THE BOSS OF BOGOR: PHILOSOPHY OF A HUMBLE INDONESIAN

PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMBLE MAN OF BOGOR

He runs a company, which employs 150 people. He has to travel a lot to USA, Europe, SE Asia, which keeps him away from his beloved Bogor and family, but it is for his business.

He is very interested in his own health and tries to lead a Healthy Lifestyle.

: Jogging on a regular basis

: Eating only healthy foods and natural foods

: Possesses a philosophical attitude towards life, which to me resembles universality, and in the Asian context it is much like the MITTA of the Burmese Buddhism.

His humble nature was the reason for my visit, an excellent one, to Indonesia. But his concern for others is remarkably unique and resembles the philosophy of the American Indians:

-      Be grateful for what you have and don't be unhappy about things you don't have

-      Personal sacrifice for the welfare of others

During my two days stay with him, many of his employees spent their time listening to me, so did he. He reinforced some of the philosophical points I was discussing, in context of land and culture.

“I am much more interested in their interactions, rather than their productivity. If I set the goals, then they would be striving to meet it, they will be under duress, I know that stress causes heart attacks and strokes, so it is better they are healthy and do the best they can”

How often do you find a boss like that? In Europe? In the USA? In Asia? Rare indeed!

I talked to the staff about prevention of diseases and most importantly about Nutrition. Western style Fast Food is slowly making inroads into the Indonesian Panorama, such guilty ones as KFC, MCDO, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts, Domino’s Pizza… they are partially responsible for the ill health of the Americans, but why bother Indonesians? I always wondered why the Yanks export the worst of their characteristics and not their wonderful characteristics of Generosity and Hospitality to the world?

The day I was in Bogor, 13 of the staff had done a 10 K run, meeting at 0630 hours… and the fact many of those were listening to me during the day. Obviously the Boss lives by his word; takes care of their minds and their bodies.

He gives them Freedom from Outside and they provide their own discipline.

Something I hope the bosses in Malaysia and Singapore take into consideration…. to reduce the stress of their workers.

I was able to check 8 of his staff and all of them would pass any strict Physical Examination by a Doctor! On my next visit, I would like to do a more thorough Physical Examination and also find a way to check their

Cholesterol

HbA1c, for diabetes and pre diabetes

CRP for underlying inflammation and heart health

On many of his employees, not just those who spent the day with me.

I was surprised to learn that many of the employees were also ardent cyclists, a sport which is catching on in Indonesia, especially considering the hilly terrain. Mr W the Latin looking young man who picked me up at the Airport said he cycled around 28 km per day.

A good Leader, leads by example, he is at the front of the battle and not sitting in his office, giving orders, so I checked him

BP 105/65  Heart Rate 64/min

So we decided that this would be the Gold Standard for the employees of AsiaProtein, they can be content if they would maintain their BP both systolic and diastolic) and HR within 10 points of their BOSS!

For Knowledge to be Knowledge, it has to be communicated. Our plan is to select 10 volunteer staff who over the course of time (and possibly one week session conducted by me in the future) will increase their own knowledge of the body, society and culture.

As they become knowledgeable, they will be looking after and educating the other 140 employees and their families. We hope that in the course of one year, we will have a Healthy family of workers at Bogor.

This kind of Health Education (especially the philosophy of the Boss) is rare in any country in the world and I am so glad it is happening in Bogor, Indonesia. May it impress other managerial staff to adopt such measures?

BHUTAN, a Himalayan Kingdom, long ago gave up measuring Gross Domestic Product as an Indicator of Wealth; instead they measure Gross Domestic Happiness… Many other countries including UK are following suit: realizing that Happiness of the workers is important

I think my friend Mr J whom I met while I was visiting North American Indians in Nebraska, on a flight from Omaha to Los Angeles, nine weeks ago, has already incorporated Gross Domestic Happiness into running of his company.

I am so glad to be part of it all

Teremah Kaseh..

OPTIMISM IS A KEY FACTOR IN HEALTH

Next week, I hope to be present at the International Centre for Neurological Restoration in La Habana, Cuba when three American Indian patients suffering from various degrees of Neurological damage will be admitted for assessment and treatment. I have great confidence in CIREN as we know the institution and also the mexican doctor who also will be there, along with a relative of the patients.
Imagine my happiness when I read in todays news about an interview with Michael Fox, himself suffering from a Neuro degenerative Disease, Parkinson's, who wanted to look beyond the Stem Cell Therapy as the sole answer for his problem. His Fox Foundation is truly helping those suffering from Parkinson's Disease.
Some thing he said during the interview caught my attention.

 Fox said that each morning he is uncertain exactly how his symptoms will affect him that day. Some mornings he can delay taking his first dose of medicine for a few hours, other days he expects a greater challenge.

 "I don’t write off the day ahead of time because of that, it just means it’s going to be tougher sledding,” he said.Having struggled with the disease for years himself, Fox understands its devastating effects and the physical challenges it presents.

He said it was an abiding sense of optimism, a topic on which he has written two books, that allows him to carry on, even on the most difficult days. In 2009, he travelled to the Asian country Bhutan, which emphasizes happiness over productivity, and said he found his symptoms diminished there.

It is a remainder for those, doctors and otherwise, who believe that only pharmaceutical management is possible for chronic illnesses. The Patient felt better in a country which stresses Happiness among its people, rather than happiness of the individual.

I wish Mr Fox all the best and his optimism is indeed uplifting...

http://www.ciren.cu/I-home.htm

Bhutan...

Breakfast in Indonesia; Lunch in Malaysia and Dinner in Cambodia: Thank you Tony Fernandes, an Indian from Kuala Lumpur

BREAKFAST AT YOGYA

LUNCH         AT KUALA LUMPUR

DINNER        AT PHNOM PENH

YOU CAN, THANKS TO TONY FERNANDES AND AIR ASIA

The breakfast was sumptuous indeed! An omelette and a variety of Indo dishes to taste. The strong Sumatran coffee becomes sweeter with the addition of Hot Milk and Gulah Merah (brown sugar). A local herbal concoction of tamarind, cucumbers drink to settle the stomach down.

My friends in Bogor at Joe Travels had organized the transfer. A shiny black sedan appears and within 20 minutes we are at the confusion, they call International Airport of Jogja. They truly have to streamline it a bit. Air Asia is bringing in more passengers than all the other carriers. Flight from KUL was full; the flight to KUL was full! The waiting room can only handle one flight at a time, confusion at the Immigration line as it snakes out of the entrance and people scrambling for the few seats inside the waiting lounge with no amenities whatsoever.  100 K IDR to be paid as departure tax in cash, so I have go out of the security area, find an ATM machine to take out some money, back through the security.

Seat 1F, Joe Travels had organized that for me, wrote postcards all the way to KUL so that I can post them at the airport with the 50 cent Malaysian stamps that I have. I didn't feel good arriving at KUL. After Indonesia, Malaysia appears akin to Singapore in its friendliness. Long lines of Indonesians, poor souls, trying to better their lives, by becoming slaves in Malaysia.

I found the Information booth, which was hidden amidst the cacophony and WCs.

I asked where could I get some Teh Tahrek?

Always ask an Indian; you have a better chance of a reply.

I arrive at a coolie resto- made me feel warm at heart.

Roti Canai plate 12 MYR   $4usd

Teh Tahrek            5 MYR   $1.75 usd

Delicious!

Thought of a recent trip to Malacca and the hotel Puri and the incredible Chinese hostess, who is also the curator of the Cheng Ho Museum. A tinge of nostalgia. Malaysia no longer holds that strong attraction to me, such things happen and one has to accept that… there are other lovelier countries in the ASEAN..

A short flight to Phnom Penh. On Air Asia. Seat 6 C. No one sitting on the row. What was disturbing to observe was a gaggle of young Khmer women, all clad in Malay Moslem costume, head to toe, returning home after indoctrinating courses in Malaysia! Their smiles and giggle, despite their prison type uniform, set them apart! Shame on you, Malaysia. For exporting this destruction of human spirit.

My Khmer friends in Phnom Penh insisted that we walk from the Le Rit’s Boutique Hotel to the riverfront through the active noises of a dusk time in Phnom Penh.

A soothing river cruise as the full moon was lighting up the sky, ripples of its reflection waving to us as the boats pass this part of Mekong River. After that relaxed boat trip, face massaged by that strange mix of warm/cool wind of the tropics –to a newly opened Khmer Resto my friends had selected

Fish Amok

Seafood salad with pepper from Kampot

Good pepper comes from that province, they said

Three entirely different cultures;

But there is an underlying unity.

Hindu and Buddhist influences on the three native cultures of INDO/MALAY/KHMER!

All came from South India and Tanjore, which was the centre of Buddhist learning once upon a time.

Tibet, Mongolia, Malayas, wherever India had preached her wisdom, had been through genuine human relations. To-day my pilgrimage is to witness those historical evidences of man’s holy access everywhere. Also to note is, that India of yore did not preach some cut and dried sermons, but inaugurated the inner treasure of man through architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature, stamps of which remain in the deserts, woods, rocks, isles, rugged terrain and difficult resolves………”. [Java diary, July 1927] Rabindranath Tagore..

An excerpt in Bengali below:

Sagar jale sinan kori sajala elo chule

bashiachhile upala-upakule.

Shithila peetabash

matir pare kutilarekha lutilo charipash.

Nirabaran bakshe taba, nirabharan dehe

chikan sona-likhan usha ankia dilo snehe.

Makarachura mukutkhani pori lalatpare

dhanukbaan dhori dakhin kare

danranu raj-beshi

Kahinu “ami eshechhi pardeshi”

DO JOGGERS LIVE A LONGER HAPPIER LIFE?

IS JOGGING GOOD FOR YOU?

I remember visiting a group of Indians who lived along the Canon del Cobre or Copper Canyon who called themselves, Ra Ra Mu Ri. Meaning the Running People. With the help of my good friends, Dr Ian Berger and Dr Kavita Mistry, we were able to get some physical measurements on them. It was not surprising that NOT A SINGLE man or woman was overweight and in fact, none of them even reached the “normal” weight by the western standards.  True to their name, they run up and down the ravines and during one festival they may run up to 200-300 km in one week. Needless to say, the chronic diseases of western civilization, Diabetes, Hypertension and High Cholesterol were unheard of among the Running People of Copper Canyon.

One of things that I learned from my Raja Yoga Instructions in KL was that whatever you decide to do, you must do it consistently, whether it is Yoga, Meditation or Jogging…

On a recent visit to Bogor, one morning at 0630, thirteen employees of AsiaProtein were gathered to do a 10 km jog and I learned that many of the employees were regulars at the track that winds itself through some wonderful scenery in the shadow of Salak Mountain.

So it is to them, I want to send this information.

Jogging, if done on a regular basis, adds years to your life, says a study conducted over 35 years in Denmark. This study had begun in 1976 and had followed a very large number of men and women over the course of the years. The convincing finding, regardless of age or gender, was that the joggers did not drop off to the cemeteries as they aged. There were much fewer deaths among the Joggers, even among those who jogged only once a week! The overall sense of well-being was much higher among the Joggers as well.

I wanted to convey this information to my friend, Mr J in Bogor. I have never jogged in my life but this article and meeting with Mr J had sparked my interest, which happened within days of each other.

When I mentioned this to Mr J, he immediately wrote back, as is his custom:

What kind of shoes do we have to choose? Please try to find ASICS store in Paris, then ask their advise with your leg format, since every people has their own bottom shape of leg, and ASICS has every type of it. You also have to ask them to get the GEL one, since it will make less impact to our knees during jogging.

Please try to walk in the first week, then try to do jogging at lower pace for the week after, until the body is get used with the activity.

If you already make it regularly, then we can start to make a progress by running on interval basis, which means sprint for 10 seconds, and run normal pace and sprint again and normal pace again for ten times. Once you make it daily, it is like drugs, which will addict to our body for daily run.

Good luck to try it and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions, as I do contact you for other issues

Thank you…

What else can we learn from our Mexican Indian friends, the Ra Ra Mu Ri…?

This is the lesson I learned:

If you eat like Americans, you will begin to look like Americans!

 (OBESITY...it has one of the highest rates of Overweight and Obesity in the WORLD.. have you ever wondered why English Speaking People are FATTER than the French, Spanish, Portugese and Italian Speaking People? Is it arrogance? is it the Protestant Religion? I dont know..)

Some one had the bright idea of bringing this canyon dwelling Indians to Phoenix, Arizona and give them American Food. On their fourth day on this diet, their cholesterol went up and never came down during their stay in the USA. At the end of just four weeks, they had put on nearly 4 kg or 8 lbs. in weight. It is a lot considering that they are very lean and muscular people on the average weighing only about 110-120 lbs. (50-55 kg)!

 LDL bad cholesterol HDL good cholesterol TG Triglycerides an indicator that something has gone wrong with your insulin metabolism

THEY DONT CARE ABOUT OUR HEALTH..SO WE SHOULD

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR HEALTH, DO THEY?

AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR FIDELITY INVESTMENTS.

An advertisement for Fidelity boasts that their managers will find worldwide opportunities fro you to invest: such as SALMON that grows fast! Synthetic Biology.

Do they want to know what these aqua “farmers” FEED their Salmon so that that they can grow up FAST without any of the benefits of the naturally growing Salmon full of heart healthy Omega 3 oils?

Of course these cultivated salmon would end up in your plate QUICKLY, most of the times recommended by your local nutrition advisors and Family Physicians…

You will invest in Salmon Fattening, Fidelity will make their money, their managers and you will eat that expensive synthetic salmon at an expensive restaurant, and be one step closer to your heart attack (from the chemicals that made your tasty salmon so FAT so quickly!). And you would be closer to the cemetery.

Go ahead, call the 1 800… number for Fidelity.