March 5, 2006
There is no death...GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS from Arnold's Way!
“There is no death”. These are the words I have been repeating over and over. It’s like I can’t get them out of my head. They have become my zenith of Neptune to bear the weight of sadness on my chest and tears of possibility on my brow. They have become my most unforgettable words that burn deep etching of simultaneous joy and pain into my being. These words have become my symbol, my sword and my fist of iron for every wakening day from this moment forward. I can speak with such impact with such certainty for my truth of invincible became shattered like tiny reindeer that got lost on the way. It was on a Thursday morning that everything that I believe became a new reckoning of what do I have to do in order to keep the spirit of what is my truth alive. A Thursday morn that forever what reason my life took a hard swerve when everything that seemed important wasn’t and everything that wasn’t important was.
It was on a Thursday morn when I heard about one of my heroes and trust me, I have very few heroes, was killed in a biking accident. His name was Joe. He looked like an ordinary guy, about 5’10”, wavy brown hair and about 140 lbs., if that. Joe was my hero, not because he was part owner in a pizza parlor, even though he was a 100 percent raw foodist; it wasn’t because he rode his bike faster than anyone should be able to after just taking up the sport a few months before his passing. It wasn’t because he was an expert in kick-boxing becoming so good that no one could beat him and he lost the desire to compete. It wasn’t because he was a teacher of qigong which is something I always dreamed of doing, it was because of all the things that Joe did. All these things that I wanted to do and could not find the time, except working in a pizza parlor, were my goals. I wanted to be just like Joe. He did it all. He was trying desperately to find his place in the sun so he wouldn’t have to continue working long hours in a pizza parlor. He did not believe that was his calling. He used his food skills to create one of the first raw food bars. I bought them and they sold and they sold well. He also created one of the first soft raw pizza dough’s. That too sold and it sold well. All these things Joe did well trying to figure out what path would lead him out of working in a pizza parlor. He became an investor of real estate properties as a way of escaping his dependency on making money from the selling of pizza. Joe wanted with all his heart and all his soul to be a 100 percent raw foodist. Joe wanted, with all his heart and all his soul, for his son to be a raw foodist. Joe wanted, with all his heart and all his soul, to be in that environment not only for himself and but for his son who he raised 100 percent raw without ever having even a tiny bit of cooked food in his system. Joe knew the truth about what we eat becomes a major influence on who we are.
It
is this in spirit that his wish becomes my chant. It is in this spirit that his
death becomes "there is no death". I remember his words. I remember
his actions. I remember what he did and I carry them within me. His goal was to
be a living testimony on what a raw food diet can do. There were no boundaries,
no limits and no restrictions. There were only possibilities. What Joe wanted is
what I want: To spread the truth of self empowerment, that we as a people have
to trust ourselves for who we are becomes our greatest strength and will give us
the most reward in finding that better way not only for ourselves but also for
our children. This is the way that Joe saw it to be. This is the way that Joe
led his life; just to be without all the trying of wanting to do the right
thing. His way became my promise to
Joe to share it in any way I can.
I
first meant Joe about 4 years ago. At that time he had just given up being a
weightlifter (don’t quote me on any particular fact). Joe, who up to that
point in his life evolved around weight lifting and showing off his physique,
heard about raw food from the most unlikely source. Joe read a book on Chinese
healing by Daniel Reid, The Longevity of Sex Health and Healing. This book
inspired Joe to go 100 percent raw. He felt he had no choice in the matter. He
wanted to do the right thing for his body. He wanted to do the right thing for
his weight lifting skills. He wanted to do the right thing so he could improve
his skills at kickboxing. He wanted to be in the right frame of mind so he could
be a better teacher in qigong. He wanted to eat the right food so he could be at
peace with not only himself and his wife but most importantly with his young
baby son.
It is in this spirit that I write of my hero. This is not a eulogy or some nice words that are said today and forgotten about tomorrow; these words are of my hero. I want to create a living memory in his name. This is of a spirit who I want to keep the very essence of his soul alive. I contemplate of his being. I contemplate of him coming into my store carrying his son and nobly stating that his son never ever ate any cooked food. I contemplate of his goal of moving to Philly and starting a new life. I think of him being a typical serious weight lifter; all 185 pounds reading the book by Daniel Reid and then going home telling his wife he will never eat cooked food again. Joe kept his promise and promptly followed thru losing 70 pounds in six months. Joe went from 185 to 115 on his solitary belief that raw is the way and the only way to eat your food.
I think of his beliefs and I think of mine. I think of him being killed and moving on to a different world I think of me and I think of how much I was influenced by his straight forwardness and his ability to do whatever it took to follow his truth. I take his words, I take his actions and I too want to continue in that spirit. I am of a living memory of a path that will help spread the word.
I place the spirit of Joe on my shoulder as I forge ahead. There is no death, just a passing on. I move forward with that spirit. The words are becoming hard to express. I know what I want to do in order to keep his spirit alive. I know what a raw diet lifestyle has done for me. I know what it has done for hundreds of my customers. I know that these words have to be shared. I know that a movie describing all these stories of reversing disease in Joe’s honor, in Joe’s memory will make Joe happy.
Arnold’s Way will do what it takes to begin making movies, available in DVD, about ordinary people who changed their lifestyle and healed themselves without the drugs, without surgery and without the medical establishment saying there is no hope, if these things aren’t done. Joe would have liked that. He was 100 percent all raw all the time even though he worked in a pizza parlor. As I contemplate Joe, I envision what more could I do. His vision becomes like a large footprint stamped into my being. His words of what else is necessary get pounded into my being. What I want to do is show the simplicity of how easy it is to grow greens; how easy it is to eat raw; and how easy it can be done. So I am thinking of setting up a mini green house in my store and showing all the Joes that if you can dream it, it can become a reality. I have contracted an engineer to build a living green house in my store. It should be made so simple that any one can do it. This too becomes my homage to Joe; to share the wealth that dreams can become reality and that reality can become the backbone of a town, a county and a country. These are my thoughts of Joe on how much he inspired me to complete his vision of living in a raw society where he can sell pizza made only from fruits and vegetables. I think of other people like Joe who want to rid themselves of the old and bring in the new.
Two people, from two different parts of the United States, have approached me and want my help to spread the word of raw food and its benefits. I think of them, I think of Joe and I have no choice but to be of service to them or anyone else who wants to use my secrets in creating a successful raw food establishment. I owe it to Joe. I owe it to our legacy. I owe it to our children’s legacy that they could live in peace without fear of disease.
Do we as a people, as a country want to continue living in this world of continual fear? Do we as a nation want to live in a world of greed, war and boxes of containment of our freedom to be free? Are we willing to give up everything, to do the things we believe? Are we willing to lose almost half of our weight just because it is the right thing to do? Are we willing to raise our children in a pristine environment without ever having a bite of cooked food even though everyone around says it is wrong? Joe did. This is the reason he is my hero. This is the reason why I feel blessed and honored that I can carry on his spirit. See you in the next lifetime.
Your
friend, Arnold