address experimentally. At other occasions, this cumulating of top-level research reports is the consequence of large international research efforts where grant agencies provided large amounts of money, which attracted many scientists to the field. In still other situations, the scientific community realizes that a certain field of scientific inquiry has simply been overlooked or neglected and the view offered by the new insights is exiting theoretical interest and promising practical applications. The human microbiome is currently such a fashionable field. Novel DNA sequencing techniques combined with new bioinformatic tools and the general progress of ‘–omics’ technologies offer the methods; major research grants on both sides of the Atlantic provided the money and the field has been an eye-opener for microbiologists which might be compared with the time of Leeuwenhoek when microbes in our mouth were first seen in the microscope and the time of Koch when the first isolated bacterial colonies were seen by the naked eye and linked to human disease. We perceive the human microbiome metagenome as our second human genome, as a source of human genetic variability (Schloissnig et al., 2013) and as a factor influencing human health (Clemente et al., 2012). The human gut microbiome has been associated with health issues of central importance such as obesity (Turnbaugh et al., 2006), healthy ageing (Claesson et al., 2012) and most recently cancer (Arthur et al., 2012), to quote only the most prominent fields. Probiotic bacteria have also been fashionable for a while (Thomas et al., 2010) and were judged to have a scientific basis (Neish, 2009), but scientific reports aroused less attention than gut microbiota research. Probiotics carry in their definition as ‘live health-promoting bacteria’ the concept that microbes can influence our health. But what is health? If you want to boost health, you must know what it is and how to measure it.
Health: ask the experts
I ask the Medical Science to apply the principles of Clinical Medicine not only to diagnose ill health but also to diagnose good and perfect or ‘Whole Health’ for the man is created by entity called God who is always Perfect and Whole.

At school we heard of Socrates who asked people who are supposed to be experts and to get an answer from a dialogue with them. Therefore, I first went to health authorities like medical doctors and their authoritative textbooks that guided generations of medical students like Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (Longo et al., 2011). In the 18th edition you find ample material on pathogens, even a chapter on the human microbiome (Gordon and Knight, 2011), a chapter on women’s health, but no definition of health. Overall, one gets the impression that medicine deals with disease and not health. In a recent meeting, one of my colleagues said that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) should correctly be called National Institutes of Diseases reflecting this disease focus of medical research. Health is currently fashionable as ‘Global Health’, but again scientists working at institutes called like this or in such programmes deal mostly with diseases. After this disappointment, the author turned to PubMed with ‘health’ and ‘definition’ as search terms and got less than 20 papers – a quite surprising outcome for such a central question of the human society. Clearly there is a problem with the definition of the term ‘health’.
Health: ask the languages
None of the living functions performed by a man involve the use of any known human language.

When a term is so self-evident and at the same time so elusive that no definition is provided in the scientific literature, it is frequently helpful to investigate the words we use when speaking about it. Naming is the first activity of human beings when trying to make order of things surrounding us. Words reflect the experience of many generations and words constitute a collective subconsciousness that determines still today our unexpressed thoughts and actions, more than we are aware of consciously. In the Oxford Dictionary ‘health’ is defined as ‘the state of being free from illness and injury’. It is obviously a negative definition. Such a definition reflects the current use of the words in the spoken language, but not necessarily its development over time. The English ‘health’ derives from Old English ‘hælth’, which is related to ‘whole’ ‘a thing that is complete in itself’ (Oxford Dictionary) derived from Old English ‘hal’ of Germanic origin (the addition of the w in whole/hal reflects a dialect pronunciation of the 15th century). In Middle English ‘hal’ also became ‘hail’ with the meaning of health in greetings and toasts. ‘hal’ is related to the Dutch ‘heel’ and the German ‘heil’. In German the connections between health, wholeness and salvation becomes even clearer than in English. ‘Heil-kunde’ and ‘Heil-kunst’ are still common German words for medicine, ‘Heiler’ is a traditional or alternative health provider; ‘heilfroh’ means wholly happy and refers to a relationship between health and happiness. ‘Heil’ has also religious meanings as seen from the German word ‘Heiland’ for the Christ as Savior (or for false prophets as in ‘Heil Hitler’). The German word conserved clear links with the religious and cultic realm in ‘heilig’ (English: holy) where ‘Heil’ is equivalent with salvation in the religious meaning (‘Seelen-heil’). These connotations are still vibrating consciously or unconsciously in native speakers when using these words. In fact, from this quasi-religious context the constitution of the WHO adopted in 1948 becomes understandable when stating ‘the following principles are basic to the happiness, harmonious relations and security of all peoples: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. The definition has not been revised but was variously challenged for its ‘complete wellbeing’ as reflecting a fundamentalist view, referring to an ideal world of messianic expectations. Some scientists have therefore asked for redefining health to make it a realistic, measurable quantity (Saracci, 1997).

Since this language approach turned out to be revealing, let’s follow the relationship between health and wellness (are they synonyms or do they express distinct concepts?) and between health and disease (are they antonyms?). Disease is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘disorder of structure or function in an organism that produces specific symptoms and is not the result of physical injury’; ‘dis-ease’ derives from the Old French ‘desaise’ (lack of ease). Wellness and illness is clearly a pair of antonyms. Illr is a Norse word for evil and was taken into Middle English with the meaning of wicked, malevolent. ‘Well’ (German: wohl) derives from a word common to many Germanic languages and means ‘in a good way’, initially as a contrast to wicked. As an adjective one of the meaning of ‘well’ is specifically ‘in good health’ (Oxford Dictionary). In German ‘wohl’ goes beyond good health, it alludes to psychological and emotional aspects (‘Wollust’: English: lust, but in Old English as in current German still in the sense of ‘pleasure’ and ‘delight’) and material wealth (‘Wohlstand’). Wellness thus goes beyond physical health and has a strong connotation of happiness, but also of hedonism (where pleasure is the chief good).

One might argue that these are linguistic associations restricted to Germanic languages. However, this is not the case: the Latin word pair ‘salus’–’malus’ has very similar connotations which were transmitted into modern Romanic languages (French: salut–maladie). In Latin ‘salus’ means health, rescue, redemption and wealth. It derives from ‘salvus’, Old Indian ‘sarvas’, which meant initially nothing else than ‘whole’. We see here again the notion of completeness with health. Malus which leads then to malady shares with the Germanic word ‘small’ a common root and thus refers to incompleteness. Malus has also moral connotation (Eritis sicut deus scientes bonum et malum – the snake in Genesis: you will be like God knowing the good and the evil). Disease has long been regarded as a celestial punishment for moral failing. In many traditional societies, health surveys should not miss to ask about ‘the evil eye’, underlining the widespread magic concepts on disease.
Redefining health: medical approaches
What is Spiritual Sickness? Lust, Avarice, Anger, Arrogance, Jealousy, Infatuation, and Miserliness are symptoms of Spiritual Sickness. Spiritual well-being is an integral component of Whole Health.

Recently the need for a new definition of health was expressed by the British Medical Journal (Jadad and O’Grady, 2008). A discussion via global blog conversation was initiated on ‘How should health be defined?’ The participation rate was weak: only 38 communications were counted. In an influential blog, R. Smith (2008) confessed that this issue is for most doctors an uninteresting question since they are interested in disease and not health. Medical textbooks are a massive catalogue of diseases. Health is an illusion and according to the strict standards of the WHO definition, most people are unhealthy for most of the time, so far, his comments. Research-oriented doctors complained that the WHO definition has no direct operational value – it is so widely formulated that health outcome cannot easily be measured. Health like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It turned out that redefining health is an extremely ambitious and complex goal. A conference held in 2009 in the Netherlands (‘Is health a state or an ability? Towards a dynamic concept of health’) (Huber, 2010), an editorial by the Lancet (‘What is health? The ability to adapt’) (Anonymous, 2009) and an analysis in the BMJ (‘Health: how should we define it?’) (Huber et al., 2011) proposed a few conclusions. The preferred view on health was the ability to adapt and to self-manage. With respect to physical health the term of ‘allostasis’ was introduced – the maintenance of physiological homeostasis through changing circumstances. In the field of mental health, a sense of coherence was identified as defining criterion. Social health included people’s capacity to fulfil their potentials and obligations, the ability to manage their life and to participate in social activities including work. R. Smith summarized this into the phrase ‘health is the capacity to love and work’ attributed to Sigmund Freud. The Dutch conference highlighted a few important aspects. When applied to ‘successful or healthy ageing’ only a very small percentage of people would fit the WHO definition. When self-rating of well-being was used a much higher percentage rated themselves as successfully ageing and this rating was roughly constant over lifetime. With an ageing population chronic disease become a life condition to many people. The Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme uses strategies to enhance self-efficacy which resulted in fewer healthcare requests. Also, the WHO has added to this discussion. In preparation of the Ottawa Charter of 1986, the WHO defined health as the ability of an individual to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to cope with the environment. Health was thus seen as a resource for everyday life. The WHO has also developed an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health assessing the performance of a task in real life situation. WHO surveys assessed an individual’s health state by asking for mobility, self-care, pain, cognition, interpersonal activities, vision, sleep and energy and affect. The answers go into a single metric reaching from death (0) to perfect health (1). The abovementioned Lancet editorial quoted the French physician G. Canguilhem who perceived health in his 1943 book The Normal and the Pathological not as something that can be defined statistically or mechanistically. Health is the ability to adapt to one’s environment and its own limitations. At the Dutch conference, a participant asked for the concept of ‘salutogenesis’ (becoming healthy) and more concrete research work in a field dominated by studies of pathogenesis (becoming ill). In practical terms it means that instead of carefully observing the conditions that lead from the healthy to the diseased state, research should also be conducted for the opposite process, i.e. the transition from the diseased to the healthy state. In some diseases the transition from health to malady is a way of no return and its inverse process of ‘salutogenesis’ is obviously difficult to study. However, for microbiologists the situation is easier. Many acute infectious diseases show a transition from health to disease followed by a return to the normal. Here ‘salutogenesis’ is commonly studied and had practical outcomes. For example, understanding the immune response to an infectious agent which led to the resolution of the disease was often instrumental for designing vaccine strategies.
Scaling health levels?
The scaling of health fundamentally relates to the experience of satiation, satisfaction, or contentment from one’s own living condition. Dissatisfaction or a lack of contentment is absence of health.

A fundamental question not yet addressed in our discussion is whether health is a state as opposed to the alternative state of disease. There are medical conditions that allow only two alternative conditions; a frequently quoted example is a woman in childbearing age who either is pregnant or is not pregnant. There is no condition where a woman is a bit pregnant, pregnancy is an all-or-nothing event allowing only a ‘plus’ and a ‘minus’ state and no transitions between both of them. At first glance, one might also take ‘health’ and ‘disease’ as alternative ‘plus’ and ‘minus’ states. The self-perception of a subject is a relative reliable measure differentiating a healthy state from a diseased state. In a prodromal phase of an infectious disease, we feel lousy before any overt disease symptoms are evident. During convalescence we feel the reverse process of returning vigor and strength. This distinction finds expression in our outer appearance allowing not only an experienced physician, but even an attentive layperson to differentiate these two states with a single look at a person. This experience speaks for health and disease as two alternative states. However, medical doctors use scoring systems to assess the health and disease status of patients to decide on medical interventions. To quote just two examples: the Karnofsky score runs from 100 (perfect health) to 0 (death) in steps of 10 and assesses the independence or dependence of patients on assistance for everyday activity or survival; its main purpose was to quantify the capacity of cancer patients to cope with chemotherapy. Another score rates the status of newborns: the Apgar score attributes up to two points each for the appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration of the baby (despite this mnemonic, Apgar is named after an anesthesiologist). Apgar expresses the need for medical intervention by the pediatrician. Apgar scores of 7 or higher characterize healthy babies. These scoring systems are interesting since first, they put health and disease into the same measurable category and second, they anticipate that both health and disease states can be graded. By their design as indicators for medical intervention, these scoring systems have more graded disease levels than graded health levels, but this point can be quickly remedied by introducing a scoring system that depicts in analogy with the number line increasing positive integers to the right as indicators of a graded health level and increasing negative integers to the left as indicators of graded disease levels.

Around 0 is an indifference zone where the subject feels neither particularly healthy nor definitively ill. While numerous scoring systems exist to describe severity grades for many diseases, less scoring systems exist for assessing health levels. This situation could quickly be corrected: Physical strength or mental fitness could be measured quantitatively by performance tests on the subject or functional reserves could be measured by physiological tests on individual organ systems of the subject. Such physical types of test are frequently used in geriatric medicine.

This grading concept – oversimplified as it is – has interesting consequences. When physicians speak about health interventions, they speak mostly about disease interventions where a treatment shifts for example a person from disease level −7 to disease level −3 to remain in the analogy of this fictive scale. Over recent decades medical treatments were also increasingly applied on apparently healthy subjects, who show, but do not suffer, from pathophysiological states (e.g. hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) in order to prevent for example a shift from health level +3 to disease level −7 when the pathophysiological risk factor transforms into actual disease (e.g. myocardial infarct or stroke) (again in this fictive scale). However, physicians and the pharmaceutical industries have much less considered the possibility to increase health levels from for example health state +4 to health state +7 which increases physical and mental performance of the person or the functional reserves of the person’s organs. These health interventions were largely left to fitness centers and sport clubs and private activities of the individual. The aim of such nutrition and health interventions would be a better performance in everyday life, more pleasure (quality of life), but not necessarily disease prevention. However, increasing the functional reserve of the body necessarily creates a buffer such that extrinsic factors decreasing the health level do not result that quickly in disease as without this intervention.
Health: ask the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 survey
Burden of Disease, and Rewards of Health must be estimated after stating the purpose of human existence.

One might argue that health of an individual or a population is to a certain extent a lip service of the medical profession and the true interest of medical doctors is to cure or to prevent disease. Language-wise this focus is expressed by the now frequently used term of ‘ill health’ in the columns of leading journals like ‘Nature’ and ‘The Lancet’, which is of course a clear contradiction in terms and reflects the disease focus of medicine. One might suspect that economists and sociologists have a greater interest in the health of a population when focusing on the productivity and social ‘functioning’ of people. However, such an evaluation does not do justice to the epidemiological, statistical and intellectual efforts of the medical community to come to grip with these terms. The Herculean effort of the medical research field is illustrated by a whole issue of the Lancet describing the GBD Study 2010 in a series of articles (Das, 2012). Over 5 years 486 scientists from 302 institutions in 50 countries have collected data on ‘ill health’ and evaluated the data by using the most sophisticated statistical data treatment methods (Murray et al., 2012a). The results are stunning. It is here not the place to review these studies, but I want to share with the reader some excitement. From 1970 to 2010 global life expectancy at birth rose by 3–4 years every decade. The resolution of the data set is astonishing: you can for example compare life expectancy per region and per sex. You see then that women in Bangladesh increased their life expectancy from 47.5 years in 1970 to 71.0 years in 2010 (not a printing error). Or you get global life expectancy per 5-year intervals for both sexes, e.g. 80-year-old men had in 1970 a life expectancy of 5.8 years compared with 7.2 years in 2010 (‘the older you get, the healthier you have been’) (Wang et al., 2012). Or you get information on 235 leading causes of death separated by age and sex based on files compiling vital registrations, verbal autopsies and various surveillance data from 187 countries. You learn that mortality from communicable diseases has decreased over this time following major ameliorations in mortality from diarrheal diseases, measles and tetanus, but less so for respiratory infections and increases for HIV/AIDS. When the global years of life lost (YLL) is displayed separately for the causes and individual years between 1990 and 2010, the data analysis was so well performed that you see the 1995 famine in North Korea as a sudden increase in global death due to nutritional deficiencies and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda as an intentional injuries increase (Lozano et al., 2012).

In the context of our discussion another GBD 2010 report is even more interesting. Salomon and colleagues (2012) start their paper with the statement: ‘Improvement of population health means more than simply delaying death or increasing life expectancy at birth’. They continue: ‘With the trend of population ageing, the need to prioritize healthy ageing is increasingly recognized’. The authors of this paper focus on the description of ‘healthy life expectancy’ as a summary measure of population health. While this term has no philosophical or biological foundation, it is based on a lot of sound statistical reasoning. In fact, it goes back on a method developed 40 years ago by D. Sullivan. Healthy life expectancy is the number of years a person at a given age can expect to live in good health considering age-specific mortality, morbidity and functional health status. While health is here still largely defined negatively as the absence of disease, it becomes a measurable quantity and thus a simple logically appealing summary measure of population health. The GBD 2010 study goes even further by analyzing a composite metric that captures both premature mortality and the prevalence and severity of disease leading to the term of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) (Murray et al., 2012b). Health status was measured in other studies by the absence of disability expressed as activity restriction, or absence of dementia, or on a broader basis as a multidimensional expression of functioning. However, with a sufficiently large raw data set one can calculate the ‘healthy life expectancy’ in years. Then the difference between life expectancy minus healthy life expectancy can be interpreted as the average number of years of potentially healthy life lost to poor health. To get back to the above Bangladesh women who had in 2010 a life expectancy of 71 years, they had a healthy life expectancy of 59 years, for Canadian women the two figures were 83 and 68 years respectively. Despite different absolute numbers, women from both countries spent more than a decade with poor health. Interesting trends emerge: both for men and for women global healthy life expectancy has increased by about 4 years between 1990 and 2010 keeping with the overall trend of life expectancy increases. The gains in healthy life expectancy over the past 20 years have mainly been through reductions of child and adult mortality and not through reductions in years lost to disability (YLD). When looking into a study from member states of the European Union, larger variations were found for healthy life expectancy than for life expectancy (Jagger et al., 2008). These results are not just about statistics, they represent important elements for political decisions. The UN Millennium Development Goals have focused on the reduction of mortality from major killers like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. With that focus life expectancy will (hopefully) increase, but it will have minor impact on healthy life expectancy. The computation of healthy life expectancy has changed over the years. Some used dichotomous weighting schemes categorizing people into either healthy or not. The new calculation accounts for the severity of disability calculated for 289 named diseases (Murray et al., 2012a) allowing thus a quantitative, gliding disability scale.

Ageing concepts
Every change or natural phenomenon such as aging is operated by an underlying ‘Unchanging Principle’. For example, Chemical Compounds are operated by ‘Law of Definite Proportions’ or Proust’s Law of Definite Composition. The man experiences aging changes while Chemical Elements and Chemical Compounds of his body remain unchanged.

The structure of the world population is dramatically changing with an increasing percentage of the human population living to old and very old age (Suzman and Haage, 2011). This phenomenon is not limited to the classical industrialized countries, until 2050 China is expected to reach 440 and 101 million inhabitants older than 60 and 80 years respectively (Shetty, 2012). This change in the population pyramid has not only important socioeconomic consequences (healthcare, pension funds), but affects also the health and disease discussion in an interesting way.

Like for health, everybody knows what ageing means, but definitions are again less obvious, and biologists have not yet developed a generally shared theory of ageing (Martin, 2011). Part of the problem might be that different organisms might have their own modes of ageing. Languages are not of much help: ‘age’ is something which can be very simply counted on a timescale. Different languages reflect a different attitude towards ageing: while in English ‘ageing’ implies deterioration, in Japanese it means just the advancement of age. A Japanese researcher has therefore defined ageing as a ‘regression of physiological function accompanied by advancement of age’ (Imahori, 1992). Medical doctors consequently differentiate a chronological and a physiological age of a person.

Medical gerontologists perceive ageing as a progressive decline in structure and function of the body (Ferruci and Studenski, 2011). Most prominent and very visible are the effects of ageing on body composition: lean body mass from muscles and visceral organs decrease steadily, muscle strength decreases (sarcopenia) and is a good predictor of mortality. Progressive demineralization leads to decline of bone strength that together with neurodegeneration induces unstable gait, poor balance and slow reaction times leading to falls and fractures resulting in increasing frailty. Memory decline and dementia are other neurological observations in some, but not all ageing persons. Decline of the sensory system is frequent (vision, hearing, taste). Another physiological change is declining resting metabolic rate with ageing, which is also a marker of illness. Homeostasis pathways (hormones, inflammatory mediators, antioxidants) change progressively with age inducing a lower resistance to stress. Normal ageing is also associated with a decline in food intake particularly in men which leads to malnutrition.

While ageing leads ultimately to death, great biological differences exist for lifespan and ageing process between different organisms. While the lifetime of fly’s measures in days, some ticks survive for decades and lobsters were reported to survive for more than 100 years without any apparent loss in fertility. Similar data have been reported for turtles, where older females lay more eggs than younger females, show no loss of vigor and no increase in mortality rate with increasing age (Finch, 2009). These observations led to the concept of negligible senescence and the Centenarian Species Project (Guerin, 2004). Negligible senescence contradicts Hamilton’s influential theory that natural selection shaped senescence (Hamilton, 1966) and ideas that late survival was sacrificed in evolution for reproduction (Kirkwood and Rose, 1991). Even today, Hamilton’s Forces of Natural Selection described in his 1966 paper were compared by evolution researchers to what is the Lorentz transformation for relativistic physics (Rose et al., 2007). Of course, working with long-lived animals which might have lifetimes longer than that of the researcher is not to the taste of geneticists who prefer short-lived animals like flies and worms or mostly mice where results are obtained within a grant period. However, negligible senescence would fit other theories, for example that of the French zoologist Buffon who suggested in the 18th century that the duration of life in animals corresponded to six to seven times that of the period of growth for the given animal. An animal which has undetermined growth like some reptiles (crocodiles for example grow as long as they live) could have a very long lifespan. Those zoologists might in fact be right who claim that lobsters die from predation, accident and infection but not as a consequence of ageing.

Many ideas have been developed by biologists on ageing: for example, Hayflick developed 40 years ago an argument that the finite number of cell doublings determines the lifespan of a species (Hayflick, 1968). Molecular biologists have added arguments to this idea by highlighting the importance of telomere length shortening with increasing cell divisions. Several other mechanisms and pathways have been revealed by molecular biologists and geneticists for the ageing process. Caloric restriction and longevity is another of the fruitful fields of ageing research. Whether it applies to monkeys as our closest relatives is currently the focus of much discussion (Mattison et al., 2012).

However, all what we have discussed so far fit more the fundamental interest of biologists than that of the medical doctor. For the present review let’s therefore focus on the human condition and the medical view on healthy ageing.
Healthy ageing
The man’s experience of time and its consequence called aging is operated by sensory experiences that are fundamentally false. The man’s existence demands the influence of grand illusion that protects the man from experiencing the speed of planet Earth.

Thirty years ago, Fries (1980) published in The New England Journal of Medicine a seminal paper on ‘Ageing, natural death, and the compression of morbidity’ which heavily influenced the medical discussion on ageing. He starts with the statement that the length of life is fixed; speculations on immortality are rooted in human hope. The medical field assumes that death is always the result of a disease process, but due to his hypothesis of a set human lifespan, death might occur without overt disease when the normal span is lived. In his paper he depicted the ‘ideal’ human mortality curve in the absence of premature death: it is a sharp peak around the ‘naturally set’ human lifespan of 85 years. He arrived at this value from the extrapolation of life expectancy data at birth and at age 20 and 65 measured over the last century which intersect in his graph at 85 years. With that idealized model the survival curve of humans has a sharp rectangular form while the actual survival curve for humans at 1900 looked more like a triangle with a continuous decline of survival with age. In 1980 the survival curve took already a substantial rectangular form: much of the 1900-typical attrition over increasing age had been eliminated and the actual survival curve started to approach the ideal curve. He admitted that the average length of life was increasing, but he argues that this was due to a decrease in childhood mortality, not to a secular trend for an increase of life expectancy at age of 75 years. He highlighted that acute, usually infectious diseases determined mortality in the USA at 1900 and that chronic diseases have now superseded acute diseases. In his view health improvement must address chronic instead of acute diseases, morbidity and not mortality, quality of life rather than duration of life. Postponement of disease is more important than cure of a disease. Weight control, regular exercise, treatment of hypertension, elimination of smoking and alcohol over-consumption (today we would add an equilibrated diet) were the practical measures. With that focus of medical interventions, one could achieve what he called the compression of morbidity. A postponement of chronic disease would also result in a rectangularization of the morbidity and not only the mortality curve. Since loss of reserve function represented his operational definition of ageing, one could theoretically also achieve a compression of senescence. He postulated a plasticity of ageing against a non-elasticity of the human ideal lifespan.

It is interesting to compare the Fries’ model with the actual data set from the GBD 2010 study. Already in an analysis of demographic data from 2002, the WHO reported that precisely the very old age groups are growing the fastest worldwide. A cornerstone of Fries’ model is the lack in increase of centenarians over one century of observation. The WHO projects in contrast a 13-fold increase in centenarians over the next decades (Kalache et al., 2002). Better hygiene, nutrition and healthcare have increased life expectancy as also seen in GBD 2010. When the life expectancy of females in the most advanced nations is plotted against historical time, a straight line is observed showing a steady increase of 2.5 years longer life expectancy per decade between 1850 and 2000 (Suzman and Haage, 2011). Humans in some industrialized countries have now nearly reached the lifespan limits of Buffon’s formula, but the asymptotic behavior requested by a genetically fixed life expectancy was not yet observed. One central tenet of the Fries’ model is thus not confirmed. What about the compression of morbidity? GBD 2010 showed that countries with high life expectancy had mostly also lower age-specific disability than countries with low life expectancy. While an analysis of disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALE) with data from the GBD 1999 study (Mathers et al., 2001) showed still ‘some evidence to suggest that compression of morbidity may be occurring in some low mortality countries’, later analyses did not concur with this interpretation. According to GBD 2010, years lived with disability (YLD) rose despite a decrease in the prevalence of age-specific disability (Salomon et al., 2012). Simply, the decrease in disability did not keep pace with the increase in survival. A compression can only occur if healthy life expectancy would rise faster than life expectancy.

Globally, YLD rose from 583 million in 1990 to 777 million in 2010 (Vos et al., 2012). The main contributors at the global level were mental and behavioral disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes and endocrine diseases. The leading specific causes were the same in 2010 as in 1990: low back pain, major depressive disorders, iron-deficiency anemia, neck pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, anxiety disorders, migraine, diabetes and falls. Rates of YLD per given number of people did not change, but since YLD rise steadily with age, population growth and ageing were the major drivers for the increase in YLD (Vos et al., 2012). The health system is thus confronted with a rising number of individuals with a range of disorders that largely cause disability but not mortality.

Outlook
John Milton in his epic poem of Paradise Lost, Book XI shares the golden principles of healthy aging. Nothing too much, the Law of Temperance helps the man to live to his fullest potential.

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit.
But is there yet no other way, besides
These painful passages, how we may come
To Death, and mix with our connatural dust?

There is, said Michael, if thou well observe [ 530 ]
The rule of not too much, by temperance taught
In what thou eat and drink, seeking from thence
Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,
Till many years over thy head return:
So may thou live, till like ripe Fruit thou drop [ 535 ]
Into thy Mothers lap, or be with ease
Gathered, not harshly plucked, for death mature:

In summary, GBD 2010 showed clear evidence of expansion, not compression of morbidity. An increase of the number of years lived in reduced health has implications beyond the person suffering from restricted health. Healthy ageing is a socioeconomic need since otherwise national health systems will not be able to stem the cost associated with managing increasing numbers of individuals suffering from various disease sequelae. If by preventive measures a healthy ageing could be achieved, the healthcare system could save cost and the individual could enjoy a greater quality of life for a longer period of life. This goal is quite ambitious though, but the incentive is great justifying the exploration of various associations with healthy ageing. In an accompanying review, I explore the data associating gut microbiota composition with healthy ageing and to what extent the gut microbiota composition can be changed by nutritional interventions (Brüssow, 2013).
Acknowledgments

I thank my colleagues Wolfram Brück for critical reading of the manuscript and Olga Sakwinska for stimulating discussions.
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My Health Status – Living a Life with a Broken Heart

Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Commandment proclaimed by the risen Lord

**Happy Easter 2023. Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Commandment of Jesus Christ**

Easter 2023 will be observed on Sunday, April 09. Easter is a “movable feast” that is always held on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Easter this year happens after April’s full Moon (Thursday, April 06), which is the first full Moon to occur after the ecclesiastical spring equinox (March 21) and is therefore known in the Christian calendar as the “Paschal Full Moon.”

Easter always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. Specifically, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full Moon that occurs on or just after the ecclesiastical spring equinox (March 21).

The ecclesiastical spring equinox (in other words, the date observed by the Christian Church) has a set date of March 21. The first full Moon to occur after March 21 rises on Thursday, April 06, this year. Therefore, Easter will be observed on the subsequent Sunday, which is Sunday, April 09, 2023.

Happy Easter 2023. Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Love Commandment of Jesus Christ. The First Full Moon after March 21 rises on Thursday, April 06, 2023. Therefore, Easter is celebrated on Sunday, April 09, 2023.

Note that the equinox date used by the Christian Church (the “ecclesiastical” date) is different from the astronomical date of the equinox, which can change from year to year. In 2023, the astronomical date of the equinox was Monday, March 20. This discrepancy between the astronomical equinox date and the Church’s observed equinox date can sometimes cause confusion, as it did in 2019, when the full Moon and the astronomical equinox occurred on the same day—Wednesday, March 20. According to the formula above, this should have meant that Easter would be observed on Sunday, March 24. However, because the Church observes the equinox on March 21, the full Moon technically did not occur “on or just after” the equinox, meaning that the next full Moon would determine Easter’s date instead. Thus, in 2019, Easter was held on Sunday, April 21, after the full Moon on Friday, April 19.

The word “Paschal,” which is used in the ecclesiastical (Christian church) calendar, comes from “Pascha,” a transliteration of the Aramaic word meaning “Passover.”

In reference to the full Moon, Paschal refers to the date of the full Moon determined many years ago as the 14th day of a lunar month. Ancient calculations (made in a.d. 325) did not take into account certain lunar motions.

So, the Paschal Full Moon is the 14th day of a lunar month occurring on or after March 21 according to a fixed set of ecclesiastical calendar rules, which does not always match the date of the astronomical full Moon nearest the astronomical spring equinox.

He is Risen!

Easter is the most important feast day in the Christian calendar.

Regularly observed from the earliest days of the Church, Easter celebrates Christ’s resurrection from the dead, following crucifixion. It marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, and the last day of the Easter Triduum (starting from the evening of Maundy Thursday, through Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday), as well as the beginning of the Easter season of the liturgical year.

Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

**Happy Easter 2023. Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Love Commandment of Jesus Christ. Easter celebrates Jesus as the Sacrificial Passover Lamb.**

Let’s start with Pascha (Latin) which comes directly from Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. Going back to the Hebrew Bible and the story of the first Passover, Moses tells the Israelites to slaughter a passover lamb and paint its blood on their door. The Lord protected the Israelites from death by passing over their doors and would not “allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down” (Exodus: 12:23).

In the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:7), Paul connects the resurrected Christ to Passover. He refers to Jesus as the paschal lamb who has been sacrificed for his people’s salvation. Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples during Passover, so it makes sense that the Feast of the Resurrection is connected with the Jewish holiday. Today, Christians celebrate the “Paschal mystery.”

CELEBRATION OF LOVE AS A HOLIDAY TRADITION: IN JEWISH TRADITION, THE DAY OF PROCLAMATION OF TORAH TO THE JEWS AT MOUNT SINAI IN EGYPT IS CELEBRATED AS SHAVUOT, THE HARVEST HOLIDAY, THE FEAST OF WEEKS, THE HOLIDAY OF THE FIRST FRUITS. AMONG CHRISTIANS THERE IS NO COMPARABLE HOLIDAY TRADITION TO CELEBRATE THE PROCLAMATION OF THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS BY JESUS CHRIST. — CELEBRATION OF LOVE AS A HOLIDAY TRADITION: IN JEWISH TRADITION, THE DAY OF PROCLAMATION OF THE TORAH TO THE JEWS AT MOUNT SINAI IN EGYPT IS CELEBRATED AS SHAVUOT, THE HARVEST HOLIDAY, THE FEAST OF WEEKS, THE HOLIDAY OF THE FIRST FRUITS. AMONG CHRISTIANS OF NUMEROUS DENOMINATIONS THERE IS NO COMPARABLE HOLIDAY TRADITION TO CELEBRATE THE PROCLAMATION OF THE TWO GREAT ‘LOVE’ COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS CHRIST WHICH IS THE BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN FAITH BOTH IN TERMS OF RELATIONS WITH GOD AND OTHER MEN.

The word Love does not appear in the Torah (Law) given to the Jews at Mount Sinai. I conducted a study of the holiday traditions of the US and I am totally surprised to note that there is no traditional celebration of the Proclamation of the two Great Love Commandments of Jesus Christ. Jewish Holiday Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah (the LAW or Instruction) to the Jews. God gave the Ten Commandments (The Decalogue, The Code of The Ten Words)on the sixth night of the Hebrew month of ‘Sivan’. Shavuot always falls 50 days (Pentecost) after the second night of Passover. The 49 days between Passover and Shavuot are known as ‘Omer’. While Jesus Christ has retained the essence of The Code of The Ten Words; but, He has changed the Operating Principle of the Torah or The Law. Jesus instructs that the Law would be followed by His believers not through the use of force or authority but by simply embracing the equally powerful influence called Love.

I am posting this article to make an open appeal to all the members of the US Congress to pass a decree or law to commence a new tradition in the national life that celebrates the central role of love in developing wholesome human relationships. I am using the term ‘Whole Body’ to describe the perfect unity of body, mind, heart, soul, and God that establishes man as a Whole Being. Love is central to man’s relationship to God and man’s relations with other persons. The term love includes the feelings or the emotion of love expressed by a person ( “The Subject”) and it involves a personal experience evoked when another person (“The Object”) reflects the feelings of love. Love has to be known as “The Medium” that generates the attachment or devotion to another person; and this attachment implies connection by ties of affection, sexual attraction, devotion, friendship, goodwill, compassion, respect, trust, and commitment. This kind of care and concern for a person, or persons in a relationship could be called ‘Whole Love’ if whatever is done for Love occurs beyond good and evil.

The concept of Holiday begins with the story of creation as revealed in the Book of Genesis and it involves the observance of a ‘Holy Day’. “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done (Genesis, Chapter 2, verse 3).”

WHOLE BODY - WHOLE LOVE - WHOLE HOLIDAY: THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF EXODUS, CHAPTER 20, VERSE#8 IS THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT THAT ASKS, "REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY BY KEEPING IT HOLY." — Happy Easter 2023. Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Love Commandments of Jesus Christ: THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF EXODUS, CHAPTER 20, VERSE#8 IS THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT THAT ASKS, “REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY BY KEEPING IT HOLY.”

Christmas holiday is not in remembrance of God’s Law. Jesus Christ established Love as the God’s Greatest Commandment.

Matthew (Chapter 22, verses 37-40), and Mark (Chapter 12, verses 28-31) describe the Commandments of Love: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first great commandment. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two Commandments.”

John, Chapter 13, verse 34 describes the need for neighborly relations among people based upon Love: “A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Whole Love – Whole Law – Whole Holiday – Whole Tradition:

**Happy Easter 2023. Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Love Commandment of Jesus Christ.**

WHOLE BODY - WHOLE LOVE - WHOLE HOLIDAY: THE WHOLE DISCOVERY OF LOVE AT WHOLE FOODS WILL ESTABLISH A WHOLE TRADITION TO COMMEMORATE THE PRONOUNCEMENT OF WHOLE LAW OF LOVING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ALL PEOPLE OF THE WHOLE WORLD. — Happy Easter 2023. Prayersfor a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Love Commandment of Jesus Christ: THE WHOLE DISCOVERY OF LOVE AT WHOLE FOODS WILL ESTABLISH A WHOLE TRADITION TO COMMEMORATE THE PRONOUNCEMENT OF WHOLE LAW OF LOVING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ALL PEOPLE OF THE WHOLE WORLD.

After my ‘Whole Discovery’, the discovery of the experience of ‘Whole Love’ at Whole Foods Market, Ann Arbor, Michigan on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, I decided to promote the establishment of a ‘Whole Tradition’ to follow the Spirit of the ‘Whole Law’ to truly observe the Commandment of ‘Whole Love’. To commemorate my ‘Whole Discovery’, I am writing this appeal to ask all the members of the US Congress to approve a new Law to observe the last Wednesday of July as the ‘Whole Love Holiday’. The choice of Wednesday is very appropriate as most other legal holidays are observed on Mondays as a matter of convenience and not for the purposes of obedience to a Divine Law which should be the source and inspiration for the Human Law. The concept of ‘Whole Love’ represents the ‘Whole Law’ that is explicitly pronounced by Jesus Christ as the only Commandment that man must follow and observe in his lifetime. To acknowledge the ‘Whole Law’, to celebrate its pronouncement, we need a new ‘Whole Tradition’ which is reflected by instituting a new ‘Whole Holiday’.

WHOLE BODY - WHOLE LOVE - WHOLE HOLIDAY: THE AMAZING 'WHOLE COOKIE' SOLD AT WHOLE FOODS. THE 365 EVERYDAY VALUE MISMATCHED SANDWICH CREMES WILL BE CALLED WHOLE COOKIES IF THE US CONGRESS APPROVES A NEW LAW TO CELEBRATE WHOLE LOVE ON THE LAST WEDNESDAY OF JULY. — Happy Easter 2023. Prayers for a new holiday tradition to celebrate the Love Commandment of Jesus Christ. I ask the amazing ‘WHOLE COOKIE’ SOLD AT WHOLE FOODS, THE 365 EVERYDAY VALUE MISMATCHED SANDWICH CREMES to be renamed as WHOLE COOKIES IF THE US CONGRESS APPROVES A NEW LAW TO CELEBRATE WHOLE LOVE ON THE LAST WEDNESDAY OF JULY.

The term ‘Cookie’ is used to describe a small sweet cake usually flat and often crisp. The word ‘Cookie’ may also be used to describe an attractive, young woman. As Sigmund Freud had explained, all kinds of love have an element of sexual attraction and it is inherently natural as such attraction is the fundamental nature of all living things that are governed by the Natural Law of Generation and Propagation. So, I love my ‘Cookies’ even if it may imply the Love of more than one person. The ‘Whole Law’ mandates the Love of more than one person. If the US Congress approves new legislation to institute a Holiday on the last Wednesday of July to celebrate Love, I ask Whole Foods to rename its 365 Everyday Value Mismatched Sandwich Cremes as Whole Cookies. The Vanilla Cookie symbolizes God’s Love for man and the Chocolate Cookie symbolizes man’s love of his neighbor. The Commandment or the Divine Law that demands people to ‘Love One Another’ must be celebrated in a tradition similar to the Jewish Holiday that celebrates the Proclamation of The Ten Commandments. In my opinion, it is not about imposition of religion by State. The State has declared its Independence on July 04, 1776 claiming Natural Rights and quoted the Principles of Natural Law to justify its demand for Independence from the British Crown. Further, the Supreme Law of the US is the Constitution of the US and it gives the Right to Life and supports the Pursuit of Happiness. The opposite of Love is called hate and it precisely undermines the citizens’ right to life and to the pursuit of happiness.

The remembrance of the ‘Love Commandments’, the honoring of its Proclamation and a traditional celebration of ‘Whole Love’ will definitely promote the development of social harmony, is conducive to peaceful enjoyment of life and will establish tranquility in human interactions. We need Wholesome Relations between individuals and between nations to prepare the Whole World for the dawn of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

I wish all my readers, ‘Happy First Day of Spring’. In 2023, the March equinox happens on Monday, March 20, at 5:24 P.M. EDT. In the Northern Hemisphere, this date marks the start of the Spring Season. At that time, the Earth will reach the point in its orbit where its axis isn’t tilted toward or away from the sun. Thus, the sun will then be directly over a specific point on the Earth’s equator moving northward.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures. THE ECLIPTIC DESCRIBES THE GREAT CIRCLE ON THE CELESTIAL SPHERE INTERSECTING THE CELESTIAL EQUATOR AND IT REPRESENTS THE CHANGING POSITION OF THE SUN WITH RESPECT TO THE BACKGROUND STARS AS SEEN FROM THE ORBITING EARTH DURING ONE YEAR IT HELPS MAN TO DETERMINE THE ONSET OF CHANGING SEASONS MARKED BY EVENTS LIKE VERNAL AND AUTUMNAL EQUINOX.

On the sky, it’s where the ecliptic and celestial equator cross each other. While the Sun passes overhead, the tilt of the Earth is zero relative to the Sun, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (Note, however, that the Earth never orbits upright, but is always tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees.)

**Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures**

After this date, the Northern Hemisphere begins to be tilted more toward the Sun, resulting in increasing daylight hours and warming temperatures. (In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite: the March equinox marks the start of Autumn, as the Southern Hemisphere begins to be tilted away from the Sun.) Equinoxes are the only two times a year that the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth!

After the spring equinox, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun. Although in most locations (the North Pole and Equator being exceptions) the amount of daylight had been increasing each day after the winter solstice, after the spring equinox, many places will experience more daylight than darkness in each 24-hour day. The amount of daylight each day will continue to increase until the summer solstice in June, in which the longest period of daylight occurs.

Every Changing phenomenon in Nature is operated by an Unchanging Fundamental Force called Love

Man’s physical existence on surface of Earth cannot be fully accounted by physical force of Gravitation that explains Earth’s orbit or revolution around the Sun. Man travels about 67, 000 miles per hour during Earth’s yearly orbit around the Sun. But, man’s lifetime or lifespan on Earth is determined by alternating periods of Day and Night caused by Earth’s rotational spin. Physical Forces act mechanically without sense of purpose or goal. Earth’s rotational spin serves a specific purpose for it directs Biological Rhythms of Living Systems.

Within our Solar System, no celestial object shares rotational spin characteristics of another object. Each planet spins at a different speed or exhibits different rotational axis. On each planet, we will experience Day and Night and Seasons in different manners as they orbit around Sun. Each planet is unique, distinctive, original, and one of its own kind of celestial object. Space Exploration discovered thousands of planets, but none of them share identical rotational spins, in fact each planet displays individualistic variation in its spin characteristics. So, we need to recognize existence of “UNKNOWN” Force that may have imparted energy to initiate rotational spin of each celestial object.

I am using the term Love to define it as a Fundamental Force that brings Unity and Harmony in Interactions between Inanimate and Animate Matter to establish the Natural Order. Love is Fundamental to existence of Sensible or Living Matter and Living Things have ability to perceive Love which instruments developed by man cannot measure.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures. Time change concept with Sun and Moon above mountainous countryside. Valley full of rising fog. Green foliage on trees. Wonderful Nature scenery in Springtime

Every changing phenomenon in nature is operated by an Unchanging Reality. Spring Season brings a change, and this change is possible for it is governed by an Unchanging Reality. The word ‘Spring’ describes the move upward or forward from the ground, it denotes resilience or bounce, and it means to grow or develop or come into existence quickly. Among the Seasons, the Spring Season is the time during which plants begin to grow after lying dormant all Winter. In the North Temperate Zone, the Spring Season includes the months of March, April, and May, the period between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

The Spring Season is a time for rebirth, regeneration, renewal, and regrowth after a period of dormancy. Man derives a sense of joy and happiness when the plants start their growing process and quickly bear attractive flowers. It gives the experience of ‘Sweetness’ which is called ‘Madhurya’ in the Sanskrit language. It is a manifestation of a creative process, or operation of creative energy that makes human existence possible giving the man the sensation associated with consuming nectar, honey, or sweet wine.

**Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures. Psalm 118:24**

I seek the blessings of Lord God Creator to renew my creative energy and to guide expression of my thoughts using sweet words and to promote the well-being of all my readers and become a source of Happiness to all people.

Whole Dude – Whole Woman – Whole Cookie

The Discovery of Whole Woman called Whole Cookie

**On International Women’s Day, Whole Dude Discovers Whole Woman called Whole Cookie.**

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. As a student of Human Anatomy, my primary concern is about understanding the definition of man and woman in all its dimensions. For example, I dissected the cadaver of a human female to learn the Human Anatomy of the lower limbs without any concern for the gender identity of the human cadaver.

In 1965, while I was a student of Human Anatomy at Kurnool Medical College, I had the opportunity to know about Dr. J. C. B. Grant (1886-1973), the author of Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy. The 5th Edition of his Atlas was published in 1962 and was available in India in our Medical College Library.

Who is Whole Dude?

On International Women’s Day, Whole Dude discovers Whole Woman called Whole Cookie. This painting the Vitruvian Man( c. 1492 ) by Leonardo da Vinci displays a spirit of scientific inquiry. What is Man? Who is Whole Dude?

The word ‘Whole’ as an adjective describes quality of being healthy, sound, auspicious, not broken, not defective, entire, undivided, complete, containing or constituting the entire amount, or having all of its natural elements. The word ‘Whole’ is also used as a noun to describe a thing or entity that is complete in itself and which lacks none of its parts. Whole Dude is a phrase that refers to Whole Man in all aspects of one’s being, including physical, mental, social, moral, rational, creative and spiritual. The man exists because of functional unity of the entire system and hence the singularity of the multicellular organism called man may not be divided into its constituent parts like body, mind, and soul which have no independent existence of their own.

I prefer the phrase Whole Dude over other often used phrases such as Whole Man, Whole Person, Whole Self, and others. Just like ‘White Light’, the singularity described as Man is in reality a spectrum of seven colors. The seven dimensions of the Man are, 1. The Physical, 2. The Mental, 3. The Social, 4. The Moral, 5. The Spiritual, 6. The Creative, and 7. The Rational. The description of the Man as a created, spiritual, and rational being is fundamental to defining the Man as a Whole Dude.

Who is Whole Cookie?

The phrase Whole Dude somehow misses the flavor called Woman. God created both man and woman in His own image and hence God is both male and female at one and the same time. In the common usage of the term God, most often writers refer to God as if He is exclusively Male or of the masculine gender. From the very beginning, the Indian tradition views God as the First Male and the First Female and named the Male Principle as Father and the Female Principle as Mother. Father is the Originating Principle, and Mother is the Source Principle. The Indian tradition describes the Mother as the Divine Source of Matter, Energy, Knowledge, and Life or as the Constitutive Principle. Father is described as the LORD, the Owner, the Ruler, the Governor, the Controller, the Protector, the Sustainer, the Maintainer, the Preserver or as the Regulative Principle that rules, regulates, and governs all the operations of matter, energy, knowledge, and life in the created, natural Cosmic Order.

Just like the phrase Whole Dude, I coined the phrase Whole Cookie to specifically refer to the feminine gender created by God.

On International Women’s Day, Whole Dude discovers Whole Woman called Whole Cookie. THE CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE IN GOD’S OWN IMAGE: THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF GENESIS IS A WRITTEN RECORD OF THE LIFE-SPAN OF HEBREW PEOPLE. HUMAN HISTORY AND THE RECORDS OF HUMAN LONGEVITY BEGIN WITH THE CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. THE HEBREW WORD ADAM MEANS MAN.

The word Cookie is often applied to describe a young, attractive woman, a sweet thing, whose flavor is reflected in the language, behavior, and mannerisms that contribute to the constitution of the female personality. I love Whole Cookie for she brings to my experience the sweetness of the Divine Mother called Madhavi.

On International Women’s Day, Whole Dude discovers Whole Woman called Whole Cookie. IN THE INDIAN TRADITION LORD GOD IS THE CONTROLLER OF THE FORCE AND HAS A MASCULINE IDENTITY AND THE FORCE IS DESCRIBED AS HIS CONSORT WITH A FEMININE IDENTITY. GODDESS MADHAVI IS THE CONSORT OF LORD MADHAVA, THE LORD OF THE SPRING SEASON WHICH BRINGS A SENSE OF JOY AND SWEETNESS. THE WORD MADHAVI IS DERIVED FROM MADHU WHICH DESCRIBES SUGAR, WINE (FERMENTED SUGAR) AND NECTAR. WHEN MADHAVI IS KNOWN AS FORCE/POWER/ENERGY, ITS APPLICATION IS KNOWN BY THE SENSATION IT IMPARTS, THE SENSATION OF SWEETNESS CALLED MADHURYA, JOY, OR BLISS.

The name Madhavi is derived from the word Madhu, a sweet substance found in nectar, honey, wine, sugarcane, and others.

Whole Woman Selects Her Tone of Voice to Get Discovered as Whole Cookie

In my analysis, the flavor experienced as Whole Woman involves the attribute called the Tone of Voice. The descriptions provided by Human Anatomy and Human Physiology cannot account for the experience called Sweetness which alone helps in knowing Whole Woman as Whole Cookie.

**On International Women’s Day, Whole Dude discovers Whole Woman called Whole Cookie. Broca’s Area – Brain’s Speech Center**

**On International Women’s Day, Whole Dude discovers Whole Woman called Whole Cookie. Co-ordination of sensory and motor functions is vital for normal Speech.**

Illustration of the anatomy of a female human face

On International Woman’s Day, Whole Dude Discovers Whole Woman Called Whole Cookie.

Defining Indian Identity – The Tradition of Speech Etiqeutte

**Goddess Sarasvati is known as the Goddess of Speech or Vag Devi and She symbolizes the importance of Speech Etiquette and Speech Discipline.**

**Mother India, or Bharat Mata is defined by Her Speech which is Sweet, Elegant, Pleasant, and gives pleasure and Happiness to all Her listeners.**

**India’s National Song, popularly known as ‘VANDE MATARAM’ was composed by Shri. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee/Chattopadhyay. It describes India’s Speech Tradition.**

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed India’s National Song BANDE MATARAM (“Hail to Thee, Mother”). “Vande Mataram” became the Mantra and slogan of people of India in their struggle for independence.

**Defining Indian Identity. The Tradition of Speech Etiquette.**

In the Song Vande Mataram, the Land of India is described as Suhasini, and Sumadhura Bhashini .Suhasini refers to a person who can speak in a pleasant manner without being rude or offensive and provide a sense of cheer and humor to the listener. Sumadhura Bhashini refers to a person who speaks good and sweet words which gives a sense of pleasure to the listener.

Speech is the oral, audible expression of human language while talking. Man became characteristically human when he learned to speak. All human Culture and its propagation appears to depend on some form of language to serve as the vehicle for teaching, persuasion and tradition.Speech is a very important aspect of human personality. Culture plays a significant role in the development of speech behavior. Particularly, in the Indian society, there are social expectations in the use of speech, speech mannerisms and in the observation of speech etiquette.The manner of speech is predictive of human behavior. Indians are expected to speak softly, in a sweet and pleasant manner. A loud-mouthed person is generally viewed as disrespectful, disobedient and disruptive. In the following poem, the famous Telugu Poet Vemana describes the importance of speech behavior.

Telugu Poet, ‘SARVAJNA’, Yogi Vemana had described the importance of Speech Etiquette in a few simple sentences.

Sri Kumaragiri Vema Reddy is popularly known as Vemana, Yogi Vemana (Telugu: వేమన) was a telugu poet. C.P. Brown, known for his research on Vemana, estimates the year of birth to be the year 1652 based on some of his verses. Vemana was the third and youngest son of Gaddam Vema, then the king of Kondaveedu in Andhra Pradesh.

Brass can produce high volume sound as compared to Gold but we consider Gold to be a precious metal and value its high quality in spite of its lack of ability to generate a loud sound. People who are mean-spirited and low in virtue speak in tones that reflects a sense of arrogance and self-importance. People of high virtue and good character would speak in a gentle and pleasant manner that reflects a sense of humility and the listeners would be pleased by listening to the words spoken. While speaking, the pitch and the volume of the sound is less important and we need to focus on the contents of our speech.

Speech Etiquette and Indian Culture:

Indian Culture describes “Saraswati” as the Goddess of Speech or “VAK”. She is known as VAG DEVI. Indians worship her to obtain fluency and to become eloquent speakers. Our identity is related to the quality and content of our speech. Speech mannerisms, speech etiquette and speech discipline are parts of the grooming process of the children in our homes. In fact, the Indian Tradition of Learning begins only after imparting the importance of Speech Etiquette in the learning Process. Children are generally counseled to use some restraint in their speech. There are several words and phrases that identify an Indian speaker according to their speech quality and content.The phrase ‘Su Bhasini’ directs us to use good and pleasing words. The phrase ‘Mita Bhasini’ directs us to speak to the point using only a few appropriate words. The phrase ‘Manjula Vani’ directs us to speak in a beautiful and elegant manner. Our traditional greeting “NAMASKAR” represents our devotion to showing respect and displaying an attitude of obedience in our public conduct. We can only meet this Cultural expectation by using a manner of speech which would convey the qualities of respect and obedience.

Dr.Martin Luther King, the famous Civil Rights Leader of the United States wished for that day when his sons would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Similarly, a person’s identity should not be assumed by the person’s physical attributes but by his attitude and behavior. As an Indian, I wish to be identified not by the color of my skin. ‘Sumadhura Bhashini’ is the Cultural standard of our speech behavior. If you care enough, listen to me, my speech would reveal to you the country of my origin.

Please also view a related blog post titled ‘Defining Indian Identity – The Pursuit of Pure and Perfect Knowledge’.

https://bhavanajagat.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/defining-indian-identity-the-pursuit-of-pure-and-perfect-knowledge/