of the things you dump into it, Max,” said Ben. “Those afternoon ‘snacks’ are scary.” Ben turned to Elizabeth, allowing her to continue.
“Well, Max, this may sound too good to be true, but it is a fact that, left to its own devices, the human body would certainly maintain itself in a state of perfect health. When we get sick, it is because we have done something that interferes with one or more of the systems in our body. Ultimately, our immune system is weakened and we succumb to illness. For example, have you ever wondered why, if someone in a group has a cold, only a few people might get it, even though everyone is equally exposed to the virus? It is because those people have weakened immune systems, for whatever reason, and are more susceptible to the illness. What it all comes down to is this: the less we do, the better off we are.”
“Now you’ve piqued his interest,” said Vic. “Doing less was his specialty in high school.”
“But you can’t complain about my marks,” said Max. “I may have worked less hard, but I got better results than almost everyone else.”
“Which proves Elizabeth’s point,” said Vic. “It’s the same with our health. The less we do to interfere, the better off we are.”
“The beauty of this process,” continued Elizabeth, “is that it works most efficiently when it is left alone. The less we interfere, the better our health will be. In fact, the basic premise of the eleven secrets is that nature, or innate intelligence, knows exactly what is needed to attain and maintain perfect health. It doesn’t need outside help. This is the point that Daniel was explaining to you earlier.”
Ben was amazed that Daniel had quietly dismantled the top half of the Toyota engine in complete silence while the rest of the people in the room discussed the innate intelligence in the seed of health. As he turned to reach for a tool from the wall rack, Ben noticed that this 91-year-old man showed no signs of fatigue after spending the past hour bent over an engine, removing bolts, clamps and brackets. Inspecting a socket wrench, Daniel nonchalantly joined the conversation.
“When the body is operating normally, it really does respond correctly in every situation. Remember how your car responded when you pressed the accelerator pedal on the way here, Ben. There were internal problems in the engine, and it didn’t respond the way it was designed to do. When you leave here, the problem will have been corrected. The engine will work the way it is supposed to, and it will respond as is should when you step on the gas.”
Elizabeth picked up the discussion. “These are the fundamental principles of nature, and we should not work against them. Everything we need to achieve and maintain a perfect state of health is within us from the moment of conception. Allow this miraculous system to work unimpeded and you will enjoy better health. It really is better to work with this all-knowing mysterious intelligence than to depend on chemicals from external sources to mask our symptoms.”
Ben thought of all the prescription drugs in his medicine cabinet, and the unfilled prescriptions his doctor had given him. Julia was urging him to start the medication that had been recommended. He was reluctant to turn to drugs for help, at least for the moment. He had already started walking to and from work, for a total of about an hour a day. He was down to a coffee a day, first thing in the morning, and he had cut back on beer. This wasn’t much, but he felt it was a good start. He would have to visit his doctor for a follow-up exam next week. If things hadn’t improved, even slightly, he would consider listening to the medical advice he was hearing from his doctor and his wife.
“This innate intelligence must be present in every living organism,” said Max. “It’s not just humans that have it, is it?”
“Good question, Max,” answered Daniel.
“Why didn’t you ever come up with good questions in high school, Max?” asked Vic.
“Maybe I didn’t think I would get good answers.”
“Good one, Max,” said Vic. “Ten points for you.”
“Max is right,” continued Daniel. “The innate intelligence that functions to sustain life is present in every living organism. A plant, for example, knows that it must send its roots down into the soil and turn its leaves up towards the sun. Move a plant away from the sunlight and it instinctively turns its leaves toward the light. There is no limit to this intelligence. All life in the universe is comprised of energy and movement. The trillions of cells that make up our living bodies are in constant movement and change. Imagine that—trillions of cells, all moving, growing, changing and interacting in harmony. Our bodies are like finely tuned instruments. This isn’t happening by chance. It is our inner wisdom that directs this energy to control the constant change and movement that constitutes life. This is what we mean when we talk about the seed of health.”
Daniel turned back to the Toyota and began to re-assemble the refurbished engine.
Ben sat down on a couch against the side wall, watching Daniel and contemplating what he had learned so far that morning. That’s odd, he thought—he had never noticed the inlaid ceramic tiles on the shop floor. This was an interesting room, one in which you continually noticed new things, depending upon your location in the room. He hadn’t sat on this couch yet, so hadn’t viewed the room from that perspective. Looking more closely at the tiles, he realized that there was a definite pattern. Turning his head, he spotted it: the tiles formed the shape of a giant tortoise. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but knowing the Websters, he was sure that there was some significance to it. Nothing seemed to happen by chance with this couple.
“If what you are saying is true,” said Max, “and I’m not saying it isn’t, then theoretically, if there were absolutely no interference, a human body should be able to live forever. If the body can keep healing itself and resisting disease and illness, then why does it eventually die?”
Vic regarded Max with raised eyebrows. “Maybe you did learn something at school, after all. That’s a brilliant observation, my friend.”
Max reached for another muffin, his third of the morning.
Elizabeth watched Ben as he examined the ceramic floor art.
“This organizing force is at work in everyone and every living thing, regardless of age,” she explained. “Where we encounter limits is with physical matter. No one has the ‘perfect body’: we all possess some physical flaws that set limits, and eventually the physical body will die. Scientists believe that our cells have the potential to live for about 125 years before they die off completely. Until that moment arrives, however, we have the potential to enjoy a life almost completely free of disease and debilitation. We need only refrain from interfering with the process of innate intelligence using energy to organize physical matter and keep it as healthy as possible for as long as possible. The most important message we can heed is this: optimum health is achieved from within. This is the essence of the eleven secrets”.
Daniel closed the hood on the Toyota. Ben asked if he would like to take it for a drive to see if everything was running properly.
“That’s not necessary, Ben”, he replied. “It’s running fine. Trust me.”
“How much do I owe you, Ben. I know you didn’t charge me for the oil change, but this was a major piece of work.”
“Another donation for what you think this work is worth would be great.”
Wiping his hands, he reached into his pocket and removed the key to the chest. Closing the lid, he locked it and wiped it with a clean rag. He turned to Ben and Max and smiled.
“Enjoy the trip back, boys. And watch out for the radar at Tulip Valley.”
“How do you know that?” asked Max.
Daniel checked his watch. “Trust me on that one, too. Just make sure you do the speed limit through that area. Can you come back next weekend? I’d like