CEO OF SELF

August 29th, 2018

Most people have had the frustrating experience of getting orders from a boss that clearly show the boss has no idea what is going on.

Do we speak up? Probably not.  And when we do, do those suggestions and protests land on deaf ears?  Maybe.

We can imagine an entire corporation with a board of directors who all have different opinions and a CEO who only has the faintest idea of the situation on the ground floor of operations.  We all know the frustration of the little guy who sees a better way things could work, but who’s hands are tied by the powers that be.

Imagine if a pancreas could talk to the conscious part of a person who is utterly addicted to sugar.

What would such an over-worked pancreas say?

It would probably sound like an over-worked postal worker who is ready to snap.  What happens when a person is so sick of being over-worked at their job?  Usually they quit.

Should we really be all that surprised when the pancreas quits it’s job after years of producing huge amounts of insulin to deal with all the sugar in the diet?

If the body is a corporation, then our thinking, conscious self would most readily be likened to the CEO.  And all those little guys that don’t have a say in the direction of the corporation but have to do all the grunt work might be likened to all the parts of our body.

For many people, a heart attack can be a wake up call, in much the same way a CEO can realize that some changes need to be made when an entire division of the corporation goes on strike.

Perhaps the division on strike feels under paid, knowing the CEO is taking home an enormously unfair paycheck.  The bodily equivalent of this might be that pancreas who goes on strike knowing the CEO is just eating donut after donut for that short term gain of momentary pleasure. 

Just as we should cultivate empathy for the CONDUCTOR, we would benefit as the CEO’s of our selves if we could have empathy for all the little parts of our body that allow us to live.

Next time we want a donut, or a giant bowl of pasta, or ice-cream, we might opt for a jog and a salad because we are thinking of the little guy.  Those small, integral parts of our body that have to do all the difficult, dirty grunt work and deal with our decisions as people.

Chances are solid that if we can develop such empathy for our bodies, we will be rewarded in the long-term with a better state of mind and a more robust sense of contentment that will eclipse any and every limp moment of pleasure we get from something as empty as a donut.

This episode references Episode 135: The Conductor’s Orchestra.  If you’d like to fully explore the reference, please check out that episode next.