From the Editor

By Dr. Jay Zinn

I once read a book written by a doctor called, “None of These Diseases.” His name was S.I. McMillen. He addressed this subject of forgiveness from a doctor’s perspective. He told the story of how American writer and lecturer, Dale Carnegie, once visited Yellowstone National Park where the grizzly bears were being fed by the tourists. The forest ranger told him that the grizzly bear could whip any animal in the West, except the buffalo and the Kodiak bear. While Dale watched a grizzly eat from a pile of garbage, a skunk waddled into his territory to pillage some of the plunder. The bear looked at the skunk, perhaps with a fleeting mental picture of smacking the little thief back into the woods—but he didn’t. I think it’s because he was smart enough to know that the price was too high to pay and left the skunk alone to share the meal.

Unfortunately, we humans aren’t as discerning as the grizzly because when someone invades our space and hurts us we resent it, brood over it, grow bitter, and entertain thoughts of how to get even. Little do we know that we’ll be the ones who pay a high price for our nursed offenses. S.I. McMillen points out that many diseases in our bodies and minds can be directly connected to animosities toward others. These animosities will involuntarily call forth excessive amounts of hormones from the pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, and other glands that can cause diseases. No wonder Jesus had the remedy for such ailments wrapped in the antidote of forgiveness. This magazine addresses this issue that has touched all of us in some way, whether emotionally, spiritually or physically. May we learn from the lessons of others, like the grizzly, before we go down the path of eating ourselves up—from the inside out.

Jay Zinn