I have always felt that laws are unnecessary. They merely serve as a challenge to those who would break them. In the Tao Te Ching we are told that when the law is written on our hearts, we have no need for (manmade) laws. I believe that the greatest hindrance to peace is that the majority of human beings are disconnected from their hearts. We long to love and to be loved, yet the only love we know is that which is manufactured in our heads. We treat love as though it is a commodity – something outside of us which we wish to possess. Love is actually the life force that initiated our existence. Love resides within our hearts, but because we are so disconnected from them, we falsely believe that it is missing from our lives.
It has been said that heart disease is the #1 cause of death. The contributors to heart disease can be blocked arteries or coronary heart failure and stroke. Obesity, cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke, and a lack of exercise are generally blamed for the conditions. While cancer occupies the second largest cause of death, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comes in at #3. This is no surprise if you observe people, their lifestyles, and their diets. Many of these people continue to smoke and drink excessively. They live on fast food, which is not actually food, and they convince themselves that “big is beautiful” rather than engaging in exercise or changing their diets. The disease that they experience is the result of the mental blockages that keep them disconnected from their hearts.
The abuse of our bodies breaks the only law that matters – the law of love. The abuse of one’s own body extends to abuse of the world in which we live, and a general lack of appreciation for life itself. The air that we breathe into our lungs and the heart that keeps us alive are vital for our survival. The law of Karma will ensure that we receive back all that we have given. Heart disease, cancer, and COPD are the consequences that we receive for the way in which we have treated ourselves and the world.
