7th September 2021
Just when I thought summer was over in Scotland, it is a hot 22C outside, the sky is blue no clouds to be seen. Speaking of blue lets talk about the blue zones…
Again, inspired by another podcast of Dr Chatterjee, in particular his guest Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer. He details 5 “blue zones” in the world which have an incredibly high percentage of centenarians (people aged 100 or over). He explain what they have in common and we have distinctly lacking in most of our societies.
Firstly these peoples lives are not just incredibly long, they are also fulfilled and happy. It is worth mentioning where these so called “blue zones” are: Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Ogliastra Region, Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California and The Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.
These people have a close knit community around them. For example in Japan they have a group known as “Moai” of 5 core friends who rely on each other in life and emotional wellbeing. This social support group is often non existent in our society where many people do not even sit around the table for dinner with their immediate families. Our societies suffer from loneliness in our busy life, less time for deep connection and where mobile phones serve as a distraction in many countless ways when ironically they connect us to a “social” media.
Food is also a big factor. Not surprisingly these countries have a huge plant based part of their diet including beans, legumes, not the refined and processed food seen in our societies. They also have a lot more movement in their daily lives. Our lives in comparison are so much more sedentary. As mentioned previously office jobs disconnected from nature and sitting for hours in front of a screen. This causes an increase in cortisol and many other complications from the body fixed in one position. Even bus drivers are twice as much likely to die from heart disease than conductors were who simply standing most of the time.
Our environment has changed so much even since the 1960s that it is unfair to expect increased will-power to compensate for this. Constant adverting, increased fast-food in local areas and food deliveries, increase communities obesity levels by large percentages. By implementing simple policies such as restricting the number fast food establishments in an area, or limiting adverting will drastically decrease obesity levels in the community and not unfairly require individuals to constantly exercise large amounts of willpower to resist their enticing environments. This policy approach can effect societies on a large scale by simply changing the environment to be inline with our health and therefore happiness.
Overall we see how the complete lifestyle and environments shape indivudals, families and whole communites mental, emotional and physical health. These indiuals dont need to focus on exercise or eat healthy. It just happens naturally engrained in the flow of their day. We may have a lot to learn from them to shape a better world consciously. Not necessarily for pure pleasure but for deep satisfaction.
Previously I mentioned left and right hemispheres of the brain briefly in a previous blog. I wanted to quickly expand upon this. Not to leave you hanging.
To understand how a jelly like organic structure the size of a football perceives the entire reality of the universe and more, I’m speaking of our brain of course, I would recommend Dr Ian McGilchrist who is a dirctor of psychiatry and a fellow at the Univeristy of Oxford. He explain the the left side of the brain, the more masculine in nature, is the logical driven part of the brain, very black and white and fact driven. While the left side of the brain is capable of comprehending two opposing and contradictory ideas in balance. It is able to tune in creativity and able to perceive reality in a different way. This is of course a crude definition. Interestingly enough the differences between the hemispheres can be observed starkly in stroke patients who have only one side affected.
It could be said traditionally the world’s East and West cultures could be represented as using more the right or left side of the brain respectively. During the industrial era and post imperialism we have driven for optimal growth and a quick pace towards goals and targets. Very left brain orientated. Traditionally Asian culture with its slower paced, holistic view of life seems to be right brain leaning. Nowadays a counterbalance may be taking place. Even medicine may reflect this as the saying goes if you don’t want to die use Western medicine, if you want to live look to the Eastern…
-Jhoty
Jhoty 