Social significance of holistic practices: just reflecting in an ideal society

A quote from a book on learning to relax.

“[I]f we believe that we are individuals whose thoughts and actions have repercussions for other people, then morality enthers the equation. None of us is truly happy if those closest to us are not. Our own goodness will be reflected back at us in the happiness of others. The goodness of others will inspire us further. We have a choice. We can opt for self-contained individualism, belief in a world seperated from mind and body, and our own insignificance, which makes us fearful of such a world. Or we can opt for an integrated perspective, the influence of mind and body in perfect balance with the world’s influence. Once we can see the world as our world, not theirs, and our selves as influential agents in the complex interplay of world, self and body, fear starts to drain away. Peace and harmony approach, like shy creatures to a hand that feeds them” ( George, M. 1998: 12,13).

George, M. (1998). Learn to Relax. Ease tension, conqer stress, free the self. London: Duncan Baird Publishers