Why Did Macrobiotic Teachers Die Prematurely Of Cancer And Other Ilnesses?

Examining The Contradictions Of A Movement

Some Of The Many Macrobiotic Teachers And Friends Who Passed Away By Cancer Or Other Illness

This article is an attempt to address the question and contradiction as to why several leading macrobiotic teachers died of diseases they wrote about and guided many others to recover from.

What Is The Real Question About Their Deaths?

People who look at macrobiotic teachers dying of cancer and other diseases will focus on how and why they became sick, as if such individuals should never get sick. It is understandable as many who benefitted from their teachings and guidance have lived lives relatively free of disease, including myself. But anyone who knew them personally knows that they didn’t always do what they suggested others to do. Some smoked, drank coffee, alcohol, and they all ate out at restaurants, often indulging in foods that were considered extreme by macrobiotic standards.

Under any other situation their illness and deaths would be considered commonplace but not for these individuals who promoted a way of life that promised health and peace. Not only that, these individuals helped many thousands recover from illnesses including the very same illness they had. So why were they not able to change themselves when they seem to have the knowledge to do so?

We Forgive The Innocent But Not Them

We can forgive those who die from illness who are ignorant of their own bodies and ignorant of the impact foods can make. They are innocent victims and we mourn their loss. We can even forgive physicians who are not fully aware of the impacts of diet and lifestyle (they are becoming increasingly rare these days) for not being able to heal themselves and dying. Of course, many do get better through medical intervention yet many don’t. But that fact doesn’t make us critical of their ideologies, personal habits and addictions. (Perhaps we should be so critical). No, we forgive these physicians and see them as one of us.

Why do we put macrobiotic teachers in a different category than everyone else? We scrutinize their every actions and choices down to every last minute detail. We seem to have lost our sense of objectivity when looking at their deaths by illness. Some critics seem to even revel at over analyzing their demise with glee. They smoked. They gave excuses for smoking. They ate out and lived a hypocritical life of “do as I say and not as I do” (when really - at least for Michio and Ohsawa it was always “don’t do as I say nor do as I do but find out for yourself”). They were cult leaders who taught a flawed philosophy and way of life. The criticisms are endless.

At the same time, many who did recover with macrobiotic teachings, though they don’t agree with the critics, also might be puzzled, yet are grateful and forgiving and see those teachers simply as one of us. They don’t question the teachings because their own life experiences are living proof that they work. They are grateful. And yet, the very fact that they did recover from serious illness with macrobiotics only enhances the contradiction of why these teachers died.

So the real question is: How could those macrobiotic teachers help so many but not themselves? It isn’t about why macrobiotic teachers became sick, but is about why they didn’t get better.

Why didn’t they recover from their illnesses?

The first thing that critics will point to and question and conclude is that Macrobiotics teachings themselves are wrong. They will condemn the teachings as deficient or completely wrong. Many will say it is/was a cult and some will even go to the extremes and say that the leaders were misleading the people to exploit them, which is not true, by the way.

It seems that the controversial cancer deaths of these teachers is an opportunity for some to point out everything they think is wrong about macrobiotics which they’ve been harboring for many years. It was their incorrect interpretation of yin and yang. It was the rigid diet. It was their smoking and other addictions. It was not admitting they had addictions. It was not walking their own talk and more.

However, if we are seriously interested in discovering a solution to this question then it would help to set aside our own personal biases and look at the problem objectively without any hint of righteous agenda of, “I was right all along and they were wrong!’

The Unwillingness Or Inability To Change

What these macrobiotic teachers consumed and that they enjoyed their indulgences and addictions can largely explain why they became sick and the type of illnesses they had. But it doesn’t explain why they didn’t or couldn’t change themselves. Why they didn’t change has nothing to do with what they consumed. It has nothing to do with the philosophy itself as many did recover by their guidance.

The question is why do people knowingly continue to do things to the detriment of their own health. It is not ignorance. People are aware of the potential harm and damage they are doing to themselves. So why don’t they change?

There Is Something Else They Value More Than Change

People do not change because there is something else they value that is of far greater importance to them that they are not willing to give up and would rather suffer and die than change. This situation is not unique to macrobiotic teachers and applies to most all people who die of chronic diseases like cancer. Not coincidently, why people choose not to make life-altering changes in their lives is often the very same reason why other people pursue life-altering changes that make themselves healthier and recover from disease. What could they value more than their own lives?

People Value Love More Than Life

It is their emotional attachments to the people they love. It is the attachments they have to their own emotional identities and the roles they are to love and be loved. It is believing that making any drastic change in their life would mean giving up the love they have in their lives. Their unwillingness to change is their sacrifice for the ones they love. They don’t change and would rather suffer and die than give up that love.

Why do people join and follow a religion or community or group? It isn’t because they want to be blindly indoctrinated. It is because of an emotional bond and attachment or a love for someone or an experience that was so emotionally satisfying that they are willing to ignore and dismiss all else. They do it for love and emotional nourishment and satisfaction. If there is an addiction then it is an addiction to that. (Not coincidently, not having emotional satisfaction leads to addictions to actual substances).

Our Emotional Needs Govern Us

Barring ignorance, people don’t change and they die prematurely from certain chronic diseases because their life choices are dictated by their emotions. Macrobiotic teachers are not exempt from these emotional influences.

Many are upset at Michio because he did not set up his life to emotionally address and cater to his followers. His teaching style was one way with little engagement from others. He influenced many but no one could influence him. They were vulnerable to him yet he was not vulnerable to them. People loved what he was saying and found emotional bonds among their peers (fellow students). But when people wanted to give back and emotionally connect with him they were dismissed by him.

He sharply divided his life between his public persona and a guarded private life and never let them mix. This frustrated many who expected and wanted a reciprocal relationship with him. Anger and trauma naturally ensued. Whatever acknowledgement and love they wanted but never received from him turned into blame, criticism and accusations and traumas that continue on to this day, ten years after his passing.

The Macrobiotic Movement Was/Is An Emotional Movement

The macrobiotic movement was an emotional movement, like all religions are, yet was not emotionally satisfying to many.

The frustrations, criticisms and accusations clearly shows how deeply emotional the entire macrobiotic movement was. There was so much love, devotion and emotional bonding as well as fear, rejection, frustration, anger and despair. There were tears of joy, tears of sadness and loss and tears of gratitude.

The loss of the macrobiotic community and its aftermath is like the story of a passionate loving marriage that went through a bitter divorce and then was followed quickly by the sudden death of one of the ex-spouses. One was not able to resolve emotional issues and express frustrations and upset in order to eventually find that original love again and now with their passing it will never be done. It is an empty feeling of anguish and despair. It is the loss of a profound love mixed with deep gratitude and sadness. It’s as if someone ripped out your heart and never gave it back. There is anger and love at the same time.

Love Is Why People Don’t Change. Love Is Why People Do Change.

Most everyone lives by their emotions and macrobiotic teachers were/are not exempt. They didn’t change because their love and attachments and emotional identities were more important to them than change.

When I read comments about the illnesses and deaths of these teachers I see love. It comes out as appreciations and gratitude and also as criticisms, frustrations, anger, bitterness, rejection, accusations, over-analysis, justifications, righteousness and condemnations. It is all there - a boiling stew of intense emotions all fueled by one fire - a burning love.

Love is why people don’t change and love is why people do change. What sickness they manifest and how they recover all depends on what they choose to put into their bodies which is different for everyone but the motivations are the same. Most everyone does it for love.

The amount to therapy needed to work through all the trauma of unmet emotional needs in this world is beyond imagination because it afflicts everyone and is the motivation for why wars and killings happen.

What should we do? Perhaps we should simply fall in love again and maybe this time remember to keep on loving even and especially when everything changes including each other and ourselves.