Speaking at a public lecture on the philosophy of George Ohsawa and macrobiotics a few nights ago I made the statement "I'm not really into health!" It was intended to be provocative. I then qualified it by saying that, of course, I would be into "health" if I was sick and that that was exactly my point - health is for sick people. Health is a proper aspiration for someone who is ill. Unfortunately, the health food subculture is full of perfectly healthy people who spend their time and their money obsessing about "health". Which is very unhealthy. It is symptomatic of a culture of narcissism and self-obsession. It is as true of macrobiotics as of any other "health" modality. You are very likely to meet very healthy people at health resorts - they devote their time and money to worrying about imaginary ailments and having their cholesterol levels taken every five minutes. It's neurotic. You are very likely to find macrobiotic people like this. Their whole mind-set and their conversation revolves around this abstract notion of "health". They are constantly talking about health - all the latest reports in the media, all the latest research, all the latest fads. It is, as I say, unhealthy. It is not good to obsess about health.
Health, rather, is a platform from which to move forward to other, greater things. It is not an end in itself. This is the symbolism of the spiral, a motif to which George Ohsawa often referred. Obsessions go round and round in circles. Real health moves forward in spirals. It is unfortunate that macrobiotics has tended to degenerate into just another "health" fad. This has particularly been its fate in contemporary America. People think it is an anti-cancer cure or a weight loss program. They have lost sight of what lies beyond health. Health is a meager objective. Health is only the first step. There has to come a time when you stop obsessing about health and start looking to the Great Life (macro + biotic) beyond it. The question is: what are you going to do with your health? To what noble purpose will you apply your vitality?
On a side note, the spiral was adopted as a symbol by the premier Australian macrobiotic supplier, Spiral Foods Inc. Their products are highly recommended. Top quality. Their logo quite properly underlines the *spiral* nature of Ohsawa's "oriental dialectics". The dialectical process moves from thesis to antithesis to synthesis. It is two steps around and one step forward. Yin and yang are not cyclic. Their dialectical complimentarity generates movement and vitality, life. The best symbol of the process is the spiral. Spiral Food's logo explains it precisely. Health is one thing, but life is another. The point is not just to be healthy - the point is to live! The proper aspiration of a healthy person is the Great Life. In traditional oriental spirituality, such as in Taoism, there is a continuum of life that goes: health - longevity - immortality. Macrobiotics is much, much more than a "health diet". It is sad to see it reduced to a health diet these days. Rather, it is a philosophy of life that just happens to take the form of a dialectical cuisine. Look beyond "health", I say. Extend your reach to the Infinite. That's what macrobiotics is about. Circles are static and self-obsessed, rank, fetid and closed. This is why George Ohsawa said that dualism is the first and last enemy of humanity. Systems of two (duality) rot. Spirals grow.
If you are looking for more on macrobiotic philosophy, I recommend the account given by Phiya Kushi at her website.
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