Walking around the Earth is an extreme physical challenge: the back, the shoulders, the feet are working hard, but there’s strain on the insides as well. To move around you need energy, to burn calories you need oxygene; everything is involved, lungs, heart, digestive system. You can prepare yourself for these difficulties.
But there are others that can catch you unawared: physical problems, illnesses that cannot always be avoided. Diarrhea, cold, tooth-ache. Ferenc tells us his story.
by FERENC IVANICS
Teeth: I think they are the most prominent examples for the Buddhist teaching: life is suffering. Modern medical science would probably explain my situation through genetics: the teeth of my mother and father were ruined by their thirties. I’m 32 now, so my tooth-trouble is not unexpected. The strange thing is, my brother—who’s only 27, though—does not have similar problems. I rather concur with Jung and say that the decaying teeth are signs of spiritual problems. My great problem is cowardice: I don’t dare to bite. Although my sense of justice or conscience many times demand me to make a stand, to engage in a fight, I rather retreat, run away, keep my opinion to myself. And someone who does not bite does not need teeth, does he?
But he does... Why? First: you need to eat. If you cross the Sahara desert on feet you need to eat a lot, and a lot of nutritious food. Camel stew is OK. A strong, heavy meal... But the weak are likely to loose their teeth struggling with it. That was my case in El Aaiun, my right-central incisor just broke out. Then I realized we need our teeth for something else, too: to be able to smile. In the western cultures an incomplete denture is often considered to be a sign of sanitary problems. And since you have a straight heart, straight intentions, you have to be (and seem) clean as well. I haven’t had the courage to smile for months, and always thought twice before saying anything, due to the distorted V’s, S’s and F’s. I was sounding like Sylvester, the cat.
In El Aaiun I could have had my tooth fixed for some 50 euros. Anyways, we didn’t have that money. Not for my tooth, not for other things. We had spent all of it on food and equipment; we needed to survive the desert, that was our most important goal. On the other hand, I just mentioned that I am a coward. I didn’t trust the dentist’s offices there, so much different from what we are used to in Europe. My distrust increased seeing goats taking a peek inside the small, filthy kitchens (called dentist’s offices). But here, in Spain I couldn’t delay the inevitable: I went to see a dentist. We need to be prepared for the USA stage, be prepared in all the aspects, in the financial, spiritual and physical sense as well. We will meet many people, we have to chat with them, I needed that whole denture.
And if you don’t have an insurance, you have to pay the price. And since our budget was still not at its highest, I started to bargain. I know it’s not a common practice here, but I was lucky, the dentist grasped our situation and made me an offer: he fixed two of my teeth for a price of one, and put on a dental crown for 130 euros. That was too good to pass up, our friends and family pooled the money (for the lst time, we know :). And the result is just perfect, but I know, until I cannot solve my inner problems, I cannot trust my teeth.
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