Chapter 36: Stand for Something or Fall for Anything

It is time once again to Stew on this!

I used to have a sign on my office desk that read: “Stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything, and be good for nothing.”

The quote was attributed to one of the early Palmer College teachers, but I forget who!

When I think of the sign now, I find it a bit harsh, especially that last part. One could still be good for things without standing for something. He or she would undoubtedly NOT be very good at being a chiropractic warrior, however.

After speaking and teaching in Europe, I have a renewed enthusiasm for our principles. The chiropractic ADIO principle, for sure, but also the principles of love, oneness, cooperation and all the other things we want to see in the world.

If you and I are going to stand for something, as warriors, these principles seem like good ones. They are eternal universal truths, but if no one stands for them, i.e. expresses and embodies them, they simply do not get into this world.

So, how can we do stand for these principles, especially if we do not see ourselves as political activists?

I am glad you asked! As always, the inside-out approach is best.

Standing for principles mostly means starting (or continuing) with self.  We all could look deeply within and root out places that are not in alignment with the principles. All of us could live them more, express them more, and choose according to them more. All of us could do a bit more to remove any interference from our ability to live, express and choose according to them.

For example, when you experience health symptoms, do you respond to them from a principled place? Do your words and actions in practice and in life express the principles? How often do you consciously and intentionally go to your heart, where the principles are always active and accessible?

You and I probably cannot make 100% principled choices, and I am not suggesting that we beat ourselves up when make other types of choices, but we all could make one extra principled choice per day!

Standing for principles can mean continually looking for evidence of them at work in ourselves and in our lives, which will help us see it more “out there.” We can fill ourselves up on them by keeping them center stage in our awareness, and then radiate them out from our wholeness through love and service.

Standing for principles can mean embodying them and living them out in world a bit more. We cannot change the world (at least all at once) but we can change OUR world. We have already begun that process by working on ourselves, and at least within our sphere of influence, we can be a stronger voice for our inclusive, practical and fear-reducing worldview. 

While we are at it, let us remember that to stand for principles of light such as ours, we do not have to fight the darkness. As chiropractic people, we know that darkness simply represents the absence of light, just as dis-ease is the absence of ease. When ease is restored, the dis-ease goes exactly where darkness goes when the light is turned on: nowhere, because it was not truly there to begin with. 

So, instead of fighting the dark, let us shine our light more, and then bring more of that light into the world. The beautiful news about that strategy is that the more we shine our light, the more we give others permission to join us in spreading it.

We can communicate the good news of chiropractic without making anyone or anything else (or everyone or everything else) wrong!

Speaking of light, my highest vision of standing for something is a lighthouse. It shines its light no matter what. It does not ask why, does not curse the darkness, does not get frustrated if no one uses its light, and does not run around on the cliffs looking for boats to guide. We can learn a lot from them. 

Here are some other practical suggestions for shining our light more: if you are a chiropractor, share one piece of “good news” related to the principles with every patient who comes in that day. Or, let one less opportunity per day pass by without using the principles to answer a question that you have already answered 5 or 50 or 500 times that day.

Here are some more. Look for opportunities to lend a hand or an encouraging word with a colleague who has lost touch with the principles. Or mentor a student in the ways of them.

Or write a letter to your association reminding them of them.  

Finally, I recall a time when our daughter was a toddler and spiked a very high fever, to the point of expressing some mild febrile convulsions. It was early in our principled journey and we needed support to make the choices we wanted to make.

We asked for it and got it. Sometimes it takes a village to stand for something. So, standing for principles can also mean being more open to connecting with other warriors for help, support and accountability.

When you and I stand for the principles we love, we will be less likely to fall for anything, and, better yet, we are actively creating the kind of world we want to live in.

Stew on that, and I will see you next time.

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