An Examined Life is Worth Living
Unless you’re a history buff, you probably have heard of Socrates in school, but you may not remember a lot about him. Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher who became well-known for his influence on values and ethics. He didn’t write any texts himself, but rather, his words are known through his student Plato’s dialogues. He is most famous for his declaration, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” (I also love his quote, “I know that I know nothing”, which speaks to ignorance over false certainty). The unexamined life quote, of which I chose to make a fun twist for the title of this article, resonates with how one takes personal inventory, and creates meaningful existence through introspection and active engagement with oneself, rather than merely going through the motions of life. It also serves as a call to take responsibility, live intentionally, and to practice reflection as a foundation for personal growth. All things that I am really trying hard to make a go of to better my understanding and experience of life.
In 2024, two powerhouse women transitioned from their earthly lives to the spirit world, a month apart, and it is these two women who I wish to honor here. I stumbled upon them through their books, interviews, and videos very close together during a time of my own personal transformation and am very grateful for their contribution to my soul’s learning. And both these women are stellar examples of having lived an examined life that was worth living.
Dr. Gladys McGarey, often referred to as the Mother of Holistic Medicine, became well-known after publishing The Well-Lived Life, a book that explores keys to health and happiness at every age. And she should know, because she was 102 when she wrote it. Being brought up in the world of medicine and holistic healing in India, and after a chance encounter with Mahatma Gandhi, she was influenced to continue her family’s path in her own way. She continued practicing medicine into her 100s while writing her now famous book. It wasn’t a life without challenges….
Gladys was a mom of 6 kids and a wife of 46 years when her husband announced one day in the form of a letter that he had already given their kids, that he was leaving her for another woman at age 70, which devastated but also liberated her. According to Gladys this ushered in a whole new era and served as a pivotal turn that allowed her to thrive. She was also a cancer survivor and endured the death of a daughter. She traveled around the world, introducing new healthy concepts of living. One such example was a stint in Afghanistan to teach safer birthing practices to young women.
Dr. Gladys seemed to touch everyone she met. Not only was she a wealth of knowledge about disease and wellness, she understood that our bodies consist of more than one body–we’re not just physical creatures. We have mental, emotional, spiritual, and social bodies that deserve equal attention and care. She understood the human spirit self with all its pains, heartbreaks, and joys….
“To be truly alive, we must find the life force within ourselves and direct our energy toward it.”
“All life needs to move. Life itself is always in movement, so aligning with our life force means that we must always look for the flow within us.”
“Finding movement also includes forgiving ourselves for what we did not know or did not do better in the past.”
“Love is the most powerful medicine. Our life force is activated by love.”
“Healing is never impossible. It’s always a good time to make a change. This is why when patients come to me with a concern that they’re too old, I wave their concern away. ‘No one is too old,’ I say. I figure that at my age, I’ve earned the right to say it.”
Towards the end of her life, Dr. Gladys formulated a 10-year plan to create a village for living medicine where people could “come together to practice wellness.” I hope that someone or several someones will carry this torch forward and keep her dream alive. Gladys left this world on September 28, 2024 at 103 years young.
Terry Cole-Whitaker was an author, minister, and inspirational speaker, who found herself consistently drawn to the potentiality of life. Having a melting pot of experiences, she was a national runner-up in the Miss America Pageant in 1968, won recipe contests, and earned a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1973. At one time, she had a congregational following of over 4,000 people at her weekly services, which were televised. After leaving the ministry, she traveled extensively to expand her spiritual knowledge. She later built a retreat center and became an organic farmer. All the while, writing several bestsellers on prosperity, positive living, and spiritual foundations. My personal favorite title being Every Saint Has a Past, Every Sinner a Future.
When she bid farewell to her devoted followers in the ministry, she said, “I no longer want to be a television evangelist. I want to be myself.” She admitted she lacked the business and money skill-set required for maintaining financial success and she didn’t want to keep playing the game anyway, stating, “It became clear that if I wanted to play the game of religion, I had to prove that my way was better than everyone else’s…and that’s not for me.” She was regularly hit with criticism from the more conservative, mainstream sects, and upon being asked if she would reenter the stage in the future, she replied, “No, you won’t see me spouting any religious dogma or doctrine trying to enroll anyone in my path to truth.”
She was no-holds barred, radiant, and beautifully lit up from the inside out. She was highly passionate and intense, and her life’s purpose was to spread the message of Love and Divinity of All…
“We are the bliss of life, for this is our divine nature, the nature of every soul.”
“The moment we realize we have caused another distress because of an unkind remark, a misguided unkind action, or anything that we have done to hurt someone on purpose, it’s best to understand the mistake, ask forgiveness, and make amends as quickly as possible. Then let it go and move on.”
“The fundamental metaphysical teachings of Eastern mysticism and the teachings of Jesus tell us that we are spiritual beings of limitless potential, and though we have bodies and minds, we are not these limited bodies or minds.”
Terry left her physical body on October 23, 2024 at the age of 84 years young. Exactly one month prior in September of that year, I was literally standing in the same beautiful lake as Terry, where she filmed many of her YouTube videos on Mt. Shasta, located in northern California. After returning home from that trip, the spiritual seeker and nature lover that I am discovered her videos, or rather they popped up in my social media thread, and I was immediately captivated by her words and her spirit, and also stunned that I was just there at Mt. Shasta. I resonated so much with Terry and easily identified with her personality and her intensity. At 84 she wasn’t afraid to show strong emotions on camera, as she often clutched her note cards, barefoot on land and in water, and spoke directly from her heart about topics very near and dear to my own heart. She was doing what I wanted to do, with the assistance of her videographer friend, Michael. Her videos were never edited or glossy. Just pure honesty and to the point.
After having found her for only a couple of weeks and subscribing to her channel, I watched a video from her friend Michael informing her subscribers that she had passed. Thankfully, Michael has kept her channel up on YouTube for now, playing a rotation of her messages over the years. I will still comment, give the ‘Thumbs Up’, and send Terry my appreciation for her presence in this world.
Whether you are 25 or 55, or even 84 or 103….it is never too late to take personal inventory of your life, which is exactly what Gladys McGarey and Terry Cole-Whitaker did. Gladys decided to recommit to her life’s purpose by being herself and following her pursuits after age 70, and she continued to create, love, and serve to the end. Terry decided to walk away from a successful empire and embrace her true self, all the while continuing to be a spiritual seeker and a symbol of reminding people of their eternal essence until the end.
After all…. An Examined Life is Worth Living! ☺️
Til next we meet in the forest….
Love,
Amanda♥️
