Cultural oppression, as you’ve seen by now, can be anatomical and physiological.

But political, economic, and religious oppression remains a problem too. It relies on our daily rituals and doesn’t want them to change.

In chapters seven and eight of the book Human, I address the rituals expressed in (oral) hygiene and calendar.

 

Chewing stick revolution

I learned about alternative ways to clean my teeth many years ago, but I had the courage to stop using toothpaste and toothbrush only in 2008. I switched to chewing sticks.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Initially, I did a lot of research and experimenting. Today, I’m glad I did it!

You’d have to try to understand why…

To do that, you’d have to have a very good chewing stick and instructions on how to use it.

You can find the instructions on how to make and use a chewing stick in the book Human: Instructions for Use.

If in doubt, write to me and I can send you a chewing stick of my own making. If you order the book, I can add one for free.

“Comparative studies show that chewing sticks, when used properly, are equivalent and in some cases superior to toothbrushes in removing dental plaque. The bark of some trees and bushes is proven to contain ingredients that hinder the development of harmful microbes, leaving the beneficial ones intact.

“Toothpaste, and particularly mouthwash, can non-selectively clean the oral cavity and potentially suppress beneficial bacteria too. Thus, they can disturb the natural oral flora and clear the room for harmful bacteria. Then, if you want to maintain your oral cavity free of harmful bacteria, you have to brush your teeth three times a day with these same products.”

Chewing sticks makes a difference…

Oral hygiene is just the tip of the iceberg, and to learn more, do read the book Human.

Change your sense of time

Our daily and weekly rhythms are defined by the calendar. Keeping track of time was crucial in every developed society. In the last 2000 years, the week has become the most prominent ingredient of the calendar. Why? Because it’s supposed to be God-given. But …

“The more you look into the history of the calendar, the more you’ll understand how there is hardly anything divine about it—it is purely man-made. Just look at the weekdays’ names. Many languages use the names of pagan gods, identified with the celestial bodies: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn.”

The calendar, like culture, is fabricated, artificial, irrational. Analyze the current calendar closely and you might notice many overlaps. There would be no culture without the calendar, and there would be no calendar without the culture.

Like in the previous chapters here I don’t just expose the idiocies, I offer alternatives too.

 

Save yourself, save the world

To wrap up the book I invite you to wake up! I challenge you to take a distance from your culture and what you’ve been socialized into. It’s not only about your personal health, a lot more is at stake and we have more power than we think…

“Increasing numbers of people from all around the world don’t identify with their heedless cultures; they want to count themselves among natural stewards, not exploiters and destroyers. Now, damage to the environment is so drastic that the survival of human civilization is at stake, and thinkers from all walks of life, not only lonely scientists, are pointing out that we’re heading towards disaster.”

You listen to the news every now and then, don’t you? You know what I’m talking about?

If you do, stop for a moment!

Ask yourself, do you want to save yourself by saving the world? Or do you want to save the world to save yourself? Or is it about your children and grandchildren? Do you want to save animals, trees, nature, life? Why not all of this and more?

In the era of human civilization being pestilence and threatening life on Earth, we have to change or perish. Some people believe that removing humans from the planet would lead to the regeneration of life.

I have a better idea! Imagine us, humans transforming, eliminating cultural stupidities, and becoming planetary stewards. Can you see how powerful we could be in orchestrating deep regeneration and revival?

Reverting humans from cultural to natural beings is like turning cancer cells back to healthy ones.

Only whole humans, whole communities, whole humanity can do it.

 

Welcome to humanness!

The book Human: Instructions for Use is a small contribution to a new world, where people live according to their own inherent nature and with that act heal their environment too.

I’m doing my share of self-challenging and supporting others in meaningful change. I’m inviting you to join us! Not because you’ll improve your future, but because you’ll improve your present.

The best action is now! Now and for the sake of now–and understanding how it will affect the future. That’s the path of genuine humanness.

So, you want to make this world a better place and make yourself a better person? Become a genuine human!

Don’t just read the book Human: Instructions for Use! Put it into practice!

Welcome to the exciting inner adventure!