I believe that we are here, on this planet, as human beings, to transform ourselves. Transform means to change in form, appearance, structure, character. I think this thing called life is set up like a game. I don’t mean to trivialize it by comparing it to a a game but, nevertheless, I see it as a game. Every game has an objective. Every game has rules. There are strategies involved. Having continual increasing knowledge about the game helps. There are skills involved and many who participate in games practice to hone their skills. There is a way to measure outcomes; to keep score. I think that the objective in the game of life is to transform. To change. Specifically, I believe that, in all areas of life, it is a transformation from a desire to receive for the self alone to the the desire to receive for the sake of sharing with others. This is a Kabbalistic (From Kabbalah) concept. But there is a problem. In order to be here, to experience and engage in life we must have certain needs fulfilled in certain time periods. A lot of these needs are, most of the time, fulfilled automatically without us even being conscious of it. When one of these needs fails to be fulfilled then we become conscious of it and it becomes a desire, often times a burning desire. Most of these needs are physical in nature. There are a lot that are not depending on the awareness level of the individual. A few examples perhaps: We need to breathe, often. Our bodies are set up in a way that allows oxygen in either through the nose or the mouth. We have a throat that acts as a tunnel for oxygen to travel to the lungs. The lungs do their thing and oxygen is transferred into the blood cells and is carried through the veins and vessels to each individual cell and they stay alive and carry on with what they do. In the absence of oxygen, a blockage in the nose, mouth, throat, a problem with the lungs or a disruption or block in the veins and vessels then this system that fulfills a critical need ceases to work and we quickly become conscious of it, if in fact we are able to stay conscious. Suddenly, this unconscious fulfilled need becomes a burning desire and we will not be very interested in transforming ourselves into a sharing being. No, we will be pretty focused on getting air and will probably kill another if that would help at all to provide us with even a slight chance of fulfilling our desire to breathe.
Well, this whole Type 1 Diabetes thing can been seen in the same way. Allow me to elaborate. If you are a Type 1 Diabetic then one day in the past you learned that you “got” it. Not a good day. Not a day easily forgotten and not one that most of us like to revisit. It was the day that you became conscious that a very critical need stopped being fulfilled; a need that parallels the importance of breathing, albeit with a 3 to 4 month time period prior to fatal malfunction as opposed to a 3 to perhaps, 10 minute time period to solve the breathing thing. The process involved in Type 1 diabetes is very similar to the process of breathing. Instead of oxygen being sent to the cells it is glucose. And instead of the lungs being the organ involved it is the pancreas. Both glucose and oxygen are sent via the blood cells to all of the other cells. Instead of breathing it involves eating. And just like if you could not get oxygen to the cells the body will die so it is with not getting nourishment ( in the form of glucose ) to the cells. An analysis of the situation yields four things to contemplate, in my opinion as someone who was diagnosed 31 years ago. First, an understanding in the breakdown of the process that resulted in having to address this need. Second, what is it that needs to get done in order to get the glucose to the cells in the most effective way. Third, what is the desire that is associated with this situation. And finally, for extra credit, how do I transform this desire from a desire to receive for the self alone to a desire to receive for the sake sharing with others? Continue reading A Transformational Approach to Type 1 Diabetes