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Lessons from Fiji

I am still fully "lit up" by my Fiji experience. What I am most struck by is NOT what we were able to do for the Fijians (although I am proud of our efforts and the good work we did). What is front and center in my mind is the fact that Fijians live nearly as long as we Americans do (72 as opposed to 78 years on average) while spending a fraction of their national dollars on health care that we do (2.6% of GNP as opposed to 16-17% in America). In truth, the discrepancy while enormous is actually bigger if you take into account the huge sums of money we spend on health in ways that are not even incorporated into the figures (drug development, device development, supplements, home health, etc). In point of fact, the Fijians where my team went spend almost no money on health as these people live so far away from the main center of Fiji that it is rare for them to EVER have any true healthcare. Shockingly, despite this amazing discrepancy, these people live well and live long. On my prior visit, I met a man who was 108 years old. On this trip, I had the good fortune to meet many people in their 70's and 80's who were doing fine. Yes, they had high blood pressure. Yes, many may have had diabetes. Many did have body pain (most commonly low back pain) which slowed them down. A few were dying with what seemed consistent with cancer. However, they still were happy, upbeat and grateful. There just was never a sense of "poor me" or "what are you going to do to save me" or even any intense struggle or suffering.

Fast forward now to our wonderful country. We are completely enmeshed in the healthcare world. The fortunate in our society have a team of doctors, each focused on a different body part or system and the average older American takes at least 5 medicines (and very often more than ten) and a host of supplements. Even the less fortunate are often heavily entrenched in the medical world albeit without the level of service or support that the fortunate enjoy and expect. We are a "medical" world; blessed by the miracles of modern science, technology and incredible (though not perfect) medical and scientific delivery systems. However, the bottom line is that we live a couple years longer and arguably NOT better (and maybe worse) at a cost that is insane and unsustainable.

So, what's the lesson? I don't want us to abandon our gifts of modernity or go back to primitive living. I do think and believe it is absolutely critical that we look at the facts and the truth and decide how we want to proceed with consciousness and integrity. We are a society that is blessed by science and technical advances. However, despite our brilliance, we have lost what the Fijians and other indigenous societies have and value more than what we put our attention and focus on. They still have love for their clan at the core of their being. They look after their own in a way that we just do not do. Their own is not just their immediate family as far as I can tell -- it is their clan or extended family.

These concepts extend to health. They do not have "chronic disease" as we call it in our society. Chronic disease is said to account for 75% of our healthcare spending and no one seems to know what to do about it. We know it is ridiculous. We know we spend way too much at the end of life. However, we don't know how to stop (or slow) the technological "train". We don't know how to go back to "more normal" values or to slow the technological impulses and inventions and just "be there" for our elderly or our infirm in a heartful way. The Fijians know how to do this; they still do it. They meet sickness, aging and death the SAME way that they meet life -- with love, support, gratitude and their full hearts and spirits. It is not about technology, science or medicine; it is about a deep reverence for life and from a deep connection with the miracle that life is.

I am not proposing that we "throw the baby out with the bath water". We do not have to give up our technological magnificence and scientific miracles. We just need to wake up to what is real. Technology and science make life explainable and better in a multitude of ways. However, life in its essence is NOT about comfort,ease, productivity, speed, or quantity. Life is about love and connection. We CAN have it all. In many ways, we do. However, if we want to continue to have it all and pass the "allness" on to the next generations, we absolutely must learn the lesson of those who still live simple, "primitive" lives. We must remember why we are here.






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