So what does food have to do with cybersecurity? Well, in my world…everything! You see, before I ever decided to take on the path of Chinese Medicine, I was an ethical hacker. My training as an ethical hacker taught me to view the human operating system as our most critical infrastructure. And one of the things I learned from that point of view is that the human attack surface is often the most neglected vector in the universe’s overall security posture.
I recently completed an Integral Nutrition course that truly opened a path to authentic knowledge, wisdom, and healing that has otherwise been completely closed to someone of my background and geographical location. For a middle-aged black man living in a rather rural city in West Central Texas that has a population of just over a hundred thousand people, no Traditional Chinese Medicine schools, and has a negligible fraction (less than 0.5%) of the state’s licensed practitioners, finding the opportunity to experience such a remarkable gift locally has been slim to none.
However, having been dealt those cards it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that this course removed any cultural and financial barriers that once stood in the way of me being able to obtain a formal education on how food can be used as medicine, implementing Traditional Chinese Medicine principles and theories that were passed down through an authentic and verifiable lineage. And that last part, as much as it is so often overlooked and lost on most seekers in today’s world, is extremely important! (especially considering the advent of AI and the rate that we’re constantly being bombarded with tons of information.)
There’s no shortage of snake-oil being sold (no pun intended…iykyk) and our time, attention, and furthermore our health, are much too valuable of resources to be absorbed by a non-existent ROI.
Mind you, before discovering the Integral Nutrition course, my journey as a Traditional Chinese Medicine student lay confined to only martial arts and Chinese herbs. And as much as those two paths have taught me, there had always been a feeling stuck in the back of my mind, that it was still something in my current progression that I’d stepped over and missed. The Integral Nutrition course has bridged that gap and revealed how these three unique elements all fit together to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing a body, mind, and spirit from a state of dis-ease, and back into a state of harmony and well-being.
Perhaps more importantly, in addition to delivering Traditional Chinese Medicine theories and principles, the course allowed me to validate what I was learning with 100% hands-on, real world case studies before I’d even completed it. Which I thought was invaluable because this way, I now had irrefutable evidence that the skills I’d be taking with me from this course, and bringing back into society, would have the capacity to aid others in their own journey’s towards healing.
The instructors? They were awesome in every sense of the word! In fact, to just say “they were awesome” is an understatement. Amira, Dr. Mao, and the entire staff were extremely supportive along every step of the way. No stone was left unturned and from the very beginning, it was evident that all was done within their power to set everyone up to be successful.
I’ll close with this. In hindsight, two sayings have always held themselves to be true in my life: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” and “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. I can honestly say that the Integral Nutrition course will now stand as another testament in my testimony. I am honored and so grateful to have had the opportunity to share in this wonderful and universal journey of healing, all made possible by the Integral Nutrition Institute and the College Of Tao.
Amituofo!