athlete

Blog #14: Tree on Fire on a Mountain

by rambler on Jul 4, 2022 category athlete, bible, coinhabit, Creation, elohim, Genesis, god, hebrew, medicine, order, plant-based, renewal, sacred mountain, triathlon

My wife was telling me about a podcast she was listening to while coming home from work one day, She Explores, which in general highlights stories of women’s experiences in nature and how these relate to life experiences in business, equality, family, etc. This particular piece was about the Cairn Project, who in their words, “expands outdoor access by supporting community-based wilderness and outdoor education groups around the country through a small grants program for girls and young women.” One of the groups they support, Embark, is involved in providing outdoor mentorship to refugee girls who are resettled within Utah. Through exposures to the mountainous natural world, whether it be camping, rock climbing, or other wilderness adventures, the organization gathers recently resettled girls from various countries around the world, including from Asia and Africa, and provides an avenue to test themselves, learn new skills, and develop self-confidence. Their idea is that learning to conquer physical challenges in this environment will give them the belief that they can also conquer the numerous other challenges that come with being a resettle female refugee. Having to learn a new language, a new order to basic community infrastructure, a new way to travel and collect daily items is something most of us have never had to do. Hopefully, challenging oneself in the shared outdoor environment, in physically difficult situations, will lead toward growing resilience and leadership skills that many of their participants have yet to uncover in their life journeys.

Since moving to western North Carolina 13 years ago, I have called the mountains home (excluding a year living in northern Ghana). Between the Blue Ridge and the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, our back doors have been the first step toward individual and family adventure, whether it be running or cycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway a few miles or a few tens of miles, hiking the narrow trails in the crevices of the Hoh River rainforests towards Mount Olympus, or taking one of the numerous trails at either place for a day outing. Among my first memories of northwest Washington is the mountain range on Vancouver Island sitting atop the Strait of Juan de Fuca and hovering beneath a clear blue sky. Later memories include the same mountain range peaking out from low fog over the strait, as well as those tops covered in clouds and the green bases staring at us across the water, dwarfing the freight lines headed for the ports of Seattle and Vancouver. There never seems to be a shortage of fun and inspiration from our local environments, no matter the season. As summer approaches, the return of tourists on the Blue Ridge Parkway will be a reminder of the draw to the mountains, for vistas, fresh air, physical activity, serenity, challenges, etc.

We are drawn to mountains for several reasons. The grandeur of them towering above all surroundings is breathtaking and can make us feel small and in awe of their massiveness. The different ecosystems they house provide delicate complexity to the balance of the greater environment and draw curious souls to come observe them meticulously and artistically. The ways they affect local climates draw people to live under their rain shadows. The ways streams and pools interact with rock and slope create some of the most beautiful and dangerous meetings of earth and water on the planet. We are drawn to them for their beauty and their challenge. A level of physical strength and endurance is required to explore and intimately learn these places, whether it be through scaling peaks, crossing glacial fields, or hiking on primitive trails. Several mountains are easily accessible with day hikes on tamed paths, but by far the majority demand a deeper commitment and focus to get to know. We often go to them to test our mettle, to build strength, whether it is mental, physical, spiritual, or social.

It should be no wonder that these places feature frequently in the Hebrew Bible, as places of challenge, places to meet the divine, places of uncertainty. In the first reboot of creation, the ark that contained all the preserved land animals comes to rest upon Ararat, which also hosts the first burnt sacrifice on an altar. Mount Moriah is where Abraham takes his son to offer as a sacrifice, only to have a provision in his place, hence passing his test. The story of Elijah calling upon Yahweh to ignite a water-soaked sacrifice and prove His power to the Israelites happens on Mount Carmel. The transfiguration of Jesus of Nazareth is said to have happened on Mount Tabor, and the Mount of Olives is where Jesus has his final test in the Garden, where the Jewish scholars and Roman soldiers seize him.

All the above stories have an element of danger in them, points of uncertainty of what is happening and what is coming next. Symbolically and physically, mountains represent danger, places where the weather can change lethally and without notice. Add the presence of God in the mix and that aura is increased exponentially. In three of the above stories, fire is present, just as on Mount Sinai in the tree where Moses first speaks with Yahweh.

While Eden isn’t explicitly stated to be on a mountain, we can surmise that the garden is in fact on the top of a mountain. Four rivers flow forth from Eden in Genesis 2: the Tigris, Euphrates, Gihon, and Pishon. Scholars debate the location of the ancient Gihon and Pishon Rivers, with several believing the Gihon flowed through Ethiopia, making it physically impossible for all four rivers to come from the same source. Again, reading the Bible in its context, the point of this description is likely to say that all of life, all of civilization, flowed forth from this cosmic mountain. In the metaphor of all life-giving rivers flowing from a single source, that source would have to be higher than everywhere else, hence a mountain. Several ancient religious traditions have the idea of a cosmic temple mountain, like Eden.

Many modern Christians probably think of Eden as a lavish, peaceful, perfect resort garden where everything was at its pinnacle. I wrote earlier how this was unlikely the case in reference to human work being part of our calling. If Eden is a cosmic mountain, where God lived, would its presence in the garden appear as a peaceful, serene singularity? Or would it be expressed more so how it was elsewhere in the Bible, as fire in a tree, a storm cloud upon Sinai, or fire raining down from heaven onto an altar? This brings us to the point in the garden where the presence dwelled: the Tree of Life. God-Elohim commanded humans to eat from every tree in the Garden, including the Tree of Life, and not from one specific tree. Why did Eve and Adam not eat from this tree, which was right next to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? The latter was “good to the eye”; was the former not?

The burning bush (s’neh tree) on Mount Horeb was fear-striking to Moses; the entire mountain (s’neh  Sinai) was fear-striking to the Hebrews. Could the Tree of Life have appeared similarly to the Adam, as a tree radiating with fire, striking fear into the hearts of humankind? God’s presence must have appeared impossibly powerful and challenging. It didn’t appear safe in their eyes, and the alternative tree did. Likewise, the Tree of Life on top of the mountain garden is not safe in our eyes. It will strike fear in our hearts. Its future revelations in the Bible appear equally deadly, even shameful, whether it be on Sinai, Mount Carmel, or on Golgotha where Jesus of Nazareth hung from a Roman execution rack, also referred to as a tree by some Christians. Synonymous to eating from the Tree of Life, approaching God and submitting to his wisdom appears counter-intuitive and treacherous. It means exchanging our version of prudence for one that is hazardously foreign to our comprehension of the world. It is here, on top of a mountain, where humans can come near to the spirit and decide whether to take from the tree that appears perilous but ultimately leads to the vision of the same tree in Revelation 22, which provides fruit continuously and medicine for the world.

Humans have looked to mountains for millennia in search of something, whether it is God, themselves, or nature. I have yet to climb a mountain and see a tree on fire. Odds are I won’t. Not physically. Recently I participated in an Ironman race in Tulsa. While not known for mountainous terrain, the last mile was an uphill shot to the finish line. Lucky for me I didn’t see a burning tree at the end, otherwise I would have questioned a turn I took somewhere on the course (Tulsa was busy that weekend with several events going on. There may have been a gathering of folks burning trees to celebrate or denote something). But I did get a rush of joy and satisfaction at finishing the event. It reminds me of all the Eden hot-spots around us all the time, whether at the finish lines of grueling athletic events, in personal or community gardens with veggies percolating under the soil to create life for several organisms, or sharing coffee and conversation with someone. Somewhere in all those places perhaps is the semblance of a tree on fire.

Blog 11: Daunting Invitations

by rambler on Feb 25, 2022 category athlete, bible, bike, hebrew, plant-based, run, sacred mountain, swim, triathlon

I have been fortunate enough to have the health for participation in several endurance events, notably marathons as well as a handful of triathlons. Finishing my first marathon during my last year of medical school actually may have been the most impressive thing I did in those years when putting that next to my transcript. After a brief hiatus during the training years of residency, I was able to get back into the habit. As my wife participated in a couple of triathlons, she encouraged me to try it. I am really glad that I did, as it was an incredibly rewarding experience, both the training and the actual event. Having an organized schedule off of which to check workouts was helpful in providing a sense of completion of something. After doing a couple of smaller triathlons, I signed up for and completed an Ironman race in Quebec. The training was intense but gratifying, and by race day I felt well prepared. I had imagined what crossing the finish line would feel like. I looked at some pictures of people who did cross the line. Several people were pumping their fists in the air. Others were tearful as they completed what was likely the most grueling physical event of their lives. Some were just plain exhausted. As I came running down the final quarter mile chute of people cheering on the participants, I remember getting goose bumps and having an overwhelming feeling of peaceful focus. Everything just became quiet inside my head. As I crossed the finish line, the serenity of the event persisted as I thanked those volunteers around me for putting on the event. I do not remember feeling that way during any other event in my life.

When people talk with me about Ironman, they are typically in awe of anyone who does it, and they comment on how daunting a task it appears. They frequently say that they could never do that, that the thought of training to those distances is too fearsome. I also remember thinking similarly when I was younger. The idea of running more than 4 miles seemed a scary proposition. I thought going any farther than that would surely cause injury and debility. With experience and pushing the envelope over the years, I eventually got to a point in which endurance activities feel normal to my body, that running double digit miles or swimming more than a mile feels routine.

As in many facets of life, those things that are hard to do regularly turn out to be the most worthwhile experiences. We often feel a remarkable sense of accomplishment when we have completed a rigorous, disciplined schedule of training that has taken several months or years to finish, whether it be an educational degree, advancement in career, or a physical endeavor. Though the journey appeared intimidating, unattainable, and maybe dangerous, it turns out to be the true reward, and the destination provides a reflection back on that journey.

Approaching a frightful, uncomfortable proposition isn’t in our natures. We see what appears to be reasonable, comfortable, and often choose that route. One unique story of approaching that which appears dangerous is the burning tree that Moses sees on Mount Horeb (aka Sinai). He witnesses a sign that is of the divine, and rather than run away he approaches it. Soon afterwards, he appears to wish he had turn the other way, little did he know he was stepping right into the middle of a seemingly impossible task of playing the primary role in the rescue of the Hebrews from Egypt. He obviously has little self-confidence as he pleads with Yahweh to free him of this assignment, to find someone else who may more effectively carry out this plan. Five times does he bring forth an opposition to Yahweh’s calling for him as liberator of the Hebrews! Nevertheless, he agrees to this role and is spared death shortly afterward. He met God on the mountain (analogous to the Garden of Eden in Genesis), stood in his presence in front of the burning tree (analogous to the Tree of Life in Genesis), and, with initial resistance, accepted a calling. He received an experience and reached a place that his inner being resisted, and it led to the freedom from slavery of a nation.

A closely related story is played out again at the same mountain (now referred to as Sinai) some time later. The Hebrews, fresh out of Egypt and miraculously saved through the chaotic waters which consumed their pursuers, are at the foot of the mountain. Per Yahweh’s initial sign to Moses that he was the one to bring the Israelites out, the same thing that Moses was experiencing at that initial encounter would be available to the entire nation: worship on the mountain, not at the foot of it. As Moses experienced an otherworldly moment before the return to Egypt, so were the Israelites to do so on the mountain after their escape from Egypt. Yahweh invites the people to experience Himself speaking with Moses and hear first-hand on the mountain their communication, calling them to prepare themselves over the course of three days in order to ascend the mountain with Moses. But when the time comes to go up into the Presence, the people end up staying down, and only Moses and his brother go up. On reading the account, it may seem nebulous as to the reason for this. The people are certainly fearful of the mountain and pull back, but Yahweh also tells Moses to warn the people not to force their way into his Presence at risk of death. In the end, the people are not ready for this experience.

Upon reading the few stories prior to the arrival at the foot of the mountain, we see several tests in which the Israelites failed to trust Yahweh’s wisdom and provision, i.e. complaining of bitter water in the wilderness, lack of food. It should be no surprise that if they failed those tests, they would surely fail this one with the thunderous presence of Yahweh hovering atop the mountain. Moses even says, as the people are balking at entering the presence of Yahweh firsthand and instead want to send him up alone, that they are being tested. Will they ascend the mountain and experience something frightening and dangerous yet inherently awe-inspiring and revelatory of their place in the world? It is an uncomfortable, uncertain invitation into a new realm. It is totally unknown to their experience of the world around. They would be safer at the foot of the mountain, tucked away in their own understanding and control of the world. We eventually see what happens when they choose this path: they create gods that they can control and in doing so degrade themselves. In the end they accept far less for their lives than what had been planned for them to receive.

While the story involves roaring thunder atop a high mountain in the Middle Eastern desert, and threats of death for the ill prepared, it remains relevant for just about all of us today. How often do we see opportunities that offer a life-changing moment, and we pass on them because the journey required to arrive at that moment is too risky and ambiguous? Of course we all may be presented with options in our lives that are ill advised, and we need wisdom to discern between risks worth taking and those that aren’t. But I would suspect that all of us have had opportunities in which we knew the chance we could take yielded an overall promising odds ratio, and we opted for the safer option. After seeing how they were rescued from Egypt, and knowing Moses’ story of a similar experience at that same place, the Hebrews should have know that, with the pros/cons balance, ascending the mountain to be in the presence of Yahweh would have produced a result in their ultimate favor.

I see my experience in endurance racing in a miniscule yet relatable model of the Sinai story. I certainly do not mean to equate completing a marathon or triathlon with ascending the sacred mountain, but I think we all have some microcosmic parallel to the Sinai story in our lives, no matter how insignificant we may think it on the grand scheme. Those of us who like to watch athletes perform on television, or in person, may never think about participating in what they do, whether in a school or rec league. We may think we have been sedentary for too long, are in too poor of physical shape, to suddenly change habits and participate in sport. I was for many years, then I found it was much more fun, healthful, and rewarding to “be the athlete” than to sit on the sidelines.

While the idea of being a recreational athlete may not be a curiosity to several people, to many others it would be. What would it take to train for and complete an endurance race? What are some of the obstacles to prevent me from doing that? Exercising more than I ever thought possible? In the dark of morning, or crammed into a lunch break? Wouldn’t that cause discomfort and pain, even if done in a tempered, methodical, and realistic manner? Might I have to change my nutritional habits, ditch the daily soda and chips, in order to help my body adjust to such a rigorous routine?

Yes, doing the above would be very helpful in order to complete endurance sport. It seems uncomfortable, and it is. Initially. But our bodies can do these things. We were meant to be physically active, with a capacity far beyond what we may think possible. It is in us, just as it was in the Hebrews to approach Sinai and enter the Presence. And what awaits us if we were to go through the lifestyle changes necessary to do such things? I found a new sense of accomplishment, health, and belief in my capacity that I didn’t know was there. The exuberance of approaching the finish line is burned into my memory. So are my thoughts shortly after of hoping that I will get to do this again at another stage in life, while in the meantime continuing long-distance aerobic outings as the schedule allows. When Moses came down from Sinai after his encounters with Yahweh, his face had a glow that frightened the people. Moses apparently hid his face from the people, but when he returned to the presence of Yahweh, he removed the veil to face him. I doubt anyone confused my face for a large LED light bulb, though I felt glowingly at the end of the triathlon. Here’s to hoping those moments persist!

Blog 7: Backward vs Forward?

by rambler on Dec 14, 2020 category animals, athlete, Creation, evolution, evolution, Genesis, god, human ancestors, human ancestors, myth, plant-based, poem, subdue, vegan, vegetarian, working the earth

Is the Genesis story meant to cause reflections and lamentations on the world as it was, in the “good old days”, and nothing more? We often tend to read these stories as reflections on human history, stories to listen to in church or Sunday school, maybe memorize some characters from them for treats at the end of the lesson, then move on to Monday. My general experience in American church is that these stories are reviewed briefly, but almost all focus of teaching is on the New Testament. Maybe that is not ubiquitous in the USA, but I have noticed that. Subsequently, I had fallen into that mindset as well, not really thinking much relevance of the Torah. I would read it as part of a pursuit from the first to last page of the Bible, mostly without thinking of what it may be trying to say.

As Spencer points out, the idea of an era that is void of conflict and violence is common to religion, and that this is suggestive of an era of veganism or vegetarianism, in which life does not have to kill other life in order to ensure its survival. He shares an opinion that this thread comes from a historical memory buried within the make-ups of early humans, who perhaps unknowingly inherited such a history. These legends are meant as a reflection back toward that period of peace and tranquility, and the roles of them in religion are to allow us to have self-soothing visions of such a time and place in the middle of a bloody, aggressive world geared toward taking out animals for food.

I would venture to say that some people brought up in religion might see the texts of Genesis similarly, as a reflection to a better time. It is how we are taught to read stories written in the past, as narratives that happened then, separated from us in our present context. It is how I read the Bible for years, which caused me to feel pretty disengaged. But is this the correct way to read it? Might it have something to say in our current day situation, more than just a memory of old?

Perhaps we should view the creation account as a prospective possibility rather than a retrospective history. There is some idea that the myths of the Ideal Age in many cultures are stories of a paradise never realized rather than a description of a past that is lost. As I stated earlier, God puts people in the Garden to work it, to create something from what already exists there into a better state. We may think that Eden was perfect and complete as it was made, but this isn’t the idea behind it. The mission of God was to rule with humans to progress toward something bigger and better than what they started with. In the intended progression of time, this theme would have continued into the future had humans not fallen.

We take for granted our ability to perceive information as infinite and beyond face value, evidenced in that we see situations, assess them, and inflict an external force into that situation to bring about a new, desired reality. We constantly receive and process data, then we come up with a response that may totally change what we found, often through experimentation. We do not accept our knowledge base as intrinsically bounded. If we did, when we came upon some unexplained phenomenon, we would simply accept it without thought. This likely describes Homo erectus, as the evidence suggests they themselves didn’t change much in their million-year existence. By accepting the world at face value and taking what they could to survive, they remained essentially a stagnant species.

Interpreting knowledge as beyond the immediately observable, something to be discovered with a little forethought, is a big step in the evolution of Homo sapiens. The production of better tools enabled humans to experiment with and exert control over their environment, thus allowing for the acquisition of new knowledge from experimentation. This ability to manipulate the environment, to coerce it to do what one wants it to do, is a game changer in the evolution and extinction of species. Humans now would have been able to cultivate the earth, providing a more reliable food source than a hunter-gatherer lifestyle would have provided. Hence Homo sapiens was moving toward becoming the dominant species, and Homo erectus was moving toward extinction.

That’s not to say that the only thing humans did with technology was cultivate the earth. Obviously, early bands of humans used tools to kill and eat larger animals that they would never have been able to take down on their own physical abilities. What is interesting is the manner in which many groups approached the hunting and killing of animals for their consumption. Growing up in the USA, we learn about Native Americans in school. Most of us may remember that they always used every bit of the animal that they killed (bison is the typical example) for food, clothing, and shelter. They never killed (or gathered) more than they needed to live. Many people have romantic memories of Native Americans and thoughts about that kind of kinship with the ecosystem, using only what you need and leaving the rest to flourish.

With the various crises in our ecological world today, we often question whether the earth can sustain life as we know it, whether the world holds the resources to house all of us. Life has mechanisms of controlling a level of homeostasis, whether it is in sustainable populations and ratios of species, the food chain, or intermittent epidemics or natural disasters. With our ever-progressing technologies beyond simple hunter-gatherer tools, humans have intervened in the stabilizing life cycle, i.e. vaccinations, protective measures against certain natural disasters, best efforts to prevent wars, etc. It appears that the pessimistic answer is the most accurate, that the earth cannot sustain us all. That is probably true if we feel we own the right to ravage it of all resources, above and beyond what we need to survive and thrive. In our current world of overabundance and materialism, it is easy to subscribe to this attitude of “having it all”. If we were to follow a similar wisdom of some of these ancients, taking only what we need, our answer to the question may change. We may find ourselves in a more generous world that can sustain us. Eden represents an abundant world that is enough, but only if we decide that we won’t pursue wisdom on our terms, and rather opt for the Tree of Life.

Some of that sounds like the takeaways from Sunday school, that the world used to be such a great place, and now it isn’t. Like with the Genesis narrative, we can look at Native American history, ruminate over it, and return to our original worldview. In line with the anthropologic purpose of legend, we can take these images and soothe ourselves with them, have a break in our otherwise mundane existence. But, rather than treat these stories passively, what if we approached them as another tool to use toward our evolution? What if they represented what could be in our world today? And now we have the other “nuts and bolts”, both physical and digital tools, to more effectively make that happen. I would hope that our desire is that we as humans are progressing toward something better that what we were. We all have periods of regression, individually and societally. We can choose, in various circumstances, whether we will exert the Genesis 3 human idea of our wisdom in our lives, and dwell in the desert to scrounge out a living, thus finding that our earth, despite all its generosity, is in fact a desert in our eyes. Or we can use our developed brains and tools to mold our world in the reflection of the wisdom superior to our own and maybe begin to realize what was initially intended for us: an abundant world that becomes evermore abundant.

Blog Post 4: Garden Temple

by rambler on Nov 12, 2020 category animals, athlete, bible, Creation, god, plant-based, Uncategorized

The idea of a place from which the divine uniquely emanates into the world, where God’s space and Human’s space intersect, in the form of a garden bursting with life and abundance, is a very old and common idea throughout the ancient world. Cultures surrounding the ancient Hebrews had their own mythologies concerning the dwelling places of deities in gardens. Ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians are some of the people groups that had “garden temples” incorporated into their heritage. In this part of the world, known for arid deserts and scarce pockets of water and plant life, gardens must have had a special reverence, places of restoration, nourishment, and healing. It is no wonder that we associated these life-bursting locales with divinity.

In concert with their neighbors, the Hebrews held the garden of Eden in similar esteem: a place where God touched the earth to create ordered, bountiful life that would self-perpetuate, creating more energy and beauty. It represents the ultimate temple imagery in the three dimensional world (the Sabbath rest represents the garden temple in the fourth dimension of time), an image that was recreated by the Hebrew people after their release from Egypt in the form of a transportable tabernacle, then a stationary temple in Jerusalem. Interestingly, the parts of the tabernacle have corresponding parts to the Garden of Eden. The large surrounding courtyard of the tabernacle corresponds with the region of Eden; the holy place within the courtyard, with the Garden inside Eden; and the holy of holies within the holy place, with the tree of life within the Garden. The tree of life is the most special place inside the garden, as it contains the gift of ultimate communion between divinity and humanity, that of eternal life in some form. It is the place where God and humanity meet, where the worlds intersect, and where humans can experience the life they were intended to know. It was the perfect overlapping of heaven and earth. This is an idea that moderns may correlate with our cultural idea of “heaven”, whether that is a historically accurate notion of heaven or not.

This place of abundant life and beauty was not an absolute idea that had always been in existence. The wording of the start of the Genesis 2 creation narrative indicates something missing. “Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up.” The plant life made on day 3 of creation in Genesis 1 is yet to appear on the Earth for apparently two reasons: 1) God had yet to send rain on the earth and 2) no one was available to work the ground. Why are both considered reasons for a lack of fauna on the Earth?

Concerning the first necessity, the same sentence describes water already present. “…but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.” So water was available for the creation and propagation of life, but apparently it wasn’t good enough to actually create and propagate life. There must be something unique in the water that comes from the sky that permits growth that water from the surface does not. The idea of life-giving water coming from the gods above is also seen in neighboring cultures. An example is the Egyptian sky goddess Nut, who nurses the earth from her breasts, which produce life-giving water. Similarly, God, living in heaven, gifts the earth with his own living rains to nourish and renew the land. This water from above is different from the water below. The waters in Genesis 1, from which land arises on day 3 of creation, were previously described as part of the formless and void earth, part of the chaos that was the world before God intervened. Throughout the Bible, chaotic waters carry an evil symbolism for the Hebrew people (i.e. Egyptians in Exodus 15, the story of Jonah). In Genesis 2, one may conclude that the waters coming up from the ground are part of those same chaos waters from which the earth arose and on which it is essentially floating. So the waters from God above are very different from the waters below. One is life sustaining, the other life taking.

After rain, the second requirement for plant life is the lack of a worker. Every material thing now exists for life from the ground to flourish, except for the action of organizing those things into a form that starts the process of life. This must mean that, in order for trees and shrubs to exist, a partnership between humans and God is essential. This is what the original destiny of humankind was: God and humans in the garden ruling together, working to continue the work that was started after creation, a partnership between the deity and his image-bearers. We often think that the Garden was perfect as it was, and that our role was to simply occupy it. This notion does not honor the vocation we were given to be workers of the Garden, to take creation and work alongside God to make it into something more complete and beautiful than it originally was.

In a primarily agrarian society, it would make sense that a description of the intended state of partnership between God and humans be centered around farming. This would have resonated more with ancient peoples in their environment than with moderns. When we think of creating culture, we don’t primarily have reflections around plots of land sprouting herbs and fruits. We tend to think more about cities, cafes, and museums. We can certainly consider that the story is more about the idea of God and humans getting together to progress toward some greater collaboration than original creation, not just how plants are grown. But the story could have described the partnership established to raise animals for eating, but it doesn’t. Typical of the Hebrew Bible, we are seeing several meanings and points of reflection in a single story. We can likely take meanings of both generalized order and nutritional order from the narrative.

It was only after both rain and workers were in place that God created the Garden Temple, the ideal meeting place of heaven and earth. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.” Like any good cosmic temple of the ancient Near East, the Garden occupies a high space, a mountaintop, one origin from which life-giving waters flow forth.

In the Genesis account of the ancient world, the four rivers listed in Genesis, the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates, all emanated from a single river flowing through Eden. While the locations of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are well-established, the historical locations of the Pishon and Gihon are not. Many ancient and modern scholars have proposed various theories as to the identifications of these rivers, from Ethiopia representing the Nile River, even south of that to Zimbabwe, to various locations in the Middle East. Whatever the designation of the Pishon and Gihon rivers may be, all of these rivers of the ancient world were essential to the development of civilization, humans coming together to create ordered societies where people could survive and flourish, using the resource of fresh flowing water to farm the land for sustenance. The significance of these major ancient life sources starting from a singularity in Eden, flowing from there and encompassing the known world at that time, may be the idea that this points to a single origin of Order, the co-mingling of God and Human space in which the sustaining Life Source starts in its perfect form, and is so abundant in life-giving energy, that it makes its way throughout the land, spreading out and providing welcoming homes for the incubation of human development. If the Garden of Eden is the perfect co-mingled junction of God-space and Human-space, and from it flows identifiable river landmarks of the ancient world that also generate life, might that say something about our current situation outside of Eden and its relationship to this co-mingled point in space-time? A potential point of the writer may be that all of our societies have their roots from this origin, all sharing some part of the DNA of the origin, and are to some degree a reflection of the origin. Despite the terrible, hideous, unjust things we create, in our root there is a perfect idyllic purpose from which amazing things also come.

This is the kingdom of heaven in effect, more of an action of events than a place far away. Being brought up in a scientific, physical world of reality, we tend to have in our minds that heaven is a physical place in a physical space somewhere away from where we are. We are generally uncomfortable with ambiguity, and this idea of heaven lends to ambiguity. It seems the Bible is putting a different emphasis on what and where heaven is. If it is more of a state of being, a mindset to which we can conform, following the wisdom laid out for us, this will allow us to begin experiencing heaven now, in our present forms, with the mental and physical acuity that our bodies were meant to experience.

A Description of the Land(scape)

by rambler on Apr 19, 2020 category athlete, bible, bike, doctor, hebrew, medicine, physician, plant-based, run, swim, triathlon, vegan, vegetarian

Thank you for checking out this initial blog posting. As a primary care doctor in the modern United States, I encounter mostly disease processes that are highly preventable, or at least modifiable, with lifestyle adjustments. Most people have likely heard a similar sentiment from someone they know in healthcare, the media, or perhaps have come to that realization in their own lives. Cardiovascular disease continues as the number one cause of death in the United States. We also see diabetic complications, chronic kidney disease, COPD with lung failure, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, liver disease, and various forms of cancer to be common causes of morbidity and mortality.

The patterns of growth of these diseases mimic similar rises in overweight and obesity patterns. None of this is news to anyone who pays attention to news feeds over the last few decades. We continue to see the obesity epidemic climb to a new height, most recently more so among minorities. According to the CDC, in 2008 the annual medical cost burden of obesity-related diseases was $147 billion. And now we are seeing this epidemic permeating the rest of the world. According to the NIH, by 2025 an estimated 300 million people worldwide will be obese. As first-world lifestyles are more available to underdeveloped nations, so now are first-world problems.

We all know the causes of the obesity epidemic are by and large, with the rare exception of a few genetic syndromes, lifestyle-induced. Cheap, unending amounts of refined sugars and greasy fried foods complement a dire lack of physical activity that our modern economy allows for. There are obvious reasons people gravitate toward these foods, whether purchased in a grocery store or fast food restaurant. They are inexpensive which makes feeding a large family easier on the budget. They satisfy our primal instinct for immediately available energy sources like sugar and fat. They are fast and easy to prepare; all you have to do is move your car through the drive thru window or follow a quick recipe on the back of the box. As our modern world becomes more automated, we have more conveniences than anyone in human history, allowing us a reprieve from the labor humans once had to perform for survival, and permitting for a sedentary workforce that has to rely on making time outside of work to get the exercise our bodies have been accustomed to since our development.

There has been no shortage of nutrition and exercise plans, dietary resources, smartphone apps and lifestyle coaches…

There has been no shortage of nutrition and exercise plans, dietary resources, smartphone apps, and lifestyle coaches to help individuals and collectives of people combat the problem. Earlier in the 20^th century, focus was put on amphetamines as stimulants for weight loss, and even today an amphetamine analog, phentermine, is commonly prescribed to assist in weight loss. For decades our analog televisions flashed commercials for Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, and Nutrisystem, encouraging people to buy their products and services to assist with shedding pounds. Today we have a plethora of phone apps dedicated to counting caloric consumption and expenditure, quality of calories consumed, and other health metrics designed to lead one toward a healthier existence. Dietary trends and themes abound, some having more staying power than others. Just a sampling of these include Atkins, South Beach, Body for Life, juicing, alkaline diet, gluten-free diet, super food diet, Paleo, intermittent fasting, Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, various forms of vegetarianism and veganism, and many more. There is a reason several of us know about these diets, other than marketing: to a good extent they work in helping people lose and keep off weight. These plans can be marketed and pushed by sponsors endlessly, but if they had no hint of efficacy, they would not have made it into modern lexicon years after their conception. For a few years, I followed the Paleo diet myself and found that it did provide significant and desirable weight loss and body composition.

Ask a number of trained healthcare practitioners the ideal diet, and one will likely get as many differing opinions concerning said ideal. Several of those opinions point to one of the previously listed diets. Many of these are geared toward preventing specific disease. The DASH diet is often advised as part of a treatment plan for hypertension. The Mediterranean diet is similarly prescribed for diabetic patients. A gluten-free diet is the treatment for clinically diagnosed celiac disease. The healthy kidney diet is meant specifically for people with chronic kidney disease. A low-FODMAP diet can significantly help people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.

Most of the diets proponed by healthcare personnel share a common theme of putting a premium on plants as food sources, though to varying degrees. There is good evidence that a plant-based, whole foods diet helps lower risk of acquiring various health problems including hypertension, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer (source: Pubmed). One very large study, the China Study, which was performed in the 1970s and 1980s, concluded that populations that consume a mostly plant-based diet had significantly lower rates of Western diseases than genetically similar populations that consume high amounts of animal protein. This is one of numerous studies that support significant benefits in a plant-based diet.

Many people assume that in order to perform at a top level athletically, animal protein must be an essential component of a proper training diet. Several athletes have defied this conventional wisdom, opting for a plant-based diet that is void of meat while competing at the highest levels. A sample of athletes that are reported to be vegetarian or vegan include Carl Lewis, Venus Williams, Mike Tyson, Martina Navratilova, JJ Reddick, Ricky Williams, Bode Miller, and Scott Jurek, among many other professional football and basketball players, boxers, Olympians, and body-builders. Clearly the lifestyle of a world-class athlete is highly structured for optimum results from training and nutrition, and planning a satisfactory balance of macronutrients and micronutrients within a plant-based framework does take forethought and organization, but so does a conventional omnivorous diet. And many interviews of plant-based athletes reveal feeling healthier than ever from mental, physical, and emotional standpoints. As for novice and amateur athletes, I can speak for my own experience of practicing plant-based nutrition for almost a year leading up to my first Ironman triathlon, easily completing it and seriously enjoying the entirety of it. One can, not merely survive on a plant-based diet, but thrive on it.

Science can tell us much about our current physical situation, how we go to this point over the last several millions of years, and what current behaviors can lead to in our futures. We have a lot of science that backs up the ideal diet for humans as being plant-based eaters, limiting any animal foods from a minimal amount to none at all. What is interesting is that this is not a new idea at all over the course of human history. Mostly in recorded religious traditions, as early as the Jains, Buddhists, and Hindus, can one find laws and recommendations about the value of consuming mainly, if not strictly, plants and abstaining from the slaughtering and eating of animals. Similar attitudes are found in Greek antiquity, Judaism, and early Christianity, again to varying degrees. Ancient wisdom seems to focus more on animal welfare and practicing nonviolence toward them as a significant reason for eating plants. Modern-day proponents, while certainly supporting animal welfare, also point to the science, which suggests improved health and wellness outcomes for us and for our environment.

The Hebrew Bible has many passages referring to eating patterns, in different people groups and in different periods of history. Laws are given for what may and may not be eaten, both animal and plant foods. Miracles are told of replicating both plant and animal foods. Advice is given not to allow the differences between groups ascribing to varying dietary restrictions to cause schism between them that would prevent a community of faith from flourishing. On a surface glance over all the passages referring to food, taken in snippets away from the surrounding contexts, one may argue that there is no clear, concise answer from these texts pertaining to the nutritional habits early peoples, the Hebrews, and followers of Jesus should be following.

I am not trained in religion, nor am I a dietician. But I hear the stories of patients’ lifestyle choices, both good and bad, on a daily basis in clinical consultation, and I see the correlation between those choices and how they feel. I enjoy and prioritize exercise, particularly endurance training, and I have eaten both animal- and plant-based diets while preparing for races. I have seen the improved results in others and myself after adopting a plant-based food lifestyle, from disease prevention and management to athletic performance. What has been more revealing, impactful, and affirming is that the Bible, a part of my religious heritage growing up in the middle of the USA, appears to indicate that, when read as a whole story, this dietary lifestyle, eating plants and not animals, is the ideal state for humans. The Bible tells the story of how we are made, what our purpose is, and the possibilities of what can become of our existence on the earth. In this story, the ideal state of humans living in communion with God, is one in which they are given the fruits of creation to consume for their livelihood, a part of nurturing optimal human relationships to animals, the earth, and their bodies. This is by no means a novel realization, as there are several examples throughout history of Christian groups who ascribe to this. But in a nation that is growing more obese and, for now, is predominantly Christian, whose followers see the Hebrew Bible as divine authority, this seems like something that should be more relevant to the life of the Church.

This is not dogma, not another item to check off a list of what “righteous” people do. It is not a sin to eat meat or other animal products. Nor is it a magic cure-all or safety net that will ensure one never has a heart attack or cancer. But in this world fallen unto human will, it does reveal a rediscovered/reaffirmed ancient truth of our best available relationship to everything. The exploration of plant-based nutrition in the Bible has been fascinating, and my intention is to post writings every couple of weeks about Biblical passages that have some level of reference toward this, without shying away from the evolutionary science that is concurrent. As a footnote, The Bible Project, a nonprofit studio that creates animated cartoons and podcasts pertaining to the biblical narrative, has been and continues to be a primary source of inspiration for these ideas that I have been pondering for several months now, so if you listen to that, you may see some similar approach or language throughout this blog. Thank you for reading this far!

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