Chapter 17 A New Paradigm
Dr. Jolly and his daughter Jenna were getting back to their routine at home in New York. However, the entire city was in lockdown, and they were confined to their building. It was very difficult if not impossible to go anywhere.
New York Police Department (NYPD) was enforcing travel restriction within the city. Any movement within the city required special clearance as the authorities were taking the necessary measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Dr. Kaviani, after consulting with Dr. Jolly, was planning a video conference of all the team members for the study project. This was to be a group consultation to get everyone’s input to be included in the paper that was going to be the framework for action for the upcoming study projects in the US and India.
It took a couple of days to invite the team members from the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America to join the conference call. Although for some this meeting was going to be late at night or very early in the morning but there was great anticipation since everyone could sense that this was going to be a very special meeting unlike anything they had experienced before.
……….
Finally, the time had arrived, and the participants joined the video call one by one.
Dr. Kaviani as the convener of the meeting started with a brief introduction.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this very special meeting. As you might imagine arranging this meeting was a challenge since everyone is very busy during the pandemic. Also living in different time zones around the world made it even more difficult to come up with a time that worked for everyone. So, I’m grateful to all of you for joining us. Please allow me to introduce the team of doctors and specialists assembled here….
Dr. Jolly at the World Health Organization (WHO) in New York, who is also the facilitator of our meeting today. Dr. Weber & Dr. Zhang at the WHO in Geneva, Dr. Singh at the Ministry of Health in India, Dr. Gutierrez in New York, Dr. Morrison in Chicago, Dr. Hernandez at the Health Ministry in Mexico, Dr. Mulungu in Tanzania, Mr. Silva in Brazil, and myself at the CDC in Atlanta.
Now, I would like to turn the meeting over to Dr. Jolly who has been writing a concept paper on the nature of our study project to facilitate this meeting. Dr. Jolly, please ….”
“Thank you, Dr. Kaviani, greetings, and a warm welcome to all of you at this very special meeting. At the outset I would like to clarify that even though most of us come from a Western Medicine background, but we are here to explore an innovative holistic approach to health and healing. This could be a great opportunity to study preventive measures to ensure public health as we face an unprecedented pandemic. I am also excited to be consulting with you all about this study project and hear your thoughts and feelings on how to go about implementing our project. As you are all aware, the speed by which this virus has been spreading globally and morphing itself into thousands of new variants makes it very difficult to find a remedy and it looks like we are heading for even more difficult times. Now, I would like to open the meeting for consultation.”
At this point Dr. Zhang raised her hand. “Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this meeting. It might be a good idea to also explore other fields in relation to health. For example, the impact of economic activities and business practices on health. We are seeing a lot of research being published on stress and how it weakens the immune system.”
Dr. Morrison posted a thumbs up icon on her screen and raised her hand. “I also like to thank you all for this amazing meeting. I totally agree with Dr. Zhang. I believe that we are looking at the holistic character of life and the harmonious nature of the world of creation. So, this could be the initial stages of a process that would generate new thoughts and innovations that would lead to new development models where we would be able to find the balance in the social, economic, and ecological dimensions of life as we strive to build a better world.”
It was obvious from the initial consultations that this was going to be a very different kind of dialogue where high ideals and vision of a bright future would be the guiding principles of the discussions.
Dr. Jolly as the chairperson of the meeting continued. “Thank you, Dr. Zhang, and Dr. Morrison, for sharing your thoughts. Clearly, we rely on you as the new generation to help us all see things from a new perspective. I also appreciate the fact that our team today is comprised of professionals from various background and orientation including field of research, personal history and religious beliefs. Furthermore, we are looking at health from several different perspectives. So, inviting other researchers and professionals in various industries is a very appropriate and natural outcome of our approach and vision.”
Dr. Jolly paused for a moment as he looked at the screen. “Yes, Dr. Mulungu. Please!”
“First of all, it’s been only a few minutes of this meeting and already I am totally amazed by the level of conversation and the depth of our discussions. It’s like a dream come true. It seems like we are exploring the frontiers of human civilization and defining the future of humanity. I was under the impression before the meeting that we were going to try a new way of dealing with the pandemic. But now I see that this is much more profound. I’m very grateful to be a part of this team of visionaries. Clearly our world needs a vision that goes beyond self, prosperity, and technology.” Dr. Mulungu clapped as he ended his comments.
Dr. Weber at this point raised his hand to speak.
“Dr. Weber, please!” Dr. Jolly acknowledged.
“This is just fantastic. I think we all strive for such high grounds especially in times like now when the world is engulfed in a dark and gloomy pandemic. I am taking notes and looking forward to reporting to my colleagues at the United Nations. What we are discussing and based on the research that I have seen from this group; not only this is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 but it goes beyond that in the sense that we are addressing the spiritual and social aspects of life and its impact on human health. Clearly, this is the right time for this discussion.”
Dr. Weber’s comments, who was probably the most experienced in the group, had a clear impact on participants as most of them nodded their heads in agreement.
Dr. Jolly continued. “Dr. Weber, as my mentor at the World Health Organization, your encouraging comments are of great value to me and our newly formed team of professionals. I believe I am speaking for the group when I say that your support is highly inspiring.”
Dr. Jolly looked at Dr. Singh who had his hand up. “Yes, Dr. Singh, please!”
“Namaste! Dr. Jolly and all the friends gathered here.” Dr. Singh put his hands together in front of his face as is the custom in India and he continued. “Well, this meeting for me is like coming home. Spiritual life is part of our tradition, as you know, that goes back to thousands of years. Whether we are talking about Hinduism, Buddhism or other spiritual traditions being practiced throughout India, spirituality is an integral part of our culture. I look forward to working with this group and my colleagues at the ministry of health here in India. We will be following up and inform you of our progress. In fact, we could easily recruit hundreds of volunteers to help with this research.”
Dr. Jolly was overwhelmed with emotions as he reflected on his recent stay in Mumbai and the kindness and attention that he had received. He removed his glassed to wipe his tears and spoke softly. “Dr. Singh! I truly appreciate your kind words. I am also grateful for your hospitality during the time that my daughter and I were in quarantine in Mumbai. The collective energy in this meeting is incredible and we have not even started yet. This is proving to be much bigger that all of us. I believe that we are addressing a void in our global community. There is clearly a great need for a new way of thinking about life and new ways of doing things. The pandemic is giving us a great opportunity to make some changes and become more sensitive to the needs of our global community.”
Dr. Gutierrez raised her hand to speak and was acknowledged.
“Dear colleagues, this is a very powerful meeting. I come from the pharmaceutical industry where we focus on medicine and dealing with symptoms as you all know. So, this is a very different kind of conversation. It’s very uplifting and the kind of conversation that we need to have to rise to higher levels. I recently got the virus and spent a few days in ICU. So, I totally appreciate this discussion and look forward to being a part of this great endeavor.”
Dr. Jolly responded. “Dr. Gutierrez, it’s wonderful to see you in good health. I truly appreciate knowing you and it’s great to work with you on this project as well.”
At this point, Dr. Jolly called on Dr. Hernandez in Mexico.
“Thanks Dr. Jolly for this opportunity. My background and experience, like most of you, is in the traditional western medicine practices. But I see the need for expanding our horizon and exploring a more holistic picture with greater attention to preventive measures. Thank you for inviting me to join this group and here in Mexico our team is following the progress of this study with great interest.”
“Thanks Dr. Hernandez. It was great meeting you and your team at the ministry of health in our recent trip to Mexico City. Looking forward to having another chance to spend more time in your beautiful country.”
Mr. Silva raised his hand and was acknowledged.
“Dr. Jolly and all the specialists gathered here in this meeting. It seems like I am the only one here who is not a Medical Doctor. So maybe I can speak as an ordinary person living in Brazil. Having learned about the project recently, I could only appreciate the efforts being made to address the whole picture of what constitutes a human being – Body, Mind and Spirit. I’m anxiously waiting to hear about the result of the study, and I believe this is the way to address the pandemic and avoid future health crisis as well as making life more pleasant for the entire body of humanity and possibly eradicating poverty.”
Dr. Jolly responded. “Mr. Silva, thank you for your comments. It was really a pleasure meeting you in Brazil and please feel free to share your insights with us. Now, I would like to invite Dr. Kaviani at CDC who has been at the core of this discussion and responsible for bringing together this diverse group at the outset of this initiative. Dr. Kaviani, please!”
“Wow, Dr. Jolly, thanks for your kind words and support. I’m Just trying to serve. Honestly from the first time that we went to Mexico and Brazil together and having been in constant communication with you, your tremendous experience, depth of knowledge and humility has been a source of inspiration for me. I look forward to serving all of you in this group and anyone who might join us in the future. I believe we are here to serve a very lofty goal that could potentially have great impact in our lives and the lives of the future generations. Let’s build a better world together – more united with prosperity for all in a healthy and sustainable environment.”
Dr. Jolly reflected on all that had been said and after a short pause. “Thank you, Dr. Kaviani. I appreciate your comments. You’re also my spiritual mentor as well. So, it’s an honor knowing you and work with you.”
The meeting went on for about an hour in a spirit of love, humility, and unity.
Dr. Jolly was taking notes and listening intently as he looked at the time.
Finally, he felt like the time had come to bring the meeting to a conclusion.
After the last speaker had spoken. Dr. Jolly spoke softly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this has been a wonderful meeting. We have heard some very profound expressions of love, understanding and compassion. In the coming days, I hope to be able to incorporate the concepts and ideas that have been shared by all of you, into a paper that could be used to communicate our vision with the media, the public and the medical community. We also hope to invite researchers and professionals from various industries and institutions of society both public and private to join us in this endeavor. So, if you know of someone that might like to join us, please feel free to share our vision with them to explore the opportunities for collaboration. This will conclude our online meeting today. Looking forward to working with you all to mitigate the impact of this pandemic and much more. Wish you all best.”
The online meeting was a great start. Clearly, there was consensus about the need to look at health and life in a much more holistic way encompassing all dimensions of life. A highly integrated model of life connecting the social, economic, and ecological aspects of our existence. This was a far cry from the highly specialized and fragmented picture of social structures, industries and environmental realities that had defined life on earth for so long.
© 2022 Ramses Rashidi
Powerful:
(Consensus regarding the need for) A highly integrated model of life connecting the social, economic, and ecological aspects of our existence. This was a far cry from the highly specialized and fragmented picture of social structures, industries and environmental realities that had defined life on earth for so long.