THE WISDOM OF COMMON PEOPLE

I have learned so much by simply listening to the people I’ve met while producing my films LET TRUTH BE THE BIAS, WE BECOME SILENT, and most recently GENERATION RX. As journalists, as Producers, we are supposed to be good listeners — we are supposed to be the link to reason, to balance, and to well-researched wisdom.

This kind of wisdom, however, can come only from meeting countless someones scattered across the globe, people who willingly bare their souls for the sake of the greater good. By sharing their health challenges, big and small, and by stepping forward to be counted, the wisdom of common people allows the masses to judge on their own whether they believe natural cures are a viable option. I write about this again in GENERATION RX near the conclusion of the film.

At a recent public appearance in Philadelphia, I was asked, “Who will lead us in the fight for health freedom?” The question alluded to the threats against health freedom such as Codex Alimentarius and the ongoing threat to DSHEA, the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act. His question resonated throughout the hall, and in the moments that followed his words echoed rather eerily through the auditorium.

The audience leaned forward, waiting for my answer. Here is what I told them.

During the 1990s, a juggernaut of real-people coalitions came together with industry forces, bound by their desire to both prevent the monoliths of medicine from exerting their capitalistic notions over all of us, and to preserve “medical freedom of choice.” Those who came together to fight for justice represented the plurality of America, and came from every political, racial, religious and socio-economic stratum. The amazing happened: people actually put aside their differences and forced Congress to honor their wishes. . .a rare occurrence in American political life.

Collectively, they unearthed a new day in America—a time when the wisdom of common people became not only relevant, but also dominant. Millions—no, tens of millions stood up to the forces of power and money and called for change. They besieged Washington with millions of letters, faxes, and phone calls. As a result, DSHEA, the greatest health law written heretofore, passed in an overwhelming fashion.

“You are the people who accomplished that,” I emphatically reminded them. “You made the calls, you passed out the literature, you wrote the letters, YOU created a your own kind of pre-internet blogs, and passed the word across the nation.”

These days, however, this wonderful consortium of individuals and interests has become divided by a myriad of so-called health freedom leaders. We have lazily allowed others to do the thinking for us—and the results have been toxic, to say the least. Certain vitamin, herbal and health food trade associations—among others—have replaced the wisdom of common people with the elitist attitude that “only we know what’s right for consumers,” and dismissed those who sounded the alarm about Codex and other health freedom issues as “alarmists.” They seem to have forgotten that is the loyal buyer, the local or regional health advocates—through thousands of health food stores, co-ops, and doctors’ offices—who made DSHEA happen. In truth, it is we consumers who fund the vitamin and health food industries in the first place, so it’s time we made our voices heard again.

As I told the crowd in Philadelphia, quit waiting for leaders to lead. . .you might not like where they are taking you. It may be a tired adage, but it is true nonetheless: think globally and act locally.

The people who say “Codex is no threat to us here in the USA,” well, let them know that you disagree with them. Email, call, fax, blog, and write letters-to-the-editor. In short, do whatever you can—communicate in the strongest terms possible—and tell them what you think. If you see a story on the local news, call or write to voice your displeasure. You are in charge of our collective health freedom—and the time for allowing others to do the work for you is over.

As health advocate Scott Tips of the National Health Federation often says, “be persistently vocal,” don’t give up—and don’t give in.

Arm yourself with information from trusted sources like Dr. Robert Verkerk’s Alliance for Natural Health (http://www.alliance-natural-health.org/) in the UK, the Dr. Rath Health Foundation (http://www.dr-rath-foundation.org/), and the National Health Federation (http://www.thenhf.com/) and Mike Adams. These are credible websites for consumers to examine, and I will share more action links in future blogs.

Finally, for those who believe Codex, CAFTA, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and our membership in the WTO don’t impact health freedom, simply go to the web and see my documentary WE BECOME SILENT. It was put online free as a service to consumers—and you can spread the word by referring people to the website or by buying this film, which is narrated by the world-class UK actress Dame Judi Dench.

We live in an Age when the issues are so immensely complicated. The reality is that most people need reliable and easy-to-understand information in order to form an intelligent opinion. My films are a resource but there are many others as well.

Multi-national food and drug companies are edging us closer to the precipice. If we don’t act soon, we will fail to preserve the hard-fought health freedom efforts of the past 20-30 years. . . and we could find ourselves facing a new allopathic version of the Dark Ages for generations to come.

The wisdom of common people is what we need — as we fight for our right to preserve not only our basic access to vitamins and minerals, but to the ancient medicines that preceded them.

Roll up your sleeves, do your research and be a critical thinker.

Then, get busy — and spread the word as if your life depends on it.