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John Roberts Cancer Journal May 6 2009: REMAINING CALM

May 05, 2009

Cancer Journal by John Roberts

Based on the book: Cancer: 100 Ways to Fight

A Positive Guide for Patients, Survivors, Caregivers, and Loved Ones

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Contact: J******@www.CanFighter.com

Remaining Calm

The nervous, worried, upset system endangers itself.

The relaxed brain thinks clearly; the relaxed body is more able to fight deadly internal invaders attempting to survive. The immune system has been improved by evolution––the survival of the fittest––to attack and destroy what it does not understand, what disrupts its equilibrium, what is not part of its orderly world. Do not disarm it with your confusion and fears.

––John Roberts

To bear all naked truths,

And to envision circumstances, all calm,

That is the top of sovereignty.

––John Keats, Hyperion, 1820

You are going supersonic straight up, waiting for the airspeed to bleed off so you can reverse on the MiG chasing you and get off a shot before he does. You have eight seconds to wait. What do you do? Wind the clock.

––Fighter Pilot Legend

Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

––William Wordsworth, Composed Upon WestminsterBridge, 1802

Old age, calm, expanded, broad with the haughty breadth of the universe, old age flowing free with the delicious near-by freedom of death.

––Edith Wharton, 1862-1937

He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden.

––Plato, The Republic, 370? B.C.

Pleased with the danger, when the waves went high

He sought the storms; but for a calm unfit,

Would steer too nigh the sands to boast his wit.

––John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel, 1681

Cancer requires equanimity: we need to face challenges with composure and optimism, to remain calm, to maintain control, to rein in our emotions, to avoid overt alarm, and to suppress the internal worry and stress that are counterproductive. We do ourselves unnecessary harm, a form of giving up, if we allow the negative aspects of life with cancer to overcome us. Those emotions have a harmful effect on our physical condition. When we face a great and threatening challenge, when it is all up to our fighting spirit, when we must ignore our fear and maintain our tranquility, we may fall back on our strength of character and face whatever comes with a steadfast heart. No, it is not easy.

Serenity and self-control should dominate the shell of every personality, but should also be a deeper part of our permanent character trained in storms over a lifetime. Our positive demeanor and brave acceptance are rooted deep within, the endless sustenance of our burning need to live on and participate in life. This permanent, unfaltering framework sets the tone for what we are, what we do: it is an expression of our true self, as much a weapon as our spirit. Yet, that impassive core of strength is an assembly of so many things, every version is different. At its heart are our freedom and independence, comfort with self, the lack of wannabe, and a certain amount of distain for the conventional desires and pretensions. We can aspire to this, part of our self-respect; with new battles foreseen, we can construct our own calm within the limits of our own sincerity.

Poise under fire is how we deal with everything, and that is everything. Character is cool, because cool is what we really are, not what we pretend to be. To be really cool it has to be genuine, because phony, copied cool is the most uncool thing we can be. It collapses so easily. That means we have to construct, and then be satisfied with, what we are deep down. Cool, honest folk don’t reinvent themselves, which is not to say that constant self-improvement or changes of direction are out of the question.

This unruffled style and constitution enable our other strengths to function in a stable and positive organism. It spreads to all those around us, who are focused on our attitude and success.  Contrast that to the erratic, wandering, brainless cancer cells; they can be powerful in their collective growth, but are weakened by the evolved, united power of our controlled self-defense. But, of course, deeper at the core, beneath all that embedded repose, there should also be a seething heart bursting with fighting spirit and will to live.