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Disease & Illness

What is the role of viruses on planet Earth?

I have it from a reliable source that no one really knows whether organic, non-organic, conventional or unconventional foods are the direct cause of illness and disease. The wise man admits he does not know. Until any of us admit we don't really know, we are blinded by our prejudices and content in our ill-formed opinions.

Since Helium is about "wisdom", I propose it is historically safer to go with unconventional wisdom. This is theories that stand the test of time. Every one of us has a belief structure that shapes our behavior. Every one of us has personality quirks and bents that make us bigotted towards certain opinions, certain evils, certain weaknesses, while every one of us also possess certain corresponding strengths and virtues.

Why am I talking about all this in a discussion about illness and disease? Well, no one likes to go through the pain of disease. Most of us also do not like to learn the hard job of bringing "true children to birth" (see Plato's Theatetus) through the continued pursuit of understanding our true selves. The Bible (Judeo/Christian Bible) is not a manual on disease and illness. But it does seem to imply that "sin" and "disease" are synonymous terms. What IS disease? Well the spelling of the word helps us. The "structure" of the word helps us. Dis (as well as "dys" and "dif") means "away, not, negative". "Ease" means "rest, comfort, freedom from turmoil". So, if we become aware (beware) of the word itself, its spelling, its structure, then we have a clue into the nature of the "idea" of disease itself.

Again, looking at the word "illness", we have "ill" with several definitions. One of these definitions is "unsound health". Another is "evil, wicked". These help us. Now, how about the prefix "ness"? For some reason Ness from SuperSmashBrothers flashes into my mind. This is an image which can help us remember the true meaning of the word. Ness is a rare, unique character. He throws a yoyo to attack his opponents. This is the image which helps bring to mind the word meaning. You might also come up with an image of the Loch Ness monster. These are all helpful tools. Now, the true definition or meaning or significance of "-ness" as a prefix is "State, quality, condition". So, we have for the meaning of "illness", "a quality, state or condition of unsound health".

If you go see a doctor, he may give you an opinion as to why you are ill. If you go see a different sort of doctor, an unconventional,


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What is the role of viruses on planet Earth?

  • 1 of 13

    by Ivor W. Hartmann

    Viruses from the Latin "virus" meaning poison undoubtedly occupies a crucial role in the earth's biosphere. Yet they ... read more

  • 2 of 13

    by Violet Fortune

    Viruses serve as carriers of genetic information, transferring genes from one species to another (a process known as ... read more

  • 3 of 13

    by Jacquie Schmall

    A virus is an "obligate intracellular parasite". It can only replicate itself by getting through a living cell membr... read more

  • 4 of 13

    by Chris Kovach

    What is the role of a virus in the earths ecosystem.? To tackle this larger question one must first examine what ... read more

  • 5 of 13

    by visphilos

    Viruses role in Earth's ecosystem may be aiding in the diversification of the genome, as agents of "horizontal gene t... read more

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What is the role of viruses on planet Earth?

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