Conscious Choice: A Pioneering Journey

September 1998

A Pioneering Journey

Piecing together the puzzle of the past to understand the consciousness of the present

by Ana Arias Terry

Pioneer. This single word conjures up a cascade of images and connotations, particularly the stereotype of the early European or American settler of this nation. Trailblazer, conqueror of land, environment, and lives. Mustached, hat-wearing cowboys herding cattle, stocky women plowing the land, children minding younger siblings.

The traditional concept of pioneer implies an almost necessary taming, a physical conquest of the elements. It’s interesting and perhaps not so coincidental that in ecological terms, one of my dictionaries defines "pioneer" as a "plant or animal that successfully invades and becomes established in an area." Often our history books take us through a myopic journey of Euro- or U.S.-centric accounts of the pioneering soul and leave it at that.

But even a modest discussion of pioneers cannot be justly presented without commentary on the variety of pioneers and the waves of heritage that have made us who we are. To grasp the ground on which we stand, must we not learn the full spectrum and diversity of those who came before us? To understand both the potential — and the danger — a pioneer can set in motion, should we not consider both the contributions — and the destruction — unleashed by our ancestors?

Pioneers of the Past
The complexity of and variation in every single member of our species speaks volumes against oversimplification. But generalizations can offer useful glimpses, too. So, to summarize, the first humans to roam what would become the United States almost certainly migrated from northern Asia, Malaysia, and Polynesia. The way in which these first migrants set forth in the face of unknown risks, traversed long distances, and settled themselves in, points to a determination inherent in the pioneering spirit.

While we know little of the mindsets of these ancestral beings, we know more about their descendants, the American Indians. The diverse cultures of American Indian tribes reflect keen adaptations to the environments in which they lived, and some-times still live. Before European influences upset the status quo, the vast majority of Indians possessed a strong faith in the supernatural, which they believed connected humans and other living forms. Shamans were common in Indian life. Dancing, singing, and drumming often intertwined with celebrations and rituals. Life was a communal affair, and while a village or a tribe might adopt some claim on a portion of land for living, hunting, and farming, it was used and held by the community. The community as a whole held an intention to coexist in balance with the earth. They believed that illness and death resulted from disharmony.

And while it’s true that a number of Indian tribes were preoccupied with warfare, it’s an exaggeration to assume that all Indians were motivated by war. Hopis, for example, emphasized peace, and numerous other Indians hated the misery and death that war left in its path. When it occurred, however, Indian warfare generally was no less bestial than warfare in Europe.

American Indians offered European pioneers extensive wisdom regarding food, medicine, agriculture, government, trade, religion, economics, arts, and crafts. They undoubtedly influenced some of our ancestors to see, appreciate, and respect nature in a way they never had. Europeans countered with untold atrocities to humans and ecosystems, wiping out cultures through war, assimilation, missionaries, disease — and simple mathematics.

The "American" Wave
Europeans migrated to the United States in droves. Many sought relief from persecution themselves, sometimes influenced by a desire to exercise religious or political freedom, or by an unwillingness to pay frequent tithes to church or crown.

The first non-aboriginal natives to settle in the U.S. were African slaves abandoned in South Carolina in 1526 by Spaniards. Later came Spanish Jews who sought religious freedom and settled in New Mexico. A third of the U.S., spanning from San Francisco to Arkansas to Natchez to Florida, has been Spanish longer than "American," and Hispanic Americans lived in this nation long before the first predecessor of the Daughters of the American Revolution left England. It was the Spaniards who introduced cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep here — key components of the cowboy culture. Horses that got away from the Spanish and reproduced sparked the fast flourishing of a "new" culture of Plains Indians.

Early pioneers had three primary expectations: earning a living, co-existing with American Indians, and interacting well with each other. In Illinois and Wisconsin the French befriended the Indians and made a living by trading supplies for furs that they then sold to Europe. The English and the U.S.-born, however, emerged as farmers and miners who sought individual ownership of the land.

Professor Frederick Turner Jackson in 1893 posited that the pioneering experience of expansion over 300 years changed the mindsets of Americans on subjects such as democracy, nationalism, and individualism. Jackson suggested that the pioneering experience was key to developing the uniquely American characteristics of wastefulness, inventiveness, and mobility.

Intellectual pioneers Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson observed that for as long as land continued to be cheaply available, the ongoing pull of men westward would delay growth in cities and industries, strengthen the democracy of rural areas, and retard the need for tight controls. Golden Age historian Francis Parkman also saw the West as a "counter influence" poised opposite "absolute authority," and firmly embraced the influence of wild gifted men with a "rugged independence, a self-sustaining energy, and powers of action and perception before unthought of."Nation editor E.L. Godkin wrote in 1865 that democracy did not develop from either the Revolution nor the deterioration of the English nobility in the United States, but from westward migration, which, he theorized, propagated individualism and a proclivity for men to be more concerned about their own desires than about community interests.

Of course, the American pioneers moved westward for numerous reasons: poor economic conditions, the industrial revolution, natural disasters, intense overcrowding in the cities, disagreeable political or social environments, and dislike for their neighbors. Those wishing to improve themselves were lured to the frontier by the optimism of better social and economic conditions, the search for health, a hunger for change, a craving for excitement and adventure, the mysterious calling of the yet-unknown, a search of the primitive, and the desire to be an explorer.

In general, however, "agrarian traditionalism" has been used to describe the values and customs which shaped the lives of Illinois pioneers. Agrarian refers to a survival on agriculture without much influence by technology, cities, or cash. Traditionalism pertains to masculine domination and favoritism, loyalty to small groups of individuals. Fear of change was as common as attachment to the past. When agrarian pioneers "broke new ground," they did it with a spade. Any other method was suspect, and to be approached with suspicion.

Contemporary Pioneers
Contemporary pioneers embody a new perspective on progress and change, a perspective that allows for a vista of endless improvements upon the way we live. This perspective encourages sustainability, rather than wastefulness, cooperation as an adjunct to individualism. Unlike many of the "American" wave, and more like those of the past, the new pioneer tends to be inclusively communal in resources, mind, and spirit. He or she is an enlightened visionary, a thinker who acts upon convictions regarding what needs to be done to better a situation. This pioneer’s individualism kicks in when he or she leads the way by innovative example and tireless perseverance.

Descriptions assigned to the early pioneers still apply to the contemporary one — adventurer, bold, curious, innovative, catalyst for change. But at least one main distinguishing characteristic exists that may serve to genuinely separate the ancestral pioneer from the new: a consciousness that endows him with a keen sensitivity regarding the potential for destruction, or negative, damaging consequences.

To help us gain insight into the stuff that the modern pioneer is made of, I spoke with six modern Illinois pioneers. They included Sherwyn Cotovsky, owner of Sherwyn’s Health Food Store; Dr. David Edelberg, founder of American WholeHealth Centers; Dr. Jerry Gore, founder of the Center for Holistic Medicine and colleague Dr. Prabha Vaidya; Bob King, founder and director of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy; and Dave Kraft, founder and director of the Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS). Each of these individuals represents a contemporary pioneering movement that has helped, and continues to assist, thousands.

Many characteristics emerged as I interviewed these thoughtful individuals. I found that a quest for better health and spiritual enrichment of themselves, loved ones, patients, or customers represents the seed that eventually led many to their current work. An underlying connection exists in that they all experienced firsthand or nearly firsthand ways to use, or to develop, skills and talents that genuinely helped others. A calling, a passion, or a fire in the belly intuitively guided these individuals to their dharma.

They all share a deep intent not to cause harm or destroy, along with strong opinions about consciousness, growth, responsibility, and boundaries — while recognizing that change necessitates some level of destruction.

Ethics plays a highly important role in their thoughts and their actions. They welcome it as a basis for constant evaluation. Bob King, an extremely insightful being deeply dedicated to teaching, healing, and leading, refers to the tenets of the priesthood which he once headed. "What I like about ethics is that it’s okay to question and dig deeper, and that it’s value-based. One of my most intense growing experiences over the last years has been a genuine willingness to invite others’ points of view, test my own belief system, and admit that I may be wrong. It’s a humbling process for which I’m willing to struggle and develop my consciousness."

Humor also sounds an important chord among them. Sherwyn Cotovsky, a mathematical physicist turned health-and-nutrition guru, illustrated this point. When you assist a customer with health problems, he commented, "a lot of information turns up naked. Sometimes you’ve got to ask about very private things such as bowel movements. In uncomfortable circumstances, humor can play a very constructive role." Cotovsky remarks that his own zealousness sometimes irritates even him — as it did, when, upon seeing his rabbi’s hands shaking during Cotovsky’s own wedding ceremony, he interrupted the rabbi to suggest that he take zinc.

All the new pioneers I surveyed demonstrated insightfulness, a strong desire to help, intuition, a passion for justice and fairness over economics, and a deep appreciation for all life. Dave Kraft is an undaunted activist in the cause of informing people about the facts of nuclear power in Illinois, and sustainable, alternative energy sources. His guiding principles are about believing "that life of all kinds is sacred, special, and should be appreciated. Yet the nature of the universe is such that life forms take the lives of others to survive." Kraft comments wryly, "Some show a little more gratitude and consciousness about this supreme sacrifice than others."

The majority of these innovators had a sense of gratitude. Dr. Jerry Gore, a pioneer in the integration of holistic with conventional medicine, voiced a sentiment shared by his colleague Dr. Vaidya and by some of his other Illinois contemporaries: that of living a blessing because he has the opportunity to help people. Daily, Gore says, he reminds himself of three important truths: "Let your actions be skillful; be self-less and ask‘how can I help others’; and grease the actions with love."

The enormity of the changes they’ve had to make illustrates the strength of character these people show. Dr. David Edelberg, another pioneer in bringing an integrative and holistic approach to conventional and alternative medicine, let go of his deeply rooted belief that only conventional medicine worked. Later he observed that patients who hadn’t improved through conventional medicine were improving from the alternative medicine treatments they had begun. Upon further investigation, he was struck by the benefits that could be afforded to patients through an integrative approach.

More than one of these respondents has talked about accepting that the work they strive to do is never quite finished; that most successes are incremental; and that the idea of perfection is fraught with paradox. They opined that aiming for perfection is not realistic, that one should still strive for it, but that perfection may actually run counter to what’s good.

For those who have experienced disappointments, most have related to people sometimes not coming through. Kraft reminded me of the words of his favorite author Mark Twain who said, "’Man is the only creature that blushes — or needs to.’"

On the other hand, these adventurers share a deep regard for their patients, customers, staff, co-workers, and family. The good that these contemporary doers impart has received international recognition. Yet, modest to the core, they relentlessly credit those who work with them as the reasons for their successes. And in almost every case, they also pointed to the power of the people they help to help themselves. When asked to what he attributed the success of his practice, Edelberg said, "We flourish simply because conventional medicine, for all its advances, seems to have faltered in its sense of love for the whole person. Conventional physicians regard themselves as mechanics rather than shamans. Patients are very aware of the flawed conventional system, and they seek out our integrative system, warts and all. Integrative medicine is not arrogant, and healing can happen from the receptionist to the acupuncturist." Without a doubt, Edelberg insisted, the success has been unequivocally due to a team effort, not the work of one.

Kraft summed up this tradition of giving the glory to others. "Former Secretary of State Dean Atchison under President Truman supposedly said,‘Great things can be made to happen — provided no one is willing to take credit for them.’"

Piecing the Puzzle
If I had to choose but one factor that inspires me about modern pioneers, it is that they’ve helped me restore a piece of my lost faith in our species. They represent a highly thoughtful and conscious clan, one that recognizes how effects become causes. And whether we are professionals in alternative health, the environment, or conventional banking, we can emulate that. In fact, these crucial elements must be internalized, in concept and deed if we are to avoid imposing destruction or damage on the very world that sustains us. We must remember our part in making the world we live in, because, as Kraft remarks, "the rare and occasional glimpse or experience of‘the beautiful’ in life is all that really matters."

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