Holism

[Guest guest]

The world of complementary health and fitness is resplendent with the use of

the terms, " holism " and " holistic " , but not too many of those who apply the

term realise that the word was coined by Field Marshall Jan Christian Smuts

(1870-1950), an eminent Prime Minister of my homeland, South Africa - in his

book, " Holism and Evolution " . Read more about Smuts and Holism at:

<http://www.magna.com.au/~prfbrown/news97_e.html>

<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWsmuts.htm>

Here follows an exquisite extract from his " Holism and Evolution " , to which I

can powerfully relate, having spent many occasions beneath those special

African skies, surrounded by a thousand silent eyes and a thousand silent

sounds waiting to erupt around one:

" Some of the deepest emotional experiences of my life have come to me on the

many nights I have spent under the open African sky, and I am sure my case

has not been singular in this respect.

The intimate rapport with nature is one of the most precious things in life.

Nature is indeed very close to us; sometimes closer than hands and feet, of

which in truth she is but the extension. The emotional appeal of nature is

tremendous, sometimes almost more than one can bear. "

As a footnote, my maternal grandfather was a good friend of Jan Smuts and

they both spent many times walking around the bushveld together

philosophising about life, nature and politics. Through the teaching of my

late mother, both of these men played a significant role in inspiring me

into the world of science, philosophy and poetry, at one stage leading me to

write poems for an Oxford University literary magazine and a rock opera on

the genesis of life and consciousness (called " Genesis Won " ).

Dr Mel C Siff

Denver, USA

mcsiff@...