Our destiny: birth, aging, illness and dying

Birth, aging, illness, and dying

Our destiny: birth, aging, illness and dying

Birth, aging, illness, and dying are what humans become destined to experience. All of these happen without my knowing.

I did not know I was going to be born. I do not feel I am aging at this moment. Looking at the mirror often startles me since there is a strange face. The image of me in my mind is always the younger version of me.

I did not know I was getting sick. One day I noticed there was a pain here and there. It is impossible to know when I am going to die. The day will come someday.

All of these happen at the very moment, as four seasons take place one after another every year. The living things on earth must experience birth, aging, illness, and dying.

Cause and effect

I do not have any religion. According to Buddhism, everything always has cause and effect. If there is no cause, there is no effect. We are not born, and there is no dying. If we are born, there is a cause for it.

We become accustomed to thinking of effect only. It never occurs that something I have done may be the cause.

Aging and illness

Once we have become born, we are destined to die someday. Birth and dying are beyond our control among birth, aging, illness, and dying,

Fortunately, aging and disease leave us with some options. We can delay aging with regular workouts or medications.

I am crawling toward my sixty with some hesitation. One day, I saw my late father’s photos taken to celebrate his sixtieth birthday. The sixtieth birthday anniversary was one of the significant events at that time. I became almost shocked and saddened to see his old face with life-stricken creases and lean body. I, who am about his age, now look much younger.

There is much more we can do about illnesses. If we are sick, there is a cause for it as well. We should expect a different effect if we walk three miles a day regularly. Your health is not far away.

Regular workout

I enjoyed many different activities like Judo, rock climbing, and hiking. My hiking shoes became worn out within six months. I stopped all of these activities for about ten years. No wonder my little back problem became chronic. Everything has cause and effect. It was sitting at the desk all day. I started hiking regularly. Sometimes, I walk about thirty miles a week. I noticed that my condition returned to the one in my younger days.

Extra help with acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine

My personal experience indicates that workouts alone cannot resolve health conditions completely. In this case, I add acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine. This is an extraordinary non-surgical intervention.