What do the concepts of discussion and debate have to do with health freedom? Discussion and debate are essential tools to help the world grapple with intense change. Health AND freedom are both undergoing deep change, as the world grows smaller with our interconnectedness brought on by the explosion of technology and communication systems. Health is being impacted by quickly changing environments and social cultures, including the quality of our food, air and water, and our academic and industrial lifestyles, as opposed to agrarian ways of life. Freedoms are being impacted by large government and corporate interests promoting solutions that may not be in the best interest of the individual. The ability of individuals to be connected around the world impacts their understandings of freedom.

Can you imagine the intense discussions happening between our founding fathers and mothers whilst they were designing an entirely new paradigm for the world that would include personal freedom and government by the people? Coming from completely different cultures and backgrounds, they dialogued for years before they crafted a solution for a harmonious future. Once the discussions moved into drafting a declaration, then the energy shifted, and the debates began.

Beginning with discussion

Basic discussions about what a harmonious health and freedom future would look like are rewarding and exciting ventures. Leaving the debate for another day, discussion embodies special qualities. A discussion involves listening. It involves discernment, nods, and shaking of the head. It involves appreciating the participants in your discussion circle, whether three or 33. It involves “Hey what do you think of this idea?”  And it may involve “Oh God, that would be awfully offensive to some.”  It involves human intuition and hunches. It involves a yearning for some type of resolution and harmony, even if none comes forward. It involves the willingness to keep participating and praying that more will come forth, and all will somehow work out for the good. It can involve making friends, even sometimes making friends with a person with whom you disagree.

The experience of discussion is a magnificent quality given to all humans that embodies what being human is all about. Humans thrive on discussion and connection. Health is enhanced by human connection. A person’s discussion with their practitioner or a family member can bring a mountain of hope and healing in a short period of time. Regarding freedom, humans thrive on freedom as well. The freedom to have access to what a person needs in order to be healthy and to make one’s own decisions about health enhances health. Freedom is an essential quality of the human soul.

In this fast-changing world, health freedom is undergoing drastic changes, and discussion about the future of health freedom is essential and timely.

Regarding debate

Debate is an entirely different experience. It can be super helpful when coming down the home stretch at designing the future. But it can be challenging. And the rules for debate can be integral to keeping a semblance of order. Debate embodies its own special qualities. It involves understanding your position well enough to answer any challenge that comes up. It involves deep listening and then applying what is heard to support a position. It involves respect for a differing opinion but with firm conviction of your own. It demands a strong commitment to harmony among debaters, focusing on issues and not personalities. It involves strength of character to be able to admit when you change your position, even if a tiny bit. Whether it is about where to build a new school, or what recipe to use when the in-laws come, debate helps get all the issues to come forward, without malice, and sometimes can help arrive at a unanimous agreement, or at least a unanimous understanding and respect for each other. Ideally, even at the debate stage, there is still an openness to seeing new ways of understanding an issue and finding a better path forward. How debate unfolds on behalf of health freedom is often beginning in families and communities but then ending up at the state legislatures or in Congress. Bills and resolutions are drafted to articulate positions of various interest groups. They are then debated.

On behalf of health and freedom, NHFC absolutely thrives on discussion and entertaining new ideas and model solutions for the future. That is why NHFC has hosted the past thirteen US Health Freedom Congresses calling for discussion and dialogue on submitted resolutions on health freedom issues. And NHFA, NHFC’s sister lobbying organization, thrives on debate, and takes positions on bills that it sees as protecting an individual’s health and healing journey and on bills that can protect a person’s personal freedoms to make decisions for their own health and that of their family members.

Our hope at NHFC and NHFA is that we all work together in this important decade to discuss and design an amazing future. One that embodies opportunities for wonderful health, and the protection of freedom required to maintain health, in this fast-changing and evolving time in the history of the world.  And then be ready to debate our visions and come to exciting solutions.