Meditations on Gratitude – Those Who Help Us Heal
In many ways the Buddha’s path is a prescription for healing. He offered a way to reduce the suffering that comes from our dysfunctional way of viewing the world. He did say that there were some types of suffering that were not preventable. These were birth, illness, old age, and death. In the category of illness and old age, I suffer from arthritis, spinal stenosis which were aggravated in my late thirties, when a cracked several vertebrae in my lower spine. No doubt other environmental factors have contributed to the inflammation I deal with daily.
That said, there are not many days when ibuprofen comes to my rescue. I sometimes imagine what it might be like without NSAIDs. Out of this contemplation comes great gratitude for the people that bring me my trusty bottle. I spent about 30 minutes researching some of the people, companies, and federal agencies who have played a role in keeping ibuprofen available and safe. By no means is this research exhaustive. In this time slot I found reference to three companies and two federal agencies, all of which today employ inn the neighborhood of 100,000 people. I suspect the real number of people involved in this endeavor is much greater in number. I did not include the people who transport the medicine, the state regulatory agencies, the various people involved in the UK where the drug was first developed, and those who play a role in putting the drug on shelves internationally.
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I even discovered one company – Celgene – that was involved in a partnership with a company I worked for not long ago. So many people to be thankful towards. So many people who may be living and working nearby. So many, so far far away.
Oh how pitiful my gratitude is compared to the gifts I am offered everyday.
Namo Amitofo
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