Postulate – noun: A thing suggested or assumed as true as the basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief. -Mirriam-Webster
I would like to postulate that we humans, in the form of homo sapien that we can see in the mirror today, have been around for 50,000+ years. Anatomically speaking though that number could go back as far as 300,000 years. And for most of that history, we were hunter-gatherers. And then somewhere between 10,000-13,000 agriculture, herding, and permanent human settlements began to develop.
Based on these postulates and my studies on human physiology and disease pathology, I would like to suggest that there are likely a fundamental set of rules that are deeply engrained in our physical being. That if properly observed, we would find ourselves more in tune with nature and the nature of reality as we know it. That there is a natural rhythm to life here on Earth that we should be able to observe. An existence that would allow us to appreciate a fuller expression of our greatest asset, time. A life completely free of any kind of resistance, mental or physical.
That in a sense, there is a human frequency by which we would best be served to find ourselves aligned with or in tune with that would allow us to simply be in a state of flow at all times. A cruise control if you will, that allows our physical being to enjoy a full lifespan, healthspan, and life expectancy that all run abreast of each other until we draw in our final breath and exhale one last time. Maybe 120 years, maybe more, whatever that number may be. A natural, singular, universal practice that is around us at all times being practiced by all mankind to one degree or another, whether we are aware of it or not.
Some might call this perfect practice a state of flow or being, “in the zone”, while others may refer to it as zen where one’s actions are not a result of conscious effort, but of intuition and calm attentiveness.
I do believe this to be the case and find that the more time I spend devotionally dedicated to understanding this quality of nature, the more at ease my whole person becomes. Does nature have some kind of divine expectation of us? I do not think so, but there does seem to be benefits to aligning oneself in a devotional manner towards life in all of its ways. I am one with nature because I am a part of nature. The elements that make up the whole of my body have been here on Earth since it was formed and they will remain here long after my body ceases to function. When death actually catches me. When it is no longer behind me.
As such, it has been my observation over the last handful of years that death is not something in front of us, but something that is behind us. Every day, every hour, every minute and moment we live and breath, the life we have continues to be spent and it is death that swallows that life we leave behind. We have nothing to fear about death because it is patently clear that we will all run out of life, ultimately being swallowed up in death; a life fully spent. The question is, how much richer will death be once my life is fully spent?
Death is not to be feared because it is not in front of us, but the time behind us. We do not have to be mournful of death lest we spend our time looking back to a time already spent.
And so I choose to live a life looking only upon life, that which lay before me where fear cannot conquer. Our future is hope, and today is life. This very moment is life and we are as rich as we will ever be in every breath we take.
But in the meantime, I want to see this problem solved. I cannot imagine any good reason our healthspan cannot be on par with our lifespan other than our simple ignorance of what we need to be doing differently. But of course what does that look like. What is it that we are doing that is affecting our healthspan so greatly as to limit it to only a little over half of our lifespan?
Aside from the obvious implications of diet, I am beginning to suspect that sufficient levels of electrolytes in balance could be the greatest factor overall. Could part of this longevity paradox be solved by simple and continual monitoring total systemic electrolyte balance and sufficiency? Wouldn’t that be wild? I imagine a day when we will someday be able to swallow something the size of a piece of rice that would be able to move its way through our gastrointestinal tract once or twice per week that would interact with an application on our smartphones that would tell us what we need to adjust the following week.
I bring this electrolyte issue up because of my own recent journey into raw veganism that was marked by a predominance of fruit intake. As a diet, it made me feel good. But it never felt fully sufficient. Something always felt like it was missing. And when I began adding Dead Sea salts into my diet, that feeling that I was missing something went away. It was a test that spoke volumes to me.
Clearly, sufficient electrolyte intake is important, but just as important is the balance of the electrolytes within our body. Too much of any one kind will mean that our body then needs to remove the excess to maintain balance. Fortunately, our kidneys are built just for this purpose. The way this manifests itself is in us needing to urinate more frequently as this is the path by which our body removes specific excess electrolytes to maintain balance.
If we consume foods that contain too much potassium and not enough sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and chloride, then our body will balance itself by shedding the excess potassium in a urine solution along with the excesses of plasma from our body’s vascular and tissue fluids which amount to about 16oz. or 1/2 liter per day. And this is why too many electrolytes in our diet result in excess urinary production and dehydration. If the body is constantly having to remove an excess of any of its required electrolytes our body will be constantly drawing from our proverbial hydration storage tanks. This is why drinks like Gatorade are so hydrating even though they contain electrolytes.
Clearly, the foods we are eating are important, but maybe we are misunderstanding what it is about the specific nutrients that determine our overall health and wellness. Maybe the answer is found in maintaining sufficient and balanced electrolytes within the overall creature(human) as in some sense a pre-requisite to all things consumed.
On a side note, I really don’t want to overcomplicate my understanding by separating out the balancing of electrolytes as something separate to do from eating. I just can’t imagine that someone living before the 1900’s even asking a question like this or even trying to formulate a formal understanding of one in light of but separate from the other. They were still in such a place that they were just worried about not starving. Not what color salt would be best for them or their fancy dietary regime. What I am having is an internal narrative of someone living in a virtual lap of luxury that most did not share the pleasure of just some 120 years ago. The problem of privilege is a great place to start when exploring the frontier of future generations and the knowledge powered by modern technological advancement.
And so we need to find that state of flow in that river of life which will lead us to life’s fullest end, whatever amount of years that might be. There is no good reason for us to be failing so miserably, making it only to a miserable 78.5 years.
P.S. I don’t believe we have ever truly lived in an Edenic state where everything was perfect and in harmony followed by a fall and a loss of orthodox practice. My research leads me to believe that we are mere infants in our progress and understanding of how the human creature functions and that state we call Eden lay ever before us. That we will continue getting closer to that state as we continue to simply live life simply. Yes, it is fun for someone like me to explore these deeper questions, to find better answers for the following generations. Answers for my kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren. I would love to see my generation be the one to overcome all of the health problems that I see plaguing the human race, but I am not so naive as to actually have any expectation that it will happen. But the least I can do is continue preparing the way for those who come after me.