About Me

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My life's purpose is best described by: Be the change you want to see in the world: Gandhi. Smiling is my "botox"-FORGET THE DRUGS AND SURGERY. I spice up my life, not my diet, which is SIMPLY DELICIOUS on its own. KISS: I Keep it simple sugars-from whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic fruits (veggies,some nuts/seeds too). The 811rv motto is: simplicity at mealtime, variety throughout the year. My motto is: I live in my own little world, but it's ok they all know me there. At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart, but not in your life.

3/06/2009

A Tribute to Harley Johnstonne

You might recall that the person who led me to find Dr. Graham and the 811rv diet and lifestyle that I am presently living was a young fellow by the name of Harley whose posts I followed on a vegan fitness forum. Harley has always impressed me and this recent post of his on vegsource is a fine example of the type of man he is. You're an inspiration Harley.

"From: harley (203.171.199.156)
Subject: my dad passed a few days ago...
Date: March 5, 2009 at 11:26 pm PST

this aint a post for sympathy, rather its a reminder that life is short, precious
and fleeting and we are here to make a positive impact rather than dwelling
on negativity and being guilty of a wasted life.

i got the news a few days ago that my dad had lost his battle with radiation
therapy and the big pharma poison cocktails that he chose to sign up for. my
dad new the natural options but was happy with the doctors orders. just as he
always accepted my lifestyle, i accepted his. im not bitter, depressed or angry
at my dads choices, preferred state of ignorance or how forceful the doctors
were in pushing his immune system to literal death.

sure i had a tear for a minute. but then it occured to me that people can pass
thru our hands but never our heart. that i can chose to live by the values
instilled by my father or i can do what society says i should do. get
depressed, get violent, get abusive, get drunk, eat crap, mope in bed all day,
wear black, mourn and walk around with heavy shoulders. just like they show
us on tv.

i say no. i say im gonna live how i know my dad would want me to live.by this
i mean to continue living the health and fitness based lifestyle that he was
proud of. what lifestyle is that? its the one that brings me the greatest joy. its
not to be confused by 'living for our parents' but rather living in a way that
brings joy for all those that love us, be those people be in our hands or our
hearts.

my brothers have decided to use dad's passing as an excuse to lower their
standards. an excuse to focus on what they have lost. rather than the peace
that dad has gained. an excuse to follow societys list of 'this is how we expect
you to act if someone dies'.

so we can see that its not our genetics, its not our upbringing, its not our
education, its not our looks,its not our religious beliefs, its not our traditions,
rather, its merely a choice in the moment to focus on whats good in our life
rather than whats bad..

in the cycle of life, there is death and birth. it would be crazy to not accept
this. it would be like crying every time the sun went down each night. rather
we should focus on the fact that we are still alive and here to do a job. its
called living our life purpose.

my dad said once' you gotta keep on riding no matter what the terrain!' so of
course im not gonna sit down by the side of the road cos the hill got steep all
of a sudden.. :)

i believe that life is to be celebrated. not mourned.
i believe that its against our loveones wishes to be sitting around dwelling on
negativity and using our loved ones passing as an excuse to lower our
standards to physical and emotionally abusing ourselves with food, drugs,
booze etc.

i believe experiencing emotions of pain and despair are merely signs we are
not being grateful enough.

im grateful i have the mental capacity to remember all the good times with
my dad.
im grateful i can use this life experience to help others achieve the positive
focus they deserve in times of apparent adversity."

3 comments:

Sarah said...

This is an excellent glimpse into Harley's life :o) He's full of such wisdom. I enjoy his videos.

. said...

This is harley in his typical denial talk.
He typed this,probably with his girlfriend to help with typos,while in shock.
He is probably now in grief,and in tears.
But he won't admit it.
Did his father teach him values?
What were those values?
Were there any honesty and truth values?
Will the real Harley stand up.

Via811 said...

FatHer, you seem to have quite the axe to grind. I don´t understand posters like you. Why criticize a man that just died and obviously can´t defend himself? I´ve always known that Harley doesn´t have much formal education and his writing can be mispelled and badly syntaxed, and there´s nothing wrong with seeking help with our weaknesses. BUT, that doesn´t change the common sense he exhibits, which is sadly lacking in your comment.
It is not dishonest to feel acceptance one moment and grief or denial another while dealing with something as big as the death of a parent. What are your motives for posting such a comment?