Macrobiotic Theory: Aggression

Macrobiotic diagnosis most often focuses on physical ailments, but a major symptom of general poor health is attitude.

A healthy, balanced body has a healthy and balanced mind.  Western culture focuses on illness in terms of physical pain.  Mean-spiritedness, unkindness, and aggression are symptoms.  If mind, body, and spirit are connected, a frayed or aggressive mind means an imbalanced body.

That being said, mean people still irritate me.

It's hard to look at a person who is cutting you down and say, "Wow!  They must have a pretty serious dietary imbalance.  I wonder how their colon is doing..." but as a macrobiotic person, it's important to view angry people in their proper context.

This week, jacked up on sugar that I really should never have eaten, I found myself getting really angry.  A girl I know said something mean and petty, and I got wrapped up.
Do I know this person very well?  Not really.
Is it possible for me to cease all interactions with her?  Pretty easily.
Was the comment even directed at me?  No, but I felt targeted.

If I consider this from a macrobiotic perspective, this is not only a symptom of her imbalance- it's a symptom of my imbalance.  I was so hyped up on sugar and caffeine that I allowed myself to get riled.

I know for a fact that this girl has a health-weakening diet and lifestyle.  Think about the mean girls you went to high school with.  A steady diet of alcohol, sugar, and sporadic meals will make any person aggressive and nuts.

This is how I understand the anger-yin imbalance relationship.

I crave sugar and chocolate when I'm stressed out.  I just want the quick carbs and sweetness to create calm.  Once I have them, I bounce to the middle for a couple of hours (Temporary Calm).

Unfortunately, these effects are only temporary.  Because we're pulling our body into an artificial calm, when we come back, our original symptoms (stress) return.  This time, they're accompanied by craving.  If I don't get chocolate, I start to get cranky and angry!

It's a band-aid, not a cure.

Listen, we're all human.  Like I said, I had sugar this week.  When you're upset, the last thing you want to do is steam some kale.

The reason I made this chart is so that we can have compassion for people who have taken it to the next level.  They're not only angry, they're targeting or making fun of other people.  To me, aggression is the next stage.  

Stress <  Anger  < Aggression

Michio Kushi's intention in sharing macrobiotics with America was to work to create one peaceful world.

When we are balanced, the anger of others doesn't stick to us.  It breaks like water on rocks.  There's no anger in us to respond.  We have peace.  As each person who comes to macrobiotics finds peace, we begin to reduce the anger in others, because they have no target.  Person by person, we start to build a peaceful world.