Our Theories on Disease Encourage a Lack of Personal Responsibility

Imagine for a moment that the concept of personal responsibility represents a guiding light, a truthful and more potent way to live. Can you imagine what life might then look like from a perspective devoid of personal responsibility? Life would cease to be full of possibilities, and you would never be able to see things in their true form. Defeat would be waiting for you around every corning, and you would feel like a victim of life’s circumstances. Does this mindset sound familiar? If not, let me remind you of some of the forces influencing our common cultural beliefs.

A belief system is a set of ideas weighted with energy or feelings. Beliefs have power and gravity. The feelings and emotions behind the beliefs give them power over us and guide us in our everyday lives. We whole-heartedly believe in the inherent truth of the system.

Centuries ago, when people were afflicted with inexplicable ailments and diseases, it was common practice to blame evil spirits. There is a complete lack of personal responsibility in this idea. People around the world still hold onto this type of belief today, except that the evil spirits now have a new name: micro-organisms. Scientists, doctors, dentists and government officials have decided that these viruses and bacteria are the primary cause of disease – our modern-day “evil spirits.”

The germ theory, which is the modern and accepted theory of disease today, originated with the work of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). Since then, it has become cemented in our minds and our cultural belief system as the truth. Pasteur promoted a theory of disease that now forms the basis of most modern medicine. This theory puts forward the idea that pathogenic organisms exist outside of the body and that when the body’s defenses are lowered, these organisms can invade the body and cause disease.