The best way out is always through. We live in a culture that does not place any value on pain. If we feel pain, we rush to numb it with painkillers or antidepressants but not ask why it’s there and what it’s attempting to communicate. We see the dangerous consequences of this most in people who have neuropathy, such as many diabetics, who no longer have feeling in their feet.

I recently watched a reel in which Native American spirituality is contrasted with conventional Christianity. The speaker showed how modern Christianity begets dependence on others, such as a Messiah and people of the cloth, while Native spirituality teaches taking responsibility for yourself, the earth, and relationships with those around you.

Healthy people are like a grain of wheat, with an outer bran layer, defending the precious germ, inside. When the right conditions appear, such as good soil with enough moisture, adequate sunlight and warmth, the wheat will naturally shed its outer bran layer, and the germ will start to germinate, sending out roots.