Tree of health survey results encouraging
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At a recent women’s health fair, and even more recent men’s health fair, our group, the Baha’is of the Flathead Reservation, conducted a survey on creating a healthy community. We wanted to speak to the hearts of the participants, learn about their priorities, and provide them with an opportunity to share their ideas and concerns. The theme of our booth was demonstrated by a large and colorful Tree of Whole Health with physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional roots and branches, leaves and fruits.
We collected 367 responses from participants who were willing to take the time to answer two thought-provoking questions. The majority of the respondents were Native American women of all ages, although we had a good intermixture of men, and other racial groups. The results were illuminating and encouraging, confirming and informing.
The first question consisted of a checklist of attitudes and activities that support both personal and community health, as demonstrated on the Tree of Health. We asked our respondents to choose their top five “fruits” for “growing” a healthy community, from a list of 26 options. There were also blank lines provided for writing in answers that were not listed.
Family topped the results, followed closely by Love, Respect, Kindness, Friendship, Prayer, Laughter and Forgiveness. Next in the tally were Happiness, Joy, Peace, Communication, Exercise and Music. What a beautiful prescription for health on all levels.
Several people said they could not choose just five, and checked every single option. Certainly choosing just five was a difficult task and many people thought over their answers for several minutes, making our booth a small island of quiet concentration amid the sensory overload of the bustling health fairs.
There were many folks who used the write-in spaces to suggest other great ideas for creating health, including more fruits of true spirituality such as Trust, Devotion, Honesty, Patience, Fortitude, Sharing and Sobriety. They also listed many excellent ideas for needed community infrastructure and activities, such as treatment and rehab centers, healthy food stores, walking paths, and activities for youth and children.
For the second question, we asked people to turn their survey sheet over and write the top five things that they believe are causing disease and poor health in our families and in the community.
Leading this tally by a factor of at least ten over any other concern were the abuse of drugs and alcohol, and the associated problems in the community including suicide, loneliness and isolation, abuse of others, violence and crime, family strife and disunity, and depression. Other frequently mentioned problems, which are undoubtedly also organically intertwined with the addiction-related ones above, were racism and segregation in our community, poor communication, lack of respect, gossip and backbiting, inadequate nutrition, poverty, and limited activities for children and youth.
In conclusion, the survey results were very encouraging. In this testing time of hurtful divisiveness, pervasive confusion and manifold suffering, locally and also worldwide, our respondents clearly know the problems, and just as clearly recognize the solutions in the application of those universal virtues and values found at the heart of all religions and shared by souls of all races, nationalities and creeds. The challenge we all face each day, indeed every moment, is to live in this awareness and promote true health by our words and actions, embodying kindness and respect for everyone of all backgrounds and for our bounteous Earth, taking ample time for prayer, friendship and laughter, supporting each other as we work together to build united, loving and just families and communities. “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 236)
Our deep gratitude and thanks to all those who so willingly shared their hearts and minds with us through this survey. This is necessarily a brief and incomplete overview of the results. The complete, tabulated survey outcome is available upon request.
