Real community requires real commitment. The smallest community is a group of two. Take marriage for example. How many of those last? The reason is that the commitment and “vows” were not really sincere or “real.”
 About 30 years ago as a younger graduate Ph.D. student I did a research study on 3 factors influencing attitude change itsef. Two of them were “commitment” and “ego involvement.” The third, of course was attitude change.  As it turns out both commitment and ego involvement were essential to a person changing one’s behavior.
 The same goes for health. The reason we have such a deplorable health care system is because most people are not committed to a healthy lifestyle. They would rather drink cola & soft drinks, and eat fast food that usually tastes “good” because it is full of fat or sugar. Very few people will really make the effort to do the very simple things required to be healthy. Like, for example, have a diet of at least 80% in a natural hygiene direction. Simple, whole, raw, organic fruits and vegetables. The other 20% can be cooked beans or rice, a healthy stew or soup, a stir fry or indulgence in occasional ethnic foods like Mexican or Chinese. It is well to remember a favorite quote from the Essene Gospel of Peace: Book1. I quote:

And Jesus said:
    “But I say unto you: Kill neither men nor beasts, nor yet the food which goes into your mouth. For if you eat living food, the same will quicken you, but if you kill your food, the dead food will kill you also. For life comes only from life, and from death comes always death. For everything which kills your foods, kills your bodies also. And everything which kills your bodies kills your souls also. And your bodies become what your foods are, even as your spirits, likewise, become what your thoughts are. Therefore eat not anything which fire, or frost, or water has destroyed. For burned, frozen and rotted foods will burn, freeze and rot your bodies also.(From The Essene Gospel of Peace Book 1)

     I know of two people in the health field that gave up on trying to help people get healthy. Both were dedicated to natural foods. Phyllis Avery, an author of raw food books, cured herself of tinnitis (a constant and irritable ringing in the ears) Tinnitis can be so annoying it drove a high school buddy of mine to suicide. I wish he had known about natural hygiene living. Phyllis once told me that the thing people resist most is changing their food habits. The other person who gave up trying to educate people was Norman Walker the founder of the juicing phenomenon and the inventor of the Norwalk juicer (a $2,000 plus investment in food processing equipment today.) The Norwalk juicer is one of the finest food processing juicers available. I own two of them in case one breaks down. I don’t want to be without a Norwalk juicer even for one day. Norman Walker lived to be 118 years old primarily due to his reliance on fresh, whole, raw, organic juicing in his diet. He used to travel around the country lecturing and finally gave up. Maybe due to older age but rumor has it from those who knew him well that he just gave up when he saw the deplorable follow through of most people.
     I had a friend challenge me one time because seeing me work on the Norwalk juicer seems like an intimidating job preparing juice. But I took up the challenge with a stop watch. Preparing food the natural hygiene way takes less time, including juicing on the Norwalk which uses a two step process involving a hydraulic press to squeeze the juice from between nylon sail cloth. It just seems more involved. After all how long does it take to prepare a piece of fruit or a good salad?
     If you are curious about the Norwalk juicer and you have access to the Internet, there is a photograph of me using the juicer on our Whole Health Foundation Web Page. Go to <members.home.net/wholehealthfound>. If you have difficulty accessing the Web Page go to <http://members.home.net/wholehealthfound/index.html>. For some reason I don’t understand, the longer address works when computer Internet provider servers are slow to respond. There is nothing as energizing and producing a feeling of well being as natural hygiene living.
     As I write this, I am on the 32nd day of a raw juice fasting program (technically a liquid diet.) I intend to go another 20 days and end it with two weeks of a genuine fast on distilled water. I’m doing it for several reasons. 1) to lose about 40 pounds resulting from my own gluttony and bad food choices (Like Norman Walker, it took me several trips back to the discomforts of poor diet to relearn what right living really is.) The extra weight affected my posture which gave me back pains and constant discomfort. My fat belly was pulling everything forward in an unnatural way. Unconsciously I had to compensate by stressing out all the muscles in my body. This led to insomnia, and constant pain. 2) I know that fasting will decrease or eliminate symptoms of arthritis. My symptoms are almost gone. Fasting is truly miraculous. 3) a genuine spiritual high comes from becoming pure in body. I feel as though I am in direct contact with God. This feeling was very vivid from the 5th or 6th day onward. 4) There are other benefits but this article is getting too long.
     Thank God I live at Whole Health Foundation where I have a year round organic garden, a distilled water system and all the food processing equipment anyone could dream of to support a pathway back to vibrant health. As well as supportive people to live with and encourage me on— or inspire me by their healthy example. I plan to stay on the straight and narrow path of natural hygiene living when I break my fast. But I know how strong my bad habits are. Fortunately there is a lot of support here now as all the people who pulled us down to a lower common denominator have left or were evicted. Now the group is wonderful and we intend to keep it that way.
     I just recently discovered that Linda, one of our newer residents, has been on raw foods now for about 5 years. We all noticed that she never cooks. Someone asked her how long, she replied 5 years. She is curing herself from mercury poisoning from the silver fillings that used to be in her teeth. She loves the organic garden, especially the kale and collard greens which I personally find more difficult to eat raw. Each to their own. Linda is going to invest $500 in one of those Greenpower juicers that use two twin gears to squeeze the juice instead of the Norwalk. I’ve used both and I prefer the Norwalk. Again, personal choice. It is a joy to see her harvesting raw greens every day from the organic garden for her evening meal. So simple, so healthy, so sensible.
     We have five people here now using a juicing program to get and stay healthy. Everyone is losing unnecessary weight and loving it. Almost every day someone says to me “You’ve lost a lot of weight. You look great.” Or simply,  “Wow, you look great.”  I could do without the notice or the compliments but I feel like Tony the tiger— greeeat! And not from a sugar high from that terrible cereal commercials brain wash our kids to want.
     We are starting a new program at WHF, beginning with our Web Page. It will include membership and yearly community making workshops with a natural hygiene focus. We hope you will all spread the word about our Web Page and the bright future ahead for all of us who are REALLY committed to health and well being.
     Whatever you do, eat fruit and eat salads and whenever possible, make fresh juice to augment your diet. DO NOT use the juices in store bought bottles and cans. That is dead juice. Dead juice and dead cooked food will kill you or make you suffer just like it did me. Fortunaltely I have so much experience with becoming healthy, that I know how to get back to natural living and I know how much better it is to stay healthy. I pray I will be more successful this time. Each time I fast (and I do it at least once a year) I get better and better at changing my ways. Make your commitment. If you need help, come to WHF for a brief stay to jump start yourself on the way to doing it at home. Just like our email address says <wholehealthfound@home.com>. Greetings and salutations to you all as we enter the new millennium. I intend to be completely healthy by Thanksgiving and all through into the new year. I may walk there alone but I will have vibrnt health to enjoy and God to guide me there. I am doing it now. Like Goethe said “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”  Start now. Don’t give one more day to the temptations of insidious habits Begin a healthy pathway to your highest and healthiest self now. Today. Good luck and God bless you.