Stay Alive
“Whether
you're a brother, or whether you're a mother,
you're
stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the
city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're
stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah ha ha
ha stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah ha ha
ha stayin' alive.”
Bee Gees
(Stayin' Alive refrain)
I'm
not sure whether you're old enough to remember this hip Bee Gee's
tune—those of us who are will automatically see John Travolta
sauntering down a city street to it's beat. Back in the 70's we disco-danced to such swaggering songs and had a great time doing it.
Dancing is one way to experience feeling well and truly alive in both
body and soul. Think how far back in human history dancing has been a
means of altering consciousness—back to the caves.
The
legendary Joseph Campbell said: “I don't believe people are looking
for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the
experience of being alive.” We sometimes unfortunately believe that
we feel more alive when we're drunk or stoned, but our amazing bodies
don't need extra psycho-active substances to feel alive. Even if we
don't have two legs to dance on, even if we are awkward and not
rhythmic, simply propelling the body/mind into action can produce the
feeling of being wildly alive. It's all about brain chemistry.
Putting our bodies through vigorous activity kicks off our good
chemistry; dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, and oxytocin.
We
also experience being fully alive when in communion with other human
beings, in deep conversation, in the exchange of ideas, while walking
hand in hand, making love, or sharing a wonderful meal together. What
brings us fully alive is simply interacting with life itself. But to do
that, we must put down our mobile devices and look someone in the
eye. Life is not technology—life is in you and in others of your
species. Get out there today and experience it. Maybe even dance a
little.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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