Advice from one of Louis Pasteur’s mentors – Jean-Baptiste Biot
As I was researching Louis Pasteur, I came across a letter that Jean-Baptiste Biot, who was one of Pasteur’s first mentors and champions of his work, wrote to a young man who was discouraged by his life. The letter so struck me that I thought it might be useful for many others to see how he encouraged the young man to improve his situation. This letter, I believe, was dated in the year 1862, which is the year of Biot’s death. The following excerpt, which includes this letter, can be found in The Life of Pasteur, by Rene Vallery-Radot. 1915. Pg 108:
“A letter picked up at a sale of autographs, one of the last Biot wrote, gives a finishing touch to his moral portrait. It is addressed to an unknown person discouraged with his life. ‘Sir, – The confidence you honour me with touches me. But I am not a physician of souls. However, in my opinion, you could not do better than seek remedies to your moral suffering in work, religion, and charity. A useful work taken up with energy and persevered in will revive by occupation the forces of your mind. Religious feelings will console you by inspiring you with patience. Charity manifested to others will soften your sorrows and teach you that you are not alone to suffer in this life. Look around you, and you will see afflicted ones more to be pitied than yourself. Try to ease their sufferings; the good you do to them will fall back upon yourself and will show you that a life which can thus be employed is not a burden which cannot, which must not be borne.’”
I was amazed at the profoundness and simplicity of the message, especially since it came from a scientist specializing in mathematics and astronomy. Occupying your mind with useful work can take time away from feeling sorry for yourself and dwelling on your problems. A friend of mine who was grieving over the death of his son told me how glad he was to be busy with his work after this misfortune. It gave him less time to dwell on sadness and his loss, and this helped him get through this difficult time of his life.
Although Biot’s words may ring true to some, I can understand if they do not resonate with everyone. Religion, and a personal relationship with God, or by following the words and works of any of God’s many spokespersons who have been on earth, may seem a strange idea to some. But to know there is a Creator who cares about us has given much consolation to many and has occupied their minds as to how to use what little time He has given to us on this earthly plane of existence. Religion, or thinking of a loving Creator, can provide patience, not only for oneself, but also towards others, and having patience is a blessing. Time can help heal wounds.
And charity. Charity is to become a blessing for others, and to give freely of yourself without the thoughts of a return for your time and effort. All deeds return to a man. And if these deeds are good, then the riches that are returned to him offer a paradise unto itself. If we all practiced what Biot preached concerning charity, then good deeds would spread throughout the land, and we would truly understand that we are our brother’s keeper; that is, we are all brothers and sisters on this planet of ours, and we should help others if it is in our power to do so. And then, as a result, the world would become a better place.
Back to the Modern Day.
An example – High Blood Pressure. If you go to your doctor and he sees that you have high blood pressure, the doctor will likely prescribe drugs to bring the blood pressure down. Most doctors will also give advice on losing weight, exercising, and reducing salt and other dietary restrictions. But doctors typically tend to lead with drugs. The problem that created high blood pressure was most likely a long process, and to reverse it is also going to be a long process if you do it naturally without drugs. Doctors know this, and they know many people will not do the work to bring it down, and so they feel they would not be doing their jobs and serving their patients if they did not prescribe some medication. And so we take the medication. But medications are tricky, and they have other effects on the body. The focus should not be on the quick-acting drugs as our cure, but should be on healing ourselves naturally and not relying on medications.
The same is true for anxiety and depression. There may be a physical component to these conditions, but for most, it is a condition of the mind. If you go to a doctor, he will most likely start with medication but also recommend counseling so that the mind may help do its part in removing these conditions. And likely the advice would not be so very different from the advice that Biot gave over one hundred years ago.
The mind is like a computer. Whatever you put into it determines what will come out of it. If you tend to worry, stress over money, dwell on problems, then these thoughts can affect your mind adversely, with the resulting physical effects of anxiety and depression. It is better to think things through and determine what can be done about the problems, and to make progress towards solving the problems in your life. To do nothing about them and to dwell on them can be like a living hell, as negativity rules the realm of your mind.
Religion and/or belief in God can give us hope. And hope is a good thing. It can provide us with inspiration on how to solve these issues in our lives and give us faith that everything is going to work out if we place our trust in our Maker, while also working on our issues in a productive way. It grants us patience so that we can wait for a better future even though we may be suffering in the present.
Working towards the goal of solving our problems and allaying our fears occupies the mind and takes away the burden of this anxiety and depression. When we make progress towards our goal by productive work, we at least know that we are doing what can be done, and this in and of itself is satisfying to the soul and can help diminish our fears, anxieties, and dark thoughts, which lead to depression.
Charity takes our mind away from ourselves and focuses it on the needs of others. No matter how bad our situation is, there is always someone who is suffering more and needs help. If you can help these others, then not only will you receive the gift of positive feeling that comes with giving without the thought of a return, but you will have improved the life and situation of another person and thereby helped to make the world a better place.
Drugs are not the answer, but they may be helpful to those who are at the extremes of anxiety and depression. The solutions Biot lays out are a guide to a long-lasting peace in your life and mind that can be accomplished by work and moving forward in your life in a productive manner.
The Powers of the Mind.
Happiness is not about getting what you want. Happiness is about appreciating what you have. Therefore, being grateful is the foundation for happiness. And on the obverse, ingratitude is whereby many evils of the mind originate. Just as there is always someone who is in far worse condition than you, there is also someone who appears to have everything they want. As humans, we tend to focus on what we do not have, and we are jealous of what others have, and this breeds ingratitude and envy, and evils of every kind. These negative thoughts create unhappiness. Therefore, if we think rightly, we can have a new attitude about our lives, and we can heal ourselves from our mental pains and anguish. Focusing on the right things, the positive things, and being grateful for what we have, and not on what we want, is the key to a happy life.
Anxiety and Depression occur when the mind dwells on negativity and the dark side of what is and what could be. Anxiety is worry about the future. If we are the cause of our own anxiety, then we can do something about it and change this. We can change our diet, we can exercise, we can go out and talk to others about our problems, then form a plan to solve these problems, and we can make ourselves healthier. If we are worried about others, like our spouse, our parents, our children, or others we love who are having problems, then there is often little that can be done. Worrying about others when nothing can be done about it will not help them; it will not add any days to your life, and in fact, it may shorten your life because excessive worry can cause adverse effects in your body, which may lead to other health problems. Dwelling on this negativity is like living in a mental realm of hell. We must learn to control the mind and not let it wander down this negative path. If you want to avoid anxiety, then pray to God for those you worry about. In this way, you are at least sending out a positive vibration into the world. Then, after your prayer, try to get this worry off your mind by doing something in life that may be productive for yourself or helpful to others.
Depression is like wallowing in the pits of hell. If we feel helpless and hopeless, then we have entered into the realm of despair. As long as you are alive, something can be done to help you out of this mental anguish. Doing something, anything to get you out of this mental state, is a move in the right direction. Although I am not an advocate for prescription drug use to cure mental maladies in life, at the extremes of depression, it is better to use these drugs as a temporary palliative than to step off a ledge and end your life. Suicide is not the answer; it is giving up on trying to change your life for the better. When there is a will, there is a way. In this depressed state, reach out to others and let them know how you are feeling. Comfort and advice, like in the case of Biot outlined above, can come from the most unexpected places. Do not give up. And if you believe in God, pray to Him. Know that there is a plan for your life, and a reason for your existence. Know that suffering is a part of life. And know that you can get through it. Try to be patient. Healing from whatever ails you will be a process and will take time.