Could a ‘Strange’ Doctor Provide Insight on How to Deal with Pandemics of the Future?

This past weekend my wife and I watched the popular Marvel movie Dr. Strange. I have seen this movie a few times before, however, this was the first time watching it in the midst of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic. While watching, I found it interesting to see several similarities between Dr. Steven Strange and the current global societies Modern Medical Systems.

In the movie, Dr. Stephen Strange starts out portraying a highly arrogant, yet extremely skilled neurosurgeon, at the top of his field. Suddenly he endures a horrific car accident that resulted in severe nerve damage to his hands. Stephen draws on all of his medical intellect & knowledge, fellow experts & experimental surgeries, yet he is unable to come up with any solution capable of healing and repairing the damage. During a rehabilitation session, Strange learns of a former paraplegic, who had sustained more severe nerve damage, and mysteriously regained mobility in his legs. The paraplegic informs Strange of a secret compound Kamar-Taj and he begins a journey across the world to find the compound and the answers he seeks. Upon finding the compound Dr. Strange soon discovers worlds and planes of reality beyond his current ‘ego-driven’ intellect, and is then sent on a mind-bending roller-coaster ride through the astral plane. Following his astral journey, then and only then, does Stephen Strange begin to let down his pride, and begin to learn and become a student of the mystical arts.

Let's look at the current global societies Modern ‘Westernized’ Medical System, often seen now as the pinnacle of scientific & technological achievement. Modern doctors amazingly can keep individuals alive longer than ever before, thanks to state of the art technology and equipment. In many ways Modern Medicine is seen as ‘the solution/the fix’ for those becoming sick or ill.

Feel sick, visit a doctor (just prior to the pandemic when most clinics were still open), and you are provided a pill. A body part stops working the way it is supposed to, and we can now perform a surgical procedure and provide you with a replacement. Individuals under the Modern Medical System, with the exception of annual physicals or check-ups, tend to only see their physicians when they are sick, ill, or injured. The doctor then provides ‘the cure’, and then is applauded as the one who has done the healing. The Global Modern Medical – Body as a Machine Model subscribes that when the body breaks down we can fix it. And things often go smoothly until that point when nature suddenly throws Modern Medicine a microscopic curveball, enter COVID-19 stage left.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an infectious virus that is spreading rapidly across our planet as I write this. Some people contracting coronavirus have luckily already recovered, however for some, contracting the virus is proving to be fatal, especially older populations, smokers, and those with underlying medical conditions. Our modern medical system has now been shown on a global scale as being overwhelmed and incapable of dealing with the mass numbers of people that would need to access the system if we were to maintain our daily life as normal.

Social distancing, lock-downs, quarantine, business and school closures, economic fallout as never before seen, has become current reality, and all due to a microscopic speck containing genetic information that requires a living host in order to survive and replicate. As with Dr. Steven Strange being no longer capable of operating with nerve-damaged hands, our global society has become no longer able to effectively operate, travel, and now direct human-human contact, a simple handshake or hug, has ceased until further notice. Is this the answer? Is this in anyway remotely sustainable?

Perhaps as global societies, we need to begin looking for our own Kamar-Taj. Perhaps we need to journey forth into realms of the mysterious. Perhaps we need to trust, listen, and become aware of the cellular intelligence contained within our own bodies. Perhaps we need to look at new models of health that include things that are mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually fulfilling. Perhaps we need to be open and accepting to embracing the mind-body connection, the spirit-body connection, and the soul-body connection. Perhaps what we need most is to drop intellectual egos, let go of pride & arrogance, become consciously aware of inputs chosen, to empty those cups that are already ‘full’, and stop looking at life through a keyhole.

Copyright 2020 Wesley Paterson