By Penny Scheenhouwer, Brisbane
Growing up, I had all the recommended vaccinations. My mother never questioned the wisdom of vaccinations, or indeed any other recommended medical tests or treatments of the time, for any of our family.
When I was 18, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this time she started a very different relationship with medicine. She started to look at all the natural and alternative medicines. As she went along this path, she began to dismiss much about conventional medicine and what it had to offer. I watched her go into complete remission (medically stated) using ‘natural’ methods, and I found this very inspirational.
Through this process I began to read many of the books that she had (and she had literally hundreds). I too began to see things in a ‘different’ way than I had before. Somewhere along the way my mother became anti-vaccination and I too took on her anti-vaccination stance, after reading much of the material that supported that stance.
I decided that the harms of vaccination seemed to far outweigh getting a disease. I came to the decision that if I ever had children, I would not vaccinate them and intentionally put them at risk.
At the age of 35 I had my daughter. Both my husband and I had no intention of vaccinating her, and we did not. Just before her 3rd birthday she contracted chicken pox – a very bad case. From that I began to question whether or not we should have vaccinated her, after the doctor stated that the vaccination may have prevented the disease, or at the very least she would have only had a mild case.
I had met Serge Benhayon a few years previously, at the age of 31. In a conversation with Serge not long after my daughter’s illness, I asked whether we should vaccinate our daughter or not and what his views on vaccination were. His reply was that he could not and would not tell us what to do, but that he knew vaccinations do what they are supposed to do and that all his children had been vaccinated.
Following this, my husband and I talked and decided to vaccinate our daughter. Still caught up in the fear a little, we vaccinated her for everything except MMR (measles, mumps and rubella). Although we vaccinated our daughter, we never took responsibility for our selves and our own health, and did nothing to ensure that our own vaccinations were up to date.
Over time even this attitude has changed. We recently chose to vaccinate our daughter for MMR, as well as travel vaccinations. Not only that, but my husband and I also got all the shots we needed to bring ourselves fully up to date.
If it were not for the support and wise words of Serge Benhayon, offering us a greater perspective upon which to make our decision, my husband and I would never have vaccinated our daughter. We understand now that this put not only her at unnecessary risk of preventable diseases, but also others in the community. Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.
You can read more about Serge Benhayon’s views on vaccination on the blog “Serge Benhayon on vaccination – choice and responsibility”.
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
The purpose of the annual flu vaccinations is to protect people that are vulnerable from deteriorating or becoming very sick. In the past, people have died from certain strains of flu. To have a protected workforce is being responsible to the rest of our patients.
We will never be completed protected, but as Penny already stated, you could get a milder dose of the disease or prevent the disease completely.
It feels how a vaccination affects a person, is a case by case situation. It’s being open to what ever is being offered to or for that person and bringing some understanding that the illness/disease is more than it appears.
I was never anti-vaccination and in retrospect I know they have a purpose behind them. However, I was against the flu vaccine influenced by other people’s negative experiences.
As a health care professional, I work in a high risk area and our policy requests, we receive it otherwise we wear masks during the flu season. So, this year I accepted it, apart from the usual sore arm, I was fine. Did it prevent any colds or others flu’s – no, but I am able to work without having to wear a mask and people can see who I am.
We often blame vaccination for causing this or that, but seldom do we see past this. How we live and are with everything needs to be considered as part of our overall health and wellbeing.
I’m currently in a process of being vaccinated for an allergy, which will take 5 years of me receiving the vaccine once a month. If I hadn’t initiated this process and had another allergic reaction, I would probably pass away. So I gratefully accepted the offering of being vaccinated. However, I made this choice not only for me, as it’s not only my life that would be at risk, but all that I sustain by being here. Although I’m not indispensable, I’m involved in many things that require of my presence to grow, there are lots of connections and relationships coming and expanding because I’m here. Why should I put all of this at risk? When I feel the responsibility that there is behind being vaccinated or not and the impact that this may have around me if I don’t do so, I don’t have any doubt.
At my work place, getting vaccinated is regarded as a duty of care – that even if we did contract the disease, we would know we did the best we could to avoid putting others at risk. And even when many could be reluctant to embrace self-care, being seen as irresponsible is something people want to avoid when they feel duty-bound.
Vaccination is always asking us to look at the bigger picture.
I have found that a lot of people would find reasons – good sounding reasons – not to undertake activities that help society but have a small or very small risk for themselves. They prefer not to take any risks at all and perhaps regardless of the cost to society.
When we look at life and our responsibility of our vehicle in it, there is a purpose to vaccinate.
I had all my vaccinations as a child and teenager, and later as an adult for travel, and apart from a sore arm I never had any major issues with them. Later in life I read some material about their harm and met people claiming their children were affected by vaccinations, which they felt led to autism. Basically no one wants to cause harm to themselves or their children so reading or hearing about potential side effects of vaccinations is disturbing. I then had a conversation with a nurse describing the distress of babies with whooping cough and how it could have been avoided by a vaccination. What I eventually came to is that for me it’s common sense to keep my vaccinations up to date.
I think it’s great how you were open to re-evaluate your stance on vaccinations, following what felt true to you and refining it as well, not from fear but from what truly felt supportive for everyone.
“Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.” Absolutely Penny illness and disease spreads quickly and the more we do to protect our children and ourselves the greater protection we are providing for the community we live in too.
‘there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.’ … there so is, and it’s one that we can forget when we get caught in our own lives; everything we do impacts all around us so when we consider what we do in anything we need to consider not just us but everyone.
And that makes life much more enjoyable.
Penny, my wife and I had a virtually identical experience with our daughter, reading many books and research papers that were very anti-vaccination and included stories of people being poisoned with compounds that should not be in the vaccines. But after our daughter was about 3 years old (and with the support of fellow students of the Way of the Livingness) we realised that we were placing her and her school mates in a potentially dangerous position that was based on a fear of something happening, even though both my wife and I had all our vaccinations as a kid and nothing horrible had happened to us. What I learned from this was to never make a decision based on fear, for it will always lead you astray.
When someone feels and looks so vital and well, it’s only natural we would want to know how they do what they do, and perhaps take a leaf out of their book and give that a go.
Western medicine is of great value to us as a humanity as it supports our bodies to return to and sustain physical health and well-being. The state of our health and well-being is our responsibility which is not only for ourselves to consider but also the effect this has on the communities we are part of.
Vaccination is not all about us individually but about the broader community.
A great reminder of our responsibility to ourself and the one we hold for humanity as a whole.
Some of the anti-vaccination material I have seen blame vaccinations for other conditions, but then just about everything can be blamed for our ill health. What Serge Benhayon brings in is the self-responsibility factor and that energy is a far bigger player when it comes to the roots of our ill health, if our focus is to be anywhere let it be in the energy.
Thanks Penny I have also experienced how Serge never tells people what to do but will often share what his personal experience is. That sharing is never in a way that says “this is the way” just in the generosity of being very open and with a deep respect that it is up to each person to discern what is true for them. It will not always be the same for everyone as it will depend on their circumstances. As far as vaccinations go personally I have always done them except flu which has never appealed to me!
So true Linda, we need to consider the community as a whole and how we are putting innocent people at risk if we are making a stand that has potential to deeply harm – responsibility is key here.
There is so much fear and mis-information out there around vaccinations it is very hard for people to discern and make a true choice. I feel all the fear mongering and debates around vaccinations are far more toxic and damaging to the body than the vaccines themselves.
Vaccinations make sense when one looks at the historical source of this medicine . The challenge is to be discerning in todays world of those out to only make money and those who support true medicine.
One of the dangers when reading some books is that we can choose to adopt the consciousness of that book and at times this can lead to ideas that can be quite harmful.
It is very beautiful when self-care comes from caring for others, equally.
There is nothing wrong with using natural medicines and there are absolutely times in life that we need conventional medicine and vaccinations too.
Funny reading this today as I just had a whole heap of vaccinations this morning for an overseas trip. My arm is a bit sore but I am glad I did it as it felt a caring and responsible thing to do.
When we stop to consider the diseases that have plagued the health of children in the past, and through vaccinations many if not most are no longer prevalent, we get to understand that it is not only our responsibility to protect our own children but others to, there is a lot of merit in vaccinations.
‘there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.’ … this is so vital to consider as we impact each other so much more than we often allow or consider, and it’s not about been pro or anti anything but about taking the needed care in how we are with ourselves and all others, and getting the needed support from medicine.
This is such a hotly discussed topic and one that is left for people to make their own choice with. There are so many opinions either way and both having extreme views with what you should and shouldn’t do. When it came to children and vaccinations I took a back seat, I had been vaccinated and had no problem with it and my partner at the time was anti vaccination and so I accepted her views on what we should do. For both of us this has since changed and we have seen about getting the children up to date with what is needed for their vaccinations as well. It’s not about what anyone has said in particular but from us both discussing what we feel is needed at this point for all of us. I am not critical either way and it’s up to people to discern what they research and then discuss it and from there make a choice or decision on what they want to do.
We seem to forget so quickly the debilitating nature of many infectious diseases succumbing to a fear of medicines that have a small rate of harm.
Vaccinations are a super important part of our responsibility towards our own health and the health of others. yes there can be risks and side effects, but there is a much bigger risk in not vaccinating, and as comments above have said vaccinations are how we bring a halt to deadly diseases.
We must never forget the fact that our vaccinations of today prevent diseases that in the past that have caused the deaths and the maiming of many.
There’s a breadth and depth of responsibility to bring to the anti-vaccination case that this article has beautifully outlined. In many ways, it was a blessing your daughter became so ill – it’s this kind of ‘hits home’ incident that can help us take the blinkers off.
I was not vaccinated when I was young but chose to make sure my children had all the appropriate shots, this had a lot to do with Universal Medicine’s positive attitude towards vaccinations. As you say, it’s about the whole community and it can be done in a way that still honours you and your child.
It’s interesting how easily we can be swayed by the beliefs of our family and hold strong to something that can be unsupportive when truly addressed. I have heard of many that have been against conventional medicine in some form only to come to Universal Medicine and begin to change their mind… seeing the healing power in conventional medicine especially when combined with the wisdom and self responsibility of esoteric principles founded on what’s in the best interest of the all not just the self…. A movement towards the all that is healing in itself.
Without vaccinations we would still be dying from preventable diseases, and when we choose not to have our children or ourselves vaccinated we are contributing to the resurgence of these diseases as is happening in the UK with Measles. We seem to think they are relatively harmless because of growing up in a time when there were very few cases of them due to vaccinations. There is not the living memory of the devastation these diseases can cause so we have become complacent and irresponsible, thinking it won’t matter if our kids aren’t vaccinated. But it really does.
When we make a choice that only considers the individual we forget that we are all part of the one humanity.
I was just having a conversation about vaccination with a family member yesterday. What came about in the conversation was that most of the reaction to vaccination was to do with the pharmaceutical industry and the trust that had been lost in them rather than vaccination itself. It just showed me how we can overlook something great if we have a hurt in the way of seeing truth.
Thank you Penny for sharing what you have shared here about vaccinations. When my son was born I felt strongly not to vaccinate him initially because I was concerned about how his immune system would handle it and whether he would have any adverse reactions. However, by the time that he was 2 years old, we had already travelled overseas to 7 different countries including Korea, parts of Europe and North America, and this rang alarm bells for me. I felt that it was a natural course for him to get vaccinated so as not to put him at increased risk anymore. I immediately put this into action and have kept his vaccinations up to date since, with no regrets or second questions. There have been times when he has been very sick after the vaccinations with fever and chills and grumpy and irritable, but I have seen this as a sign of his immunity activating, and have allowed several days of quiet recovery in that time. Despite all this, and being considerate of my son’s wellbeing, I never once stopped to consider that vaccinating my son could also protect other children and those who are immune compromised. All these decisions came from a self-centred approach rather than considering everyone. This has been my learning and my understanding, and I am glad to be in a position today that allows me to see a broader perspective, and I can say that this is thanks to how Serge Benhayon has supported me with this understanding and the caring of everyone and not just myself or my immediate family.
Vaccinating or not vaccinating out of fear is not the way forwards. It is important for each person to feel ok with their decision. One key point of advice for anyone who is about to get a vaccination done is to make sure that they are not unwell, do not have a cough or cold etc when they are getting the vaccination as this could put too much pressure on the immune system and make it that much more challenging to recover.
When we see our own children suffering from illness that may have been prevented or at least reduced the extent of the illness we start to question our own choices that we make on their behalf, not only are we responsible for ourselves we are responsible for them too, as we are to all children whether they are ours or not, therefore a vaccination has to be worth considering not just for ourselves, but a means to help protect everyone.
When my children were young there was no question that they would not be vaccinated, even though at that time there was a lot of talk against getting them vaccinated, but I am of an age where I knew people with polio here in the UK, and have seen measles and mumps within my own family growing up, so the decision was easy for me.
We are not only responsible for our own children; all we do or don’t do, affects the whole.
I have never ever heard Serge Benhayon tell anyone what to do and only ever shares how he lives providing the understanding behind his choices. Then it is up to me to feel for myself if that is something I wish to try out or not. These are great moments of deepening awareness and inspiration. At times I am moved to tears when I become aware of a far deeper level of love, care and responsibility that I and the whole of humanity could be living.
The day I reassessed the mantra of ‘vaccination is bad for you’ (which the most of the Alternative Therapies I had in the past studies had preached) was such a moment when I took another step in realising I am not an island, and my choices and actions truly matter.
There is such simplicity in free will, but also great responsibility. I’ve never really given vaccinations much thought, I’ve ‘followed the herd’ in that regard. Cool to read this story to get some perspective on the matter.
Despite having cared for my daughter when she had a relatively mild case of whooping cough due to my decision not to get her vaccinated, I was still caught up in my reaction to what I perceived as the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry. I never considered my wider responsibility to the community we lived in who were affected by my decision, as well as the impact on my daughter and myself as she missed several weeks of school during her recovery. Making a decision in reaction does not allow the truth to be felt and explored.
And this is the thing about Serge Benhayon, an extraordinary mix of the most wonderful ancient wisdom that humanity hungers for, combined with absolutely practical down-to-earth wisdom… And this combination in a man of the most extraordinary humility.
It is interesting to see that there are some movements in society that reject the vaccination programs because of several reasons, sometimes from their religion or sometimes from other belief systems like the people living biologically or in a natural way. Their opinion may be to not interfere with nature (or God), or that the actual vaccination would be actually a risk to get the disease (what rarely happens) or any other reason. However whatever their reasoning might be in them choosing to not participate in the national or world wide programs, they actually do not take their full responsibility for what these programs offer to humanity. With these actions others can be put at risk by a possible reintroduction of some devastating childhood diseases that mostly are abandoned out our societies as a result of the worldwide participation of many in these these vaccination programs.
What is the truth re vaccinations, yes, in many instances they make a huge difference to a wider community, but I have also read in certain instances, in the long term they may weaken the wider community.’
‘We understand now that this put not only her at unnecessary risk of preventable diseases, but also others in the community. Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.’ True Penny, we have made this same decision to not vaccinate 2 of our 3 children out of fear and wanting to protect them from being hurt or getting an illness because of the vaccination. We were greatly influenced by what was common in the Rudolf Steiner School, but I remember when there were children seriously ill around us because they had not had any vaccination, I was full of fear for my children and in doubt if we had made the right decision. Just like you, when I heard Serge Benhayon talk about the responsibility we have as parents to everyone in the community, I could feel how irresponsible it is to not vaccinate our children. Every parent should feel into this for themselves and make their own decision and also consider if the schedule of vaccination feels true for their child and adjust this to the rhythm they feel the child can handle.
I had the recommended vaccinations when I was a baby and throughout my childhood but ever since I have not seriously considered to have them up-dated. I am now forty six years old and ever since I have had an attitude that repeating the vaccinations was only for those in the medical profession or when travelling abroad. I can feel the arrogance and how irresponsible to live in this way. Penny, your blog has me pondering…
Growing up there were often children who had measles, polio, mumps, chicken pox and then suddenly there were less cases or milder cases and the diseases were hardly mentioned, but having grown up with these diseases it never entered my head not to get my children vaccinated. But it seems that because there are few cases now, parents do not know of the lived experience of someone they know having suffered, so are willing to take the risk, but now it would seem that these serious illnesses are on the increase again.
Choosing vaccination is to take responsibility for ourselves as well as for the wider community. With worldwide vaccinations programs there are some preventable diseases that are now no longer, or vastly reduced, problem for all children in the world.
There is so much misinformation around about vaccination which is such a terrible shame as it changes and has changed the trajectory for millions of lives. However the scientific, media and medical worlds have to take some responsibility for that misinformation. There have been instances of manipulation of the truth to achieve desired outcomes and this manipulation has been uncovered leaving sways of the general public mistrusting much of what is shared. Whenever I wonder how to change that it all comes down to valuing honesty, that is what Serge has taught me and that before I can ask that of another I have to be it myself. It changed how I looked at things and how I did my research.
We react to what we don’t like about something and turn our back on the truth of it in the first place. Say for the likes of vaccination there is a truth to having it as it can be a very wise and loving choice to make. However it is certainly not the answer to it all and therefore always keeping an open mind (and heart) to what is true from our body’s perspective is always the wisest choice to make.
Penny, that is such a great point, we can so easily make it just about us and our choices and neglect to see and understand that our choices affect others no matter what and do we consider the whole picture in those choices – often we do not and in fact as we begin to see and understand more clearly the parts we all play we view our choices very differently and so it’s not about just vaccinating your child to protect them but about how that works in the wider community of which all of us are a part. A great reminder that each and every choice we make matters.
Having all the information needed to make a decision is part of the difficulty with this subject. It is incredibly emotive and when we come from a place of wanting to protect our children from harm we can be influenced more easily. Ultimately it is about the providers of information using that knowledge for the good of all not to promote fear.
I was vaccinated as a baby but I have never considered whether it would be supportive to me and the community where I live to update the shots; it is something to deeply ponder on. Thank you Penny for sharing.
Although I have sought it many times, I have not ever heard any do’s and dont’s from Serge Benhayon. What I have always received has been an inspiration to deepen my awareness and connection to my body and deeply honouring what I feel is required, and also to seek support when needed, thus being fully responsible for my own health and wellbeing. This has prompted me to not settle for one size fits all mentality and also be aware that at different points I may have different needs, so to keep tuning in to my body and keep reassessing all areas including vaccinations.
I too have become more aware in making choices that are inclusive of all thanks to Serge Benhayon. He is a man who is devoted to all of humanity by truth and includes taking deep care of himself so he can be his all for us all. How you too can have a full perspective.
I’m no medical expert but my understanding is that using a vaccination works by stimulating the body’s natural ‘defences’ against diseases and would seem be a good thing – preventing unnecessary levels of suffering.
When we take ourselves from the forefront of the picture and look at the whole bigger, picture many of our choices seem reckless and irresponsible. Feeling the fact that we are all equal and living here together on earth shines a different light on our choices.
In this day and age we can find literature on just about anything to support and justify just about anything. As responsible adults we need to be really discerning about what is true, what is not true and what is simply nonsense. This as you say Penny needs to be from the perspective of the all to support the all equally.
Reading this I can see how decisions I’ve made based on fear have seemed entirely justified. What if I were to pause and feel based on the whole picture and all of us being included in that decision? That would certainly be a different energy I went about the choice in, even if, superficially, it seemed the same decision.
Being able to see the wider responsibility of vaccinations was a big one for me to see as I was against them for many years. Since listening to Serge Benhayon and reading blogs like this I have come to see the value and necessity of them in medicine today. Thank you Penny.
When we consider others as part of our choices and not in isolation to our choices – in other words considering the all equally – we make decisions based on true brotherhood – not at the expense of ourselves or another, but in support of, and with, all.
Thank you Penny, your blog brings light to a subject that has been shrouded in controversy. I know I too was scared of immunisation and was against it and even projected my fears and opinions unto others. I can now see how immunisation is about seeing the bigger picture and taking responsibility for our own health and the health of others.
Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon are always there to bring, with the wisdom that everything is energy, a perspective that is always there to evolve humanity, from the simplest things of what really serves us to eat, to how to be in harmony with all the different aspects of medicine.
Vaccinations are a great lesson in responsibility – in the sense that what one does or does not do affects another.
Vaccinations have become a ‘hot topic’ in recent years and has often become wrapped in hysteria. What is needed is cool, calm detachment from all the emotions so that people can take an honest look at their fears and then make decisions. The federal government in Australia has now taken a firm stand on childhood vaccinations due to the alarming drop off rate in people having their children vaccinated as the risk of old and possibly deadly disease returning was reaching unacceptable levels. This, to me, clearly indicates that consideration of the health and wellbeing of the whole community is a necessary part when any parent/adult is weighing up their final decision around vaccinations.
Science protects us from many untruths as described by Penny, but science itself is continuously evolving and the initiatives of a number of people to cast the current scientific methods into stone are just as unscientific as those who sold snakeoil as a cure-all. It is assuming that only these methods lead to truth – that is not an assumption that has been proven.
What seems clear to me is that we hold so many beliefs that we have grown up with from our surroundings, family, books, friends or teachers and education etc that we don’t often question until something forces us to look more closely. We live by assumptions based on second hand knowledge (as is all knowledge) instead of feeling what is there to be known though our own intuition and experience. Serge Benhayon simply exposes the ideals and beliefs which are not from us and shows an alternative based on discerning what is right for ourselves in our choices, rather than being led by that which has been created for us to follow.
When I had my children vaccinated there was no push to reconsider the rights or wrongs of it. It was later down the track people questioned more. That doesn’t mean that they were wrong to do so, but like us all we want to do the most loving thing for our children and not harm them. Thank you Penny.
it is the perspective here that is the obviously important factor…And it is definitely perspective that the presentations of Universal Medicine…And Serge Benhayon…bring perspective that is truly vast…like one of those movie shots where it starts in someone’s backyard and just keeps going up and up and up until it’s the Earth, and then the solar system and on and on…This is the perspective that is offered.
Awesome analogy Chris and one that we apply to all of Serge Benhayon’s wisdom.
I have not had flu vaccination for as long as I can remember since I left school more than 30 years ago, and in the past 10 years or so, I was so anti that I was even telling my family not to. Yet, it was only recently when I started listen to the presentations by Serge Benhayon I started to really question as to why we shouldn’t. There I was thinking that I would be OK; I was taking good enough care of myself; there’s far more bad than good in vaccination etc. – but I started to realise the naïvete of that attitude. I realise now that as a member of society, I have a responsibility to make a informed decision that considers all.
I also was anti-vaccination from a mis-trust of medicine and a general anti-authoritarian stance. Both the mistrust and the reactivity came from unresolved issues within myself – from my hurt. Based on this hurt, I too was willing to put my children at risk under an ideology of ‘natural medicine’ – denying even pain killers when my daughter got a perforated ear drum. My children are also now fully immunised (we needed to to a catch up schedule for all my 3 kids) – this feels like the best decision for my family and the community as a whole. I still retain a mist-trust of pharmaceutical companies as I feel that their motivation is greed-based and not care-based, however it is the best option we have so far and I am not willing to put my children or family at risk anymore.
I acted in the same when it came to vaccinations for our children and chose not to and was very anti. What you are saying here about mistrusting the pharmaceutical companies is probably more what swayed my choice and I did not consider at that time how these vaccinations are the best option we have at the moment for everyone’s risk to be decreased, and can now see the why the bigger picture has to be considered.
What you share here Penny illustrates just how simply we can grow up and take on our parents ways and approaches to the world, like a coat that we borrow to shield us from life. But it doesn’t protect us actually, but stops us from feeling and appreciating what WE feel is true. In this way attending Universal Medicine events, is like a vaccination for me, supporting me to live free from these most unpleasant diseases – ideals and beliefs.
Thank you Penny for sharing, I vaccinated my children when young with no problems, but later on in life after reading about the adverse effects some were having my views changed. Now I am back again with looking at the bigger picture of the responsibility I have to myself and all those around me, I decided to have the flu shot the first time this year. Common sense can prevail, when the bigger picture is presented to us.
Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon bring practical and profound wisdom into the every day lives of all who choose to attend and participate, letting us evolve from concepts and beliefs to lives of substance and connection.
There is indeed a bigger picture that includes us all Penny. The aim of vaccinations is to prevent the spread of preventable diseases and illnesses in our society, some of which are fatal or at the very least, severely debilitating. Herd vaccination is when the majority of people in the community are vaccinated and thus helps to protect those that aren’t. When herd vaccination drops off, those that are not vaccinated have a higher risk of been exposed to something they have no protection from. If people choose not to vaccinate their children that is entirely their choice. But if this is their choice it is also their responsibility to fully inform and educate themselves and their children of what the signs and symptoms of the disease and illnesses that they are not vaccinated for are, and how they are spread and affect the body so they are completely aware and informed of the possible consequences of their choice not to vaccinate. This is particularly important in present day society with the amount of movement people have with the globalisation of our communities and the fact many communities around the world are not fully vaccinated – as people move around so can the infectious ‘bugs’.
Thank you for sharing your change of heart regarding vaccinations based on your developing understanding over the years and the wise words offered to you by Serge. It is an individuals choice, however many forgot there is a responsibility to the whole that is also important to take into consideration.
A great sharing Penny and an important subject. When I was growing up just after the 2nd World War, there was a lot of Polio around many children suffered and were disabled by this disease, I am grateful for the choices my Parents made for our family in those times, to vaccinate. Consequently when I had children I didn’t question Vaccination knowing it was the right choice for me. I remember being told that Parents often put their children into contact with a child who had measles ,chicken pox or mumps so all the family had it one after another instead of all spread out!
Thank you for sharing Penny. Vaccination is a hot topic and strong opinions persist at both ends and some awful stories circulated to sway your opinion. I vaccinated all of my children although I remember being fearful of the 24 hours after the shot in case anything went wrong. I totally concur with Serge Benhayon and the broader picture of community that we may be affecting if we don’t choose to vaccinate.
Having seen the predatory and callous way some members of the media can hype up situations simply to present an emotional situation and sell their stories, has made me question a lot of what was trending at different points of my life. A lot of hype about vaccinations being harmful, to the point of accusing them of causing paralysis or death was one such trend which profoundly coloured my view about vaccinations and conventional medicine until recently. I was inspired by Serge Benhayon to look again at this, to start to drop the fear-based decisions and begin to appreciate the support offered by conventional medicine.
When my children were young there was a great deal of publicity around at the time encouraging parents not to vaccinate their children, this was mostly done with a perspective that the medical sciences were somehow ignorant of the true effects that vaccinations have. So, as parents we were encouraged to protect our children from the harm that vaccinations could cause. When I look back on this now, it just doesn’t make sense. Not only what the publicity said, but also how much I believed it. At what point did I stop and consider the bigger picture beyond the safety of my own children and see us global citizens? And what kind of a role model does this make me for when they have children of their own? These are tough questions and quite humbling, but very necessary.
Meeting Serge Benhayon has inspired a profound re-assessment of the rigid way I have viewed many aspects of life, most of which was not even clearly thought through, but was a culmination of handed down fears, hopes and assumptions. My view of vaccinations is a small example of this, where I was harbouring a firm suspicion about the pharmaceutical industry and had turned my back against anything the medical profession could offer me. Now that thanks to Serge Benhayon I am on board with conventional medicine again I am astonished to realise how abusive to my body some of my previous anti-medical profession choices were.
“Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.” I love what you have written here Penny, not being a parent myself, I can imagine the decision to vaccinate or not would be worrisome to say the least. I remember Serge saying once, something along the lines of, if you do decide to vaccinate your child make sure that they are well rested and in the best health possible, this supports them and their body to deal with the vaccination process. This has stayed with me and makes so much sense.
Vaccinations have been a ‘hot topic’ for a while now and there is so much information available for people to research and read. The trouble is there is no mediator for this information and much of it is quite hysterical, biased, so called ‘evidence’ that people react to in fear and then refuse to have anything to do with vaccinations. The understanding of the benefits for individuals and the whole population are lost, so Penny, your blog helps to put a much needed balance back into the discussion. Thank you.
Thank you Penny for a great read of your blog. Your experience demonstrates how taking care and responsibility of our individual health, has a direct effect on the health of a wider community. Our individual choices effect the landscape of public health.
It’s interesting how the anti vaccination movement had gathered speed over the past few years. It’s like a trend or fashion that moves its way around the globe, but in this case, it’s not as simple as a new style of clothing. A mass non-vaccinated population could have potential for mass illness from these choices.
How very true Matthew. Yet when I was firmly caught in the grips of that trend, I could not see its colours. I would swear that it was the most obvious choice I was making from my own free will. It is only now that I realise that my choices were based on believing repeated fear-mongering information I had heard. It is great to be able to see past the emotions and take a moment to feel what my heart would say, especially now that I can appreciate a bigger picture.
Hi Penny, I felt to re-read your blog today and there was much in your expression that I was nodding my own head to – with deepening awareness around taking responsibility for looking after this body to the best of my ability, for in the end it is not just about me, myself and I. I very recently chose to have the flu vaccination, after about 25+ years or so choosing not to. The nurse shared that I could not get the ‘flu’ per se from the injection, but I could in fact experience some of the symptoms. This turned out to be exactly what has happened and I feel now, rather than to have a ‘hissy fit’ at my current discomfort but see the resultant bodily reaction as being a great opportunity to clear a little more from the body that does not belong there – so even with the mostly unproductive cough, slightly sore throat, uncomfortable bronchials and lungs and pressure behind the eyes I can honestly say I am in appreciation for the healing. I don’t think I would have enjoyed having the real influenza that’s for sure. It felt right now to take the responsibility of making the choice that I made, and overcoming the fear of what the vaccination may or may not do to me. Maybe there is truth in the words that wisdom comes from within and we actually do truly know what choice to make if we learn to discern whether we are influenced by our thinking mind, or impulsed by our all-knowing inner heart.
We take for granted how disease free we live, thanks among other things to vaccines. Recently in Spain there was on the press a very complicated case of diphtheria of someone who was not vaccinated. This person spread this disease to eight others, some of whom did not get the shots either. So, the decision of whether to vaccinate or not does not only affect us personally. It has ramifications we have to be aware of. It is a matter of responsibility.
It’s such a different perspective when we see things like this occur. A very real and immediate display of how the choices we make to take care of ourself or not can have a direct effect on many others. As you say it comes down to responsibility.
I had been given all the vaccinations as a child without any problems and when I got chicken pox it was very mild and left no scars. When the scare about the MMR vaccinations hit the headlines (which was hugely publicised over many years) I decided I would not have any vaccinations when I travelled. Looking back I can see that this was in many ways irresponsible both to myself and to others, and the reality is that thousands and thousands of people have vaccinations without any problems or adverse affects. Vaccinations save lives and by seeing the bigger picture we are able to make informed and sensible choices.
So much in life seems to encourage us to watch out for ourself and only for who we consider our nearest and dearest. Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have been a great inspiration in my opening my view to return to my deep knowing that the whole of humanity is my nearest and dearest!
In this light it makes complete sense to keep re-assessing old engrained beliefs and patterns. Vaccinations has been one such area for me and I appreciate these conversations about considering a greater responsbility.
I too appreciate the opportunity to have these types of discussions Golnaz. For me it is also about understanding our greater responsibilities in all of life and vaccination was one such area for me to address.
It is interesting that you mention ‘privilege’ Gill. That is exactly it. Many of us in the developed countries take such things for granted when there are people in the developing parts of the world who are literally dying for something that we see as a basic provision. Perhaps when humanity begins to truly adopt self care as an intrinsic part of life, it would accept the necessity to care for our fellow brothers and thus use vaccination as one tool to express such.
Beautifully said Jinya and your last line nails it for me: Perhaps when humanity begins to truly adopt self care as an intrinsic part of life, it would accept the necessity to care for our fellow brothers and thus use vaccination as one tool to express such. We have for too long lived thinking only about ourselves and never how our choices may affect others. It is time to begin to live in a way that considers all, understanding that we are all truly equal and all that we do always impacts on others.
We chose to vacinate our daughter and when she got chicken pox, it was such a mild dose we could have almost missed the fact she had them. I’m all for it – why put ourselves, our children and others at unnecessary risk?
The pros and cons of vaccination have been hotly debated in many countries for quite some time now. I agree with the comments above that speak about it in terms of us having a responsibility not only for ourselves but also for the community at large. We do not live in isolation and what we choose affects another.
With so much mis-information in the world it’s great to have the real medical and health facts behind vaccinations. I was in two minds about vaccinations yet what helped was looking at the bigger picture – not just about me and my immediate family in my home but what affect does my choice have on others. I’d not really considered this before the blogs on vaccination yet it shows a level of care and responsibility that makes the decision about vaccination a much simpler one to make.
Absolutely Gill, it’s definitely transforming my life and makes life much more adventurous.
Penny, your blog is not only an eye-opener and educational about vaccination, but also reveals the foundation upon which we can make our decisions. They can be based on fear or, from being fully informed and taking all factors into account, including the bigger picture. This is what I find phenomenal about Serge Benhayon – he never tells anyone what to do, but has an awareness of the bigger picture, that when he speaks it can inspire us to think on a much grander scale. You and your husband’s choice to vaccinate yourselves and your daughter, not only benefits your immediate family, but the whole community.
I also very much appreciate Serge Benhayon’s way of never telling anyone what to do or how to think. The immense wisdom, love and responsibility with which he lives is there for all to see, and be inspired by. Because of hurts in life we tend to keep closing down further and further, yet he shows so clearly that it is possible to reverse this and open up and include the whole world again. Then every choice and every action can not but be honouring to and benefit the whole of humanity.
I agree Golnaz, my experience is that because of hurts we keep closing down and switching off and Universal Medicine bring tools so that anyone who is ready to begin living beyond their hurts and open up again can transform their lives. I have seen many many people open up in the course of attending Universal Medicine events and doing the work on themselves, outside of the events. Their whole well-being changes and it even impacts on the way they physically look with many now just beaming.
Thanks Penny , for your blog on vaccination, an important topic.
It is an interesting parallel between vaccinations and what Serge Benhayon shares – both work, simply so and very well and both get attacked.
The fear and also dictation about vaccinating or not leaves us all in a dilemma of uncertainty and making the choice is not really clear. However Serge Benhayon offers us a bigger picture vision and understanding, which brings a wisdom and truth to our choices lovingly. Thank you for this honest article Penny, very helpful.
I wasn’t vaccinated when younger but have been thinking about it for some time and had my fist vaccination this week.. Yes we have an immune system to be able to deal with the virus and diseases, but why put it under stress and get sick if I don’t have to?
I am totally terrified of needles – freaks me out to no end. I’ve recently planned a trip to Asia and decided to get the vaccinations, totally forgot and didn’t register what’s in the vaccination and spent the day sleeping it off, but I’d rather have done that than landing myself or anyone else in serious hot water for something that is preventable.
The only time I questioned vaccination was when all the so-called research started to come out about the apparent links to causing disabilities in children. Some of these articles created doubt in my mind but thankfully this was after both my children had been fully immunised as it made total sense to me at the time that it was a necessary measure to protect them and others from disease. And it’s been proven historically that the use of vaccines has the ability to eradicate diseases from societies.
This is well said; it’s always wise to make your own choices, rather conform to the norms we’re offered. There’s nothing wrong with bucking certain trends if you’re well informed, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater never wins either.
Thank you Penny, I guess it is up to each person to make the choice they feel right about, and it is important that it be a well informed choice.
I became very ambivalent about vaccination as I got older though I had had all of my vaccinations and also vaccinated my children.
As I reconsider now, knowing that it is not just about me but also involves the ramifications for my community then it feels like the responsible and loving thing to do. As a nurse, I just had a flu vac for that reason.
Great blog Penny. It’s interesting as my mum was the opposite to yours in the fact that she used alternative and natural medicine throughout my early childhood and therefore I did not have any vaccinations. When I was around 7/8 she got breast cancer and then turned to the medical side and I am now starting to consider getting all my vaccinations
For me the key word is ‘responsibility’ to you, the child and the community but it is also quite fair to say that something like vaccination should be properly considered before you do or don’t do it. The problem, as always, is the skewed and incomplete information that is available. This is an important debate and for the record I’m in favour of vaccination. Thank you, Penny.
Your sharing Michael expresses, what I also feel about this topic. The main thing is really responsibility – if I don’t go for the vaccinations, and I get sick, I can harm other people as well, so it’s not only about my health.
One of the many extraordinary things about Serge Benhayon is not just how he opens the doorways to our inner journey of re-connecting to our divine true nature, but also how he restores balance and basic common sense in peoples lives.
Yes indeed, Chris. In the body and in connection to our natural way of being, things make a lot more sense and it can be a very simple process to discern what feels true.
Chris the restoration of balance and common sense is something I’ve also experienced with Serge Benhayon. Topics that can be full of emotion and complexity are bought to simplicity and a true feeling one can relate to so they just make sense.
So very true Chris. I also truly appreciate how Serge Benhayon shows that “re-connecting to our divine true nature” and “basic common sense” are not separate or exclusive. Gone are the days of wearing one hat searching for deeper answers about life and another hat being a sensible active member of society. Welcome a more simple, loving and responsible life.
Some people make choices based on fears. Fears can very according to experiences in life, outside influences, upbringing and so when considered these choices can vary greatly. Often they fall on different sides of the fence with people feeling strongly about their choice and that they are right. The only true choice for each of us is the one felt deeply within, the one that comes not from fear but consideration of the whole Being and the greater consideration of all. Some topics like vaccination draw strong views, so to take the time to allow all sides to be considered deeply supports all of humanity. It is together that we live the outcome of these choices. Thanks Penny for opening discussion around a very important topic.
Thanks Penny for sharing your story regarding this important topic. In the past I have been a bit ambivalent about vaccinations with my children – they are vaccinated but I did question their necessity and value at the time. I now work in the area of public health and have come to clearly see and understand their value – not just for the child but also for society. In fact, I am very grateful that we no longer need to be at the mercy of contracting serious diseases like we have been in years gone past. This is possible due to the vast majority of people choosing to immunise themselves and their children.
I have always been anti vaccination but your article Penny and the other articles on vaccination on this site have given me a different perspective and the responsibility to everyone with being vaccinated . Thank you
Like you I had the anti vaccination side well covered and have enjoyed this article and discussions that help deepen our understanding about responsibility and the wider picture inherent in this choice.
Penny it’s great to hear how you and your husband have journeyed towards greater responsibility for your children, yourselves and the community at large. I have been sitting on the vaccination fence for too long – convincing myself that my children’s healthy lifestyle is enough to ward off disease. It’s time we all claim this together.
I agree lucindag it is time we all claim our responsibility for everyone in society not just ourselves and this includes vaccinating as a responsibility to community and global health.
I too have been inspired to Serge Benhayon to see the “bigger picture”. Quite part from the responsibility to our own children we have a responsibility to society.
I have truly appreciated being introduced to the “bigger picture”, by Serge Benhayon, and I totally agree Otto that we have a huge repsonsibility to our children, ourselves and society, one we can’t ignore anymore.
You’ve nailed it ottobathurst. We readily see our responsibility to our children or our families but often that is where it stops. It is the ‘bigger picture’ that is required to see that we have a responsibility to all in our society not just our own. I too have been inspired by Serge Benhayon to see the bigger picture in all areas of life.
And what is so powerful about this is that it actually makes life infinitely simpler. The hours and hours that my wife and I have vexed about whether to vaccinate or not. The hours spent online, or talking to friends. BUT – if we had connected to the big picture right at the get-go, then the decision would have been a no-brainer and boom, I could have been doing something useful and of service with all that time!
Yes Otto, Serge has been an inspiration for me to widen my scope and consider always what is needed for the whole, but at the same time absolutely respecting the choice of another, and the right of freedom to choose what they feel is best for them.
Thank you, Penny, for sharing the decision making process that you and your husband went through with regards to immunisations for your daughter. This predicament is something that the majority of parents can no doubt relate to, and it feels really important to call out how disempowering the fear of harming our children is, and how it prevents us from being able to feel the whole picture.
I agree janetwilliams06. The interesting thing is while we were totally disempowered by the fear of harming our daughter we were in fact potentially harming not only her but everyone in the community. The consciousness around anti-vaccination is very strong and needs to be called out because it only allows us a very narrow view when, like you say, we need to be able to see the whole picture.
I don’t have children yet but will one day. I have many friends and being a Byron Bay / Northern NSW local I have been in many dinner conversations about this topic. Many against it and many for it. It has become an emotional and heated debate topic. Thanks for a great perspective Penny.
A simple honest and true account.
Thanks Penny for your honest sharing. To vaccinate or to not vaccinate is indeed a hot topic for many people. I have certainly oscillated much there myself but have always ended up being practical about the situation, both for my son as well as myself. I did not initially vaccinate my son, but when he was 18 months old we made a clear decision to vaccinate him purely for practical purposes – we had already travelled a lot overseas and knew this was always going to be a part of our lives as our families live overseas – we simply did not want to put our son at any further possible risk. The decision was simple and easy for us. A few years down the track when I applied for work at a local hospital I was also required to get a series of vaccinations up to date – I did this with no hesitation, again knowing that the purpose was for protection and that in that working environment it was a wise move to make. This is not to say that I judge another for not vaccinating – we each need to sit with what feels right for us – in the end it is a very individual decision, that each person needs to honour in whatever way that suits them best.
Serge Benhayon has been a great inspiration for me to reassess many areas of my life – by witnessing and being inspired by the way he lives his life, and the wisdom he shares. I have been able to see how some thoughts and beliefs I hold do not carry the level of love, care and integrity I now expect as a norm, and that some of those thoughts and beliefs do not even make sense to the deeper level of love I am choosing to live as well as a greater responsibility. Vaccinations are one such example.
Great comment, Golnaz. Serge Benhayon has indeed inspired us to question the traditional beliefs that we have been brought up with, feel what is true and accept no less than the love that is re-igniting inside.
Very true Janet, he is inspiring me every time I see or hear from him. It is through Serge Benhayon that I have realized and deeply felt what love is , and the need for me to accept no less than love in my life. I feel that being responsible for my life and my health is very accurate. Therefore being vaccinated I feel is important part of that.
There is a good point here about how it is necessary to reassess all areas in life as our ‘normal’ and what fits in life changes as we grow in Love and responsibility. i.e. what was an acceptable choice last week, month or year may be no longer – everything has to be considered. Thank you Golnaz
Hi Penny,
I too have come to accept that “there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all” and for that reason I am also choosing to bring up to date our family’s immunisations. I will do this, one step at a time and not in reaction to my reaction! What I mean by that, is that because I too chose to stop immunising my children based on fear, now that I have felt that this is no longer the true decision for the health of our family, I can feel a part of me that wants to quickly ‘fix’ this before anyone notices. For me, that would be irresponsible. We have a young girl, within our family that has had some health concerns that might affect how she reacts/responds to the immunisations, so we are currently working with an amazing naturopath, to boost her systems naturally before we start the course of immunisations.
This is great pernillahorne. To not do something in reaction but to accept that OK what I did before was wrong, but I am going to choose differently now but not in a rush is really responsible. I can relate to that feeling of realising that what I’ve done in the past is wrong and then wanting to rush in the other direction to do it differently. Taking sensible steps, as you are, to consider the whole and the current state of your young girl’s health before you move forward to immunise her sounds very very wise.
This is so important what you share pernillahorne. How it is so easily done to react to our reactions and try to cover up what has happened. Instead of feeling the responsibility that we all must take in all that we do. Such a great idea to get the support for your daughter this will be so supportive for her. Also in your reclaimed understanding of true health for your family but also all with this as your intention this will deeply support also. Well done.
What you have presented here pernillahorne is a great example of responsibility. We all have to go through periods of stress. It is just a part of being human. By preparing one’s self and body for a period that we know will be stressful we can not only lessen the impact, but learn that the fear we may have around the event may not be as big a deal as we thought.
Thank you for sharing Penny. I also saw vaccinations for a long time as scary and more dangerous then the actual disease it should be preventing. Now after reading this and other blogs about vaccination by students of Universal Medicine I completely do not feel like that anymore. I can now see the bigger picture of how it can put whole communities at danger by my choice to not vaccinate. I also just see it as simple as Serge Benhayon shared with you, vaccinations do very well what they need to do.
Thanks Liekevanhasstrecht. It is the fear that we are fed that has us not wanting to harm our children or ourselves with vaccinations. The truth as I have come to learn is that that fear while feeling real is in fact not true when the bigger picture is taken into account and we understand our responsibility to all.
Thank you Lieke, as your comment brings home the responsibility we have in really feeling what is needed for each and every person around us which naturally includes ourselves.
There is so much emotion and miss information tied up in the whole vaccination issue as our children’s health is at stake. What is best is a personal choice not made from fear or pressure but from our own knowing. I like the bigger view that you present that also considers others in the community and includes us all.
That Serge Benhayon is pro western medicine is beyond dispute, but it is also great to also have first hand accounts about controversial issues such as anti-inoculation, as this is one of the more prominent furphys that need to be held up to the light in our current society before really old diseases take hold again, and one that Serge Benhayon shows great social responsibility.
I love how your story is an evolution of your own decisions based on clearly identifying the factors influencing your own decisions. With support you have identified the emotions at play and brought it back to the responsibility you felt.
It is wonderful reading these blogs and comments on vaccination giving us an opportunity to deepen our relationship with vaccinations. They ask us to feel more, letting go of our fears and consider a far bigger picture than just ourselves and our own families. We can then make a choice that is true to us, our children and our communities.
Thank you Penny for sharing your learnings and shifting understanding around vaccinations. I had always been very unsure about them. I did get my daughter vaccinated when she was little and followed what was required, but not quite understanding the whole picture. I would also get vaccines required for travel to certain countries. But apart from that, I was more idealistic in my thinking, rather than considering my responsibility to everybody I meet. Thanks to your sharing I feel I have now a much clearer view and can make a much more open choice, rather than coming from fear and considering only myself.
This is a great blog, thank you Penny for the clarity, facts and truth you bring and how important it is for all to embrace traditional medicine, with responsibility not only for self, but family and the community. At times we can, and I am part of this too, forget that our actions and choices have a bigger impact on us more than we think. What you also highlight, which is very powerful and something that can often go under the radar, is that how we can take on other peoples ideals and beliefs, “I too took on her anti-vaccination stance” and actually believe them to be our own, instead of taking responsibility.
I find the phrase “vaccination stance” interesting. How often we become attracted to an opinion about something that is controversial like vaccinations and choose to take a stance, which feels rigidly on one side or the other. Whereas, as you say, Penny, Serge Benhayon does not tell anyone what to do, that each of us is responsible for our own choices, but teaches us how being connected to ourselves and being aware of how our choices affect everyone else will naturally and easily allow us choose a way that will benefit all.
What I notice with many things in life Joan is that there is often a ‘stance’. I have come to realise that a stance is not really true when truth is presented. There is only truth. A stance can really only come about when we want to deny truth and defend an ideal and belief.
Thank you Penny for your very responsible opinion on vaccinations. Serge Benhayon has always offered the widest perspective on everything in life and that there is something missing usually and with out it we are missing out on the whole picture with our choices. What Serge Behaynon says simply makes sense.
I am seeing more and more how the whole of society thrives on fueling emotions and getting emotional about things. I made my choices out of fear of “what if” for years and this included vaccinations. After meeting Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, it has been a breath of fresh air, that instead of being swayed by the fear mongering and imposed beliefs of other people, I am relying more and more on my own inner knowing, my own feelings and honouring what seems true to me. I am now far more open to traditional medicine and all it has to offer.
Penny the biggest thing that stands out for me at the moment is how through the presentations of Serge Benhayon so many people are taking a far greater responsibility for their lives, for their health. And what this highlights is that it’s not just about doing that for ourselves, but the fact that against the trend people are taking responsibility for their health as it has a bigger impact on our community than we had dared consider before.
Not only is western medicine embraced, but the very way each person engages and works with western medicine is on a level that is far deeper than anything I ever used to do – before being part of Universal Medicine. If the world stopped and took the same level of responsibility with their health, working with the doctors, the bankrupt systems would be a thing of the past and true health care could take over instead of health management. Vaccinations is but one example – but an important one.
I do very much agree David, if we all, every single human being, would just take responsibility over their own lives and health, the world already would be a different place. And imagine from there where we are able to take it when we start to include the all.
Your blog is a timely reminder to make sure I am up to date with all my vaccinations, thanks Penny.
Thanks Penny for bringing this contentious issue to the table with your personal account and choices and why. Living responsibly is an understanding of how we live and affect each other with our choices, to uphold what is true for all equally, so never at the expense or exclusion of another person for the sake of some notion.
Beautifully said Paul.
Penny, Serge Benhayon is showing us the path of return. What we are all returning to, in truth, is the God that we all are, therefore anyone who professes to be on the path of return will naturally embody the qualities of God. Allowing others to make up their own minds as to the direction that they will take (free will) is a quality that is integral in the make up of God and one that Serge Benhayon has always displayed.
I understand that there has been much discussion recently in the press against vaccination. When presented with the larger picture, our common responsibility to each other, the decision is made easier. Thanks Penny.
Yes Patricia, when presented with the larger picture and our common responsibility to each other, the decision is made easier. I agree with you.
“My mother never questioned the wisdom of vaccinations, or indeed any other recommended medical tests or treatments of the time, for any of our family.
When I was 18, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this time she started a very different relationship with medicine. ”
I find it really interesting – when everything goes well we accept medicine. But when something goes wrong, when we really need it, many of us turn away.
Yes Christoph, this is something that I notice also. I feel that without a true understanding of the role energy plays in illness and disease, and our responsibility in this, people turn away from medicine or blame medicine as it does not have all the answers and they somehow feel let down by it. In fact conventional medicine has a very important role to play in our health and as I have found, it is a wonderful partner for Esoteric Medicine. The combination of these two in my life have brought about the greatest healing I have experienced and I have greater vitality and responsibility for my health in my mid 40’s than I ever had in my teens and 20’s.
Thank you Penny, vaccinations are such an important topic to discuss – your story clearly illustrates the responsibility we have not only to our children and ourselves but to the whole community.
Thanks for your blog Penny. It’s given me much to think about in regards to my own vaccination status.
For me too Emily – I quite recently got some vaccinations, but this blog has made me consider getting top ups of the vaccinations I haven’t got yet.
I have seen the impact of just looking at our own self at work place when someone chooses to come into work when they are unwell. Making such a choice it is usually cbased on a mix of the amount of work outstanding, a belief that we are needed and a decision that our body will handle it despite of the illness – all of which is looking at ‘our own’ situation. Then we go into work with our illness – and infect loads of others. Until recently I had not even considered that my choice of vaccination is similar to this, that I am making a choice that can impact others as well.
Yes, this is a good point you are making Golnaz, going to work when we are unwell or actually sick. There are still so many areas where we only rarely if at all consider ourselves but leave out the responsibility for the all.
Thank you for writing this blog, Penny, to me vaccinations were just something you did and I never had an issue with them. Both my children have been vaccinated and I kept myself up to date with vaccinations for overseas travel. The recent MMR issues in the press have raised everyone’s doubts and as so much is printed in the media with arguments for and against, and it is hard to know what is true and what is hype. In the end it comes down to personal choice and awareness of our responsibilities to the wider community in not spreading infection.
Thanks for sharing this Penny. Vaccination is an interesting topic to contemplate as it is a decision that affects our children directly and all those around us. Is the choice not to vaccinate a selfish one? When viewed in a broader context, there is a great responsibility in the decision to vaccinate or not.
Thanks Penny for sharing your changes.
‘Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.’
I chose not to vaccinate the children. However I have started to have our family vaccinated now, having realised that I thought I was doing the ‘right’ thing but I was not actually being responsible. It’s the bigger picture that we are now looking at and therefore vaccinating just makes sense.
Looking at health and vaccination as a whole community rather than the individual is a very much broader approach than we often want to look at. The choice is always ours and there is so much written about all views and opinions and ultimately it is our own choice what we do, but we are a whole collectiveness and all affect each other and the responsibility of this and the bigger picture is important with everything.
Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine are reflections of this integrity, responsibility and livingness for humanity.
It’s true Tricia. This is what changed things for me. Understanding that my responsibility was not just for myself or my daughter but for everyone equally so. The more that we are willing to see how we impact the all not just ourselves the more true responsibility comes into the fore in all that we do and the more opportunity there is for true change in the world.
Only a few years ago I would never consider bringing society into the equation when making such choices as vaccinations. The way that I view life is expanding everyday to include a wider relationship and responsibility with the whole World and the society I live in, and this has been directly inspired by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.
Vaccination is something that is most effective and works as a “whole (or collectively)”. As presented in this article, when we were growing up (in the 60’s and 70’s), most of us probably had all vaccination under the sun and no one questioned about that. It would be very interesting to look into since when, by whom and how this “concept” of vaccination is dangerous or causes more harm than good has started.
I agree Ryoko. It would be very interesting to see how this idea, this consciousness came in. Of course even more interesting would be what was it’s true purpose?!
I agree It would be interesting to look into it and see how this concept came in and what was its true purpose. I recall when much younger seeing that vaccination and much of conventional medicine made sense. Then for a long time in a tide of beliefs that vaccination and conventional medicine are suspect and probably dangerous! It has been now thanks to Universal Medicine that I had started to one by one see and let go of the beliefs that do not make sense to me deep down. This has freed me up to look again and often make a different choice. Vaccinations is one such case.
Thanks Penny for your article. I have never had a strong stance either way on this topic, but feel Serge’s common sense approach of protecting yourself and others is a very good place to start.
I too was anti-vaccination in a big way and I had never considered the fact that whatever we do or don’t do affects all of humanity. My youngest child who was born at the time I was against all medical intervention was not vaccinated and he was hospitalised with measles, had to be isolated and the disease affected his lungs. At the time I felt the medical staff were judgemental of me and I reacted with arrogance as I had no understanding of the pro-vaccination stance. I also became very opinionated when my daughter had my grandchildren vaccinated. Thanks to Serge Benhayon presenting a more open view on this subject, I now can see how I allowed an opinion to make my decisions and did not feel into the situation or consider others in my decisions.
Penny I very much relate to your blog. I followed the alternative therapies trail for years, was helped by them, but I also began to distrust allopathic medicine. I don’t have children myself but am aware of my own resistance to vaccinations. It’s refreshing to revisit this important subject with fresh eyes, discard old beliefs and appreciate the value and protection vaccination offers individuals and communities.
I feel what is most important here Penny is not whether you vaccinated or not, but that you were able to make a choice that was true for you and your children that was not fuelled by fear. Thankyou for sharing your process in coming to this deeply honouring space.
Absolutely Liane – the choice to vaccinate was not fuelled by fear, which is very important.
Absolutely Liane, this is the key point. Previously any choice I would have made to vaccinate or not would have been out of fear. With support and understanding it became, and is still now, one that is about responsibility and the bigger picture.
So true Liane. Take away the fear and anything else that can get in the way and interfere with our choices and it is so much easier to feel what is true.
It’s actually lovely you can have so much trust in one man (Serge Benhayon) that his words would actually get you to reconsider your decision just by stating the facts, Even though previously you were totally against it.
Penny you’ve shed a lot of light in regard to vaccination and responsibility we have to vaccinate, not only for us individually but for the rest of humanity. It just makes sense to vaccinate, as this can avoid unnecessarily getting really sick.
When I had my 1st child, my husband and I had discussed whether to vaccinate or not, and after some investigation on the benefits with vaccinating (knowing there may be side effects), we decided to vaccinate. We vaccinated our kids feeling if our child was feeling Ok on the day and then going from there, rather than following the vaccination time frames strictly.
What I have found refreshing in this discussion on vaccinations is that there is no emotion, and the focus tends to be on making a responsible choice for both the individual and humanity.
Thank you for sharing your personal story with this Penny. Despite being vaccinated as a kid there was a time in my life when I was very unsure about vaccines and in my uncertainty simply ignored the topic – not having children myself helped me to stay ignorant but when I had blood to blood contact in a workplace accident I sat up and made the choice to get vaccinated for the Hepatitis – why take unnecessary risks? prevention is always better than a cure!
Very timely Penny. I too am not keen on vaccination for our children, however have decided to vaccinate all of them. As much as I don’t like them, we don’t live in a perfect world and as you say look further to the impact on many if not done. We need to take responsibility.
It is so easy to get caught up in the fear of something, as it makes your decisions seem justified. But as Penny has stated, there is a much bigger picture here, and having an informed choice about vaccinations is truly important.
Mick, I completely agree.
Mick great point – when you get caught up in something I know I can justify anything I am doing. Yet what’s great about the way Vaccinations have been presented is that if you take it back to the big picture it’s much harder to stay caught up in a debate when you can see the greater impact of a choice.
And it makes seemingly tricky decisions so much easier!
You have described a great example Penny of how consistently non-imposing Serge Benhayon is. He must get 100s of emails and requests for advice every day and who knows how many over the last 10-15 years. From witnessing many of these interactions over the years I can say that I have never seen him tell anyone what to do. He simply shares what he has come to know from his own lived experience and leaves it to the person asking the question to make their own minds up, fully informed but let be.
That is my experience of Serge Benhayon too Andrew. He has only ever presented the truth and from there others are free to agree or disagree. Never in my 13+ years of knowing him have I ever heard tell anyone what to do.
Thank you Penny for opening up this great discussion. I find it so amazing to feel the great responsibility we all have to look at the larger picture here. I had never before given a thought to the fact that it is not me or mine that are all that would be affected, but in effect, all of humanity that we come into contact with. How wonderful that we have the opportunity nowadays to be able to protect ourselves and our families from the illnesses that were taken so for granted in the past. Especially the very real life-threatening diseases that wiped out huge populations in the past.
What I love very much about the way, vaccination is discussed here on these Universal Medicine forums, is to not only look at the matter in a personal way (do I get sick? Is it good for my body?…), but to include a bigger picture: what impact does vaccination have on our societies, on us, humanity.
Yes Felix, that is exactly what I feel too, the bigger picture is just as important as protecting the individual. We all have the responsibility to care for our selves and in that way also everyone around us.
Exactly Felix. Self responsibility is important but responsibility of all is the next step, the bigger picture. Everything we do and everything we are impacts on everything else all of the time. This is because everything is energy. In relation to vaccination our choices are not just about us as you say and what is true for us, but is true for the whole community.
I was in Naturopathy school when my children were born and although I was never staunchly anti-vaccination, I was surrounded by many who were and under that influence, I only partially vaccinated my first child, and did none for my second. After hearing more presented by Serge Benhayon about vaccination, I felt that I had never properly made a decision one way or the other about this and instead had just allowed it to continue to be this looming question mark in our lives. Then both my children got whooping cough and, like you Penny, I began to wish that I had vaccinated them for this – both to protect them and others. So after that experience, I too decided to have my children, now 13 and 10, vaccinated, and it feels like the responsible and right choice for us.
This is very interesting what you share here Deborah. As I was influenced by my mother first and then the literature she had to support her view, you were influenced by those you were surrounded by and their perspective at the time. I know for me I can see that I was not responsible at all for my choices. I did not investigate independently nor consider both sides of the equation. There was in fact no choice for me as I had already given myself away to one perspective so willingly. I can see now that this allowed me to abdicate responsibility not just to myself and my family but to society at large.
Serge Benhayon sharings on vaccination also opened up my awareness to the bigger picture of our responsibility with regards to this controversial topic.
This was also the case for me Elizabeth, what I have found with listening to presentations by Serge Benhayon is that he has that capability to open up a topic for consideration that I might not have ever considered fully before. So often this gives me a more rounded perspective of the importance of certain subjects, this is always done in a non imposing way that leaves me free to make up my mind about how I feel in my own time. I believe this way of sharing is a real gift and one I have really come to treasure.
I agree Stephen, Serge’s ability to present a topic from its deeper meaning is a true blessing for us all.
Like you Penny I was anti-vaccination until I listened to a presentation by Serge Benhayon. I was then able to see the sense and responsible action in vaccinating children. Why not make use of modern medicine in the areas it supports us and the community?
There is a lot of sense and responsibility in vaccinating children you’re right Mary-Louise, and Serge Benhayon’s pro-vac stance and advice has helped many families become aware of this.
Great point Mary-Louise. Conventional medicine has so much to offer us and our health so why not, as you say, make use of what supports us all.
I have not been anti vaccinations but I haven’t been pro either. When travelling I have had them to support me where I have been going that may encounter potential illness and disease but the way I have taken them has to been to look after myself. Which is very important and much needed but reflecting back and reading this blog I get to appreciate that its not all about me, that there is a bigger picture and by looking after me I am looking after everyone. This feels way more open and all encompassing.
That was my experience too Natalie, I was never strongly anti or pro vaccine but would get them if going somewhere that may require stronger protection for me. I was not considering the bigger picture of how being vaccinated may support those who are more vulnerable or susceptible to disease, this is taking the wider view that considers the whole, something Serge Benhayon is certainly always doing and something that humanity needs to do more of if we are to break our cycle of self interest that is clearly not working for us.
What a great way to put it Natalie – through using self-reflection on your approach when deciding to vaccinate previously. I have made my choices from the same premise too, but to be open to making choices not just for self, but choices that look after everyone equally, completely changes the view and shows that we can individually make choices that look after everyone.
Yes. The same. I always took the vaccinations when travelling, but it was only ever for me. Not the bigger picture. Serge Benhayon always plays for the whole, the big picture. And the vaccination debate is just one of a zillion examples of this. As a parent I have wrestled for hours and hours and hours about this topic. Going back and forth, back and forth. But only ever thinking about my own family. Think of all the time I could have saved if I had just considered the big picture!!!
Serge Benhayon, forever supportive on seeing the big picture.
Top comment Julie and I agree. Serge Benhayon really does have the natural ability to see the big picture always.
He supports anyone and anything that he knows will bring them true health and well-being. A man who goes out of his way consistently to help others. In his presence it doesn’t matter what question I ask, I feel the response is always to expand and evolve me from where I am at. I never fail to learn from this man and whilst I have no kids, I am vaccinated and see it as my responsibility to get my jabs as and when needed in my adult life, as it benefits us all in the long term.
I agree Bina. I find it amazing on how many toes Serge Benhayon steps just following those simple and obvious-seeming steps.
So few words Julie but you nailed it 🙂 … Serge is forever stepping out of “what’s in it for me?” and considering the big picture.
Julie well said, for Serge it is about the whole. Therefore the bigger picture is clear to him.
Absolutely Julie – sums things up perfectly. With the big picture purpose is also alive.
Thankyou for sharing your change of views Penny. I am pro vaccination and believe it is supportive to my Childrens health and wellbeing as well as to others and the community.
My view on vaccinations was ‘skewed’ and only about me and my fears too Penny.
An affirming blog, of how we owe it to our fellow beings to make responsible choices that include everyone.
Thank you Penny for sharing this. I too have been anti vaccination following a personal experience that left me feeling quite fearful about the whole thing. I can see now that rather then properly deal with this fear, and seeking out the right person to discuss what happened back then, I went on a rant against it. Not so much loudly, but just within myself. Reading yours and other related articles on this blog site has helped me to see things more clearly about the truth around vaccination and its importance within our communities.
I feel that when one looks at things only scientifically, there will be 2 sides and a plausible argument for not. However when one looks at things from a people perspective and considers not just themselves, but their responsibility to their community, the way forward can be clearly seen.
Beautifully said Michelle.
Great comment Michelle, It’s for the all and not the self.
Thank you Penny for your writing on Vaccinations, my mother brought me up and she did not agree with vaccinations so automatically I have held this idea that they are bad.
I’m now realising reading yours and others blogs that there is a bigger responsibility for the community here. I can’t say that I’m fully convinced either way to have or not have vaccinations, but I do feel now that there is a lot to consider not only for ones own family.
Hi Thomas I totally understand how you feel having come from there. I was held so strongly by my beliefs that it has taken me a lot to get to what I know is true for me, my family and our community at large. Even when we embarked on getting our vaccinations up to date I found thoughts and fears creeping in. All I had to do was connect back to the purpose of the vaccinations and our choice and what that was based on and it was easy for me from there.
It’s important to consider the whole of humanity when we consider the individual in vaccination, as what we do to one affect all.
I agree Matthew, it is not just we ourselves that are affected if we suffer one of the illnesses that we can be vaccinated against. For instance, if we do not vaccinate ourselves against German Measles, we could catch that disease and then be a threat to a pregnant woman whose baby could be affected if the mother then caught the disease from me. In other words, we have a responsibility to other members of humanity in the decisions that we make. But I do like the suggested proviso that Serge has mentioned, that it is important that a child, or indeed oneself, is not unwell at the time of receiving a vaccination. To me that makes absolute sense.
Considering the consequences of others in the community is paramount when thinking about vaccinations. Whooping cough for example is a very serious respiratory disease which can cause death, and is very contagious. Young babies are especially at risk. In a home where someone has the disease up to 90% of unimmunised contacts of that person will acquire the disease. In infants the cough may persist for 6 months or more and lead to sleep disturbances and significant weight loss. Other severe complications include seizures and pneumonia. Therefore, by vaccinations put in place at 2, 4, 6 months, 4 yrs, 10-15 yrs of age, contracting the disease can be prevented.
A great call Matthew and a reminder that vaccinating is always a choice and has never been imposed by Serge Benhayon.
I went to a University today to see a presentation on a very controversial topic that has two very strong options, either pro or anti (not vaccination – I went to see their animal testing facilities) and what I found quite refreshing was that the researchers obviously had their opinions, but they equally presented both sides, encouraging research into the anti argument, and leaving it up to us the way we felt about the topic. For many people it gave them the space to consider a different outlook, although there personal opinions may not have been affected, and I think it is this ability to present an unbiased view that gives people an opportunity to consider for themselves the right course of action.
A great point you make here Rebecca, and that is about presenting people with information in order for them to make a choice that supports them and for which they are responsible, in contrast to making a choice to please someone or because were too afraid to take responsibility for our choice. In all my time with knowing Serge Benhayon, he has never once imposed his views, but simply presented information, and this to me has been hugely supportive in me being able to make choices that are right for me…
I agree Angela, Serge has an amazing way of not imposing is views, and yet standing by what be believes. It has allowed many the space to consider other options or choices, whether they make a change or not.
I agree, Angela. In the 13 years of knowing Serge Benhayon, he has never once told me what to do in a situation, but rather has encouraged me to find my own truth. Serge knows without doubt that we all have an innate knowing that we just have to learn to trust again, and he treats everyone with the utmost respect in this regard.
I agree Angela. Serge has never imposed any views on me or at any presentations. He presents information and lived experience and I have only ever been encouraged by him to find my own truth.
Yes Rebecca I agree that true choice comes from knowing all your options. If all the facts are presented then you are left to make a decision which is based on what is best for you. Sometimes things are presented in a way where we feel there is no choice, certain opinions are pushed forward and other things left out, or we make decision out of fear because others have an agenda to push. It’s great to feel that your choices are respected and you are not judged. That is how I feel with Serge Benhayon.
I very much agree Angela, Serge Benhayon simply presents information without wanting to convince or even wanting you to get it. He presents what he lives and what is true for him and allows everybody the space and time to discover that for themselves.
This is a very true point Angela and my experience has been the same with all Serge has presented. Sometimes I come to my own realisation very quickly in regards to a choice and at other times it has taken months sometimes years as in the case of vaccinations. It has been around 8 years to begin to reconsider my views on this subject as more people claim their experience I can connect to what now feels right for me and would be a responsible choice for All.
This is so important Rebecca. People’s choices need to be respected no matter what our own personal opinions are. It’s great that this topic was presented this way at your University.
I agree Rebecca, respect of others choices is of paramount importance, for as you would like your decisions to be treated with respect you must also extend the same courtesy to others.
Exactly, when a person feels able to make a choice either way, they will make a far better choice for them then when they feel pressure, judgement or a need to defend. I have found that in every encounter with Serge Benhayon, he has always held me as being intelligent, adult and wise enough to make my own decisions, never pressuring or choosing for me. It is a very empowering experience – one that I feel would be beneficial to so many children and teenagers who often do not get the same level of respect in many areas of their lives.
Rebecca, I like what you are pointing out about presenting both sides equally in the sense that it is not biased, leaving everybody the space to decide for themselves. I too feel that this actually opens up an opportunity for another to consider something else or in fact truly consider what is right for them because you do not feel you have to defend or hold on to what you believe, instead a platform is given that allows for more to see.
I agree, at a time when it is really easy to research any topic and find so many pro’s and cons, how great to experience the support from Serge Benhayon to honour that we do actually know ourselves.
It’s tricky in life to know what is the best choice, given there are two strong opposing sides of the debate with vaccinations. My mum was the vaccination nurse when I was young so I was fully vaccinated and never questioned this. Years later I was feeling apprehensive and wondered had the right thing been made and had I been fooled. It is reassuring that this topic is being openly discussed and that Serge Benhayon has been supportive of vaccinations.
This is a subject that many parents worry about and do base their decisions on fear as you say.
Your blog shared information that definitely helped me confirm that I made the right decisions with getting the immunisations for my children and has helped me form an opinion when asked by others.
Thank you.
Now that I have to come to realise that being vaccinated is not just about me but also is a responsibility I have to others it has changed my attitude about vaccination. Every year where I work they offer us a free flu vaccination, which I have always said no to, but as from this year I have decided to have this injection.
As part of my work it is my responsibility to ensure that my vaccinations are up to date and your blog as served as a timely reminder that I am due a booster shot. I also make it my responsibility to ensure that all my team members have their required vaccinations and that they have their bloods checked regularly to ensure they have the needed levels of antibodies both for their protection and for that of the public.
Having vaccinations reaches far beyond our own health and is a way of ensuring that once life-threatening illnesses as eradicated.
There is a lot of arrogance amongst many about the fact that ‘they can handle it’ if they get the disease, or ‘my body will manage it naturally, being fit and all’. But we must never forget that not that long ago we have had epidemics that have wiped out whole populations and made us all very sick. Have we turned a blind eye to our past?
Thank you Penny, for sharing your experience and your wisdom.
I loved what you wrote here:
“We understand now that this put not only her at unnecessary risk of preventable diseases, but also others in the community. Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.”
This was true for me too, in making the choice not to vaccinate my children when they were young. This decision was based on fear, not on love. I would make a different decision today, and am doing so, choosing to vaccinate our whole family, for the sake of our whole community.
The issue as it has been explained to me by my doctor is that for immunisation to be truly effective it requires a herd mentality – in other words it is only truly effective if everyone does it. As my mother used to say to me, if you have seen someone die of whooping cough or small pox, then you would not think twice about vaccinations.
Modern medicine has done many wonders for humanity, and the near eradication of small pox is one of them. If fact, modern science has done such wonders in dealing with communicable diseases, that it has now inadvertently helped to highlight the effect of lifestyle disease, by creating an imbalance in the statistics (such has been its success in treating communicable diseases) – to the point where we now have the situation where lifestyle diseases are now statistically responsible for the overwhelming majority of deaths worldwide.
This is where our role as individuals comes into the picture, and where complementary medicine has a huge role to play to support people in making healthier lifestyle choices – something modern medicine cannot do on its own.
Great points made here Adam. I wonder if the ‘immunisation’ for lifestyle disease could be self love, self care and self responsibility? All presented by complementary health organisation Universal Medicine as very real possibilities to change and support growing health and wellbeing. In my experience of this I would say absolutely, yes, true self care alongside modern medicine is the key to decreasing lifestyle disease the world over.
I love how you remind us that adults need vaccinations too, Penny. Thank you, a good reminder.
This is important to note Alison. The vaccination ‘debate’ is all about vaccinating our children. This is one important area to discuss and debase. Adults who are not up to date on their vaccinations have ended up unvaccinated mostly due to forgetting or not seeing it as important, not usually from a strong anti vaccination stance. What this shows me is that we care enough about our children to have a view and make a stand one way or the other but for ourselves we do not. As adults this important part of self care and health care is often forgotten or overlooked because we do not live in a way that takes responsibility for our own health or we do not consider ourselves important enough to truly care for.
Hi Penny, There are many fears around the use of vaccinations for parents and we all want what is best for our children. Thanks for sharing your experience of both choices and how yours changed.
I have also debated the pros and cons of vaccinations in the past but it is interesting that when it was pointed out to me once that taking responsibility for the health of the whole community came into it, it was actually easy to decide in favour of vaccination, for me. But of course everyone is free to make up their own mind based on the information available.
A great point Rachel, and one that I wondering about too, ‘ which vaccinations are really supportive for humanity to avoid diseases and which ones are more promising and money making than truly supportive?’
Penny, I love what you have shared here about our responsibility to make choices that not only affect ourselves, our families but also our wider communities. It’s not often that people in society make choices from the notion that they are affecting others outside of their own home and yet we are interacting with others all the time and have the opportunity to extend our openness and embracing of what true family could actually one day be – everyone included.
I have a familiar story Penny. I was very much influenced by alternative and natural medicine and decided together with my husband that we would not vaccinate our children all the vaccinations. It had all to do with not wanting to harm my children and out of fear. I never considered the whole picture and our responsibility for the community. Since a few years I work in healthcare and have taken the necessary vaccinations to care for myself and at the same time all the people I work with.
When I was young, we all had vaccinations and I thought this was normal to do. When our daughter was born, I did have her vaccinated, but started to question when to do this. For example, not doing it if she was unwell, which would place a strain on her immune system. She did have a major side effect from a vaccine and this made me question its safety. I learnt in other countries, this particular vaccine was only given to older children, who had more advanced immune systems as this was deemed to be safer. However, I continued with vaccinations when she was older and when we travelled overseas. I also made choices on which vaccines to have and which not to have, after speaking with the doctor and reading up on the different aspects of each. I was aware of the dangers that can occur with vaccines and the consequences for children. This was weighed up with the benefits of having the vaccine.
It is a difficult area and one that needs more open discussion on both sides. It brings up emotional issues for many people and the struggle they have when making decisions. One area of concern to me was how drug companies placed profits and greed before safety issues and that some vaccines had mercury in them, which is an assault on a person’s immune system. That’s why more discussion would be great, to place everything in the open, even talking about those things which may not be alright with vaccines and looking at how they can be made as safely as possible. This way we can make decisions based on all the facts and how best to support our children and ourselves.
It’s great to read all this support for vaccination. Serge Benhayon does not instruct us as to what we should or must do, but his presentations frequently prompt us to broaden our views on matters and to give them more consideration than we have previously thought they deserved. In this way we come to a conclusion that is well thought-out.
Whilst having my children I never questioned vaccination and had them all vaccinated on time for what was required. I never realised there was a debate. Although I never questioned childhood vaccination or travel vaccinations I did question whether I needed the flu vaccination when it was offered to me through work and resisted for a couple of years. However last year I had the vaccination as I had begun to see this a self loving and nurturing thing to do to look after myself. It is interesting to note that the debate wages now that the infectious diseases vaccination has prevented are not so prevalent in our society. It may be worth looking back in history to have a clearer perspective on whether to vaccinate or not.
It is ultimately about choice, but with a great understanding why vaccination is needed and how many are impacted. We all have responsibility and it’s therefore important what choices we make.
It’s an interesting topic. I have always felt that to vaccinate was a simple choice…the short term discomfort of a needle, perhaps some side effects, for long term gain – no potentially harmful or deadly disease! The stories of the people who came up with these vaccinations were inspiring to me. Yet though I have always been fully vaccinated, and have also vaccinated my three children, two of them had chicken pox as young children….they were out of action for a week or so, fevers and sores etc. I never doubted they’d recover and there’s been no scarring that I’m aware of. Perhaps their experience of this disease would’ve been worse had they’d not been vaccinated, perhaps they would not have gotten it at all had all the children in their school been vaccinated….I don’t know, but I’m glad they were at any rate.
Very interesting and informative blog Penny. Being an older generation we were encouraged to be responsible and vaccinate our children. I didn’t question this and had all my 4 children vaccinated, but if I had read what most of this younger generation of Parents have been exposed to I may have had a different view. I remember my Mum telling me that when my sister started school she brought home all the childhood contagious diseases and passed them on to me before I even got to school. Parents also encouraged their children to share the disease by putting the children in the same room instead of isolating them, probably not the best idea but as Mum said it was over and done with in a few weeks that way! I still feel vaccination is the safest and most caring way to go.
Yes I’ve found that interesting too Roslyn – there seems to be a huge difference between how the older generation were brought up and taught about vaccinations, i.e. go for it, and how younger parents were influenced that vaccinating wasn’t a very clever option.
Thank you Penny for sharing how you have been inspired by the presentations of Serge Benhayon, to not make decisions based on fear, or on ideals or beliefs, or on the opinions of others.
Penny, my story sounds very familiar to yours. Thank you for writing about what can be a very emotive subject. I based my anti vaccination choice on fear too and it was only since attending Universal Medicine courses that I started to realise and feel this for myself. My views on vaccinations have turned around completely, which is remarkable as I was very against them at one point when my children were small.
A lovely testament concerning choice and openness to change. Great to read of your experience concerning meeting Serge Benhayon.
Vaccination or any form of prevention is a conundrum for sure, but something that in the end has to be a considered decision down to individual choice, coupled with a sense of the wider responsibility you describe. Must admit I oscillate about anti-malaria tablets though, playing the published side effects off against the fact that I once knew someone who contracted malaria and very nearly died. The pros and cons are there for us to consider. But what you raise here is the wider context of community responsibility – and I’d add cost to our health services – in our decision-making.
What an amazing story Penny and one that confirms the power of understanding. It feels like you have done a 360 degree take on vaccination, following what your mother did to a real life experience with your daughter calling you to re-think this, seeking support and wisdom from Serge Benhayon and then taking your time with your husband to contemplate what to do. Your choice to vaccinate your daughter and yourselves, feels very mature – coming from understanding – a choice that has been deeply considered from all angles. This shows us that a choice deeply considered ultimately benefits all. Thank you Penny.
Thank you Penny for sharing your’s and your family’s journey with vaccination, and how by the support of Serge Benhayon you were able to feel what was true for you. Your story is not a unique one I have read many articles now testifying to the support individuals have received by Serge Benhayon in regards to being pro-vaccination and re-engaging with western medicine. A recent article by Jane Hansen states the opposite to this, I guess another example of journalists selling a story that they feel will sell a story or meet an agenda. I wonder why journalists don’t see what a great story does lay in front of them “many thousands of people turning their lives around, living joy-fully and vitally, defying the odds of current medical trends”? Now that is a headline.
Yes, Caroline, Jane Hansen’s article could not be further from the truth, as in my experience Serge Benhayon has always respected the personal choice of parents with regards to vaccination, and has been very open about what he has chosen for his family in this regard. To suggest otherwise is pure fiction, and very dismissive of parents who have taken the time to consider the full implications (both sides) for their children and society at large.
I too had varied ideas re vaccination. But since studying nursing and after speaking to doctors who have seen the effects of infectious diseases first hand, I feel it is being responsible in our community to vaccinate. Also whilst working with premature babies, who after 60 days get vaccinated whilst being hospitalised- we have had very few babies who have had major side effects requiring more intense treatment.
Vaccinations are among many things I had very fixed views prior to meeting Serge Benhayon, although I had at times changed my view from one pole to another, the rigidity of my beliefs and choices was what stuck out. I am now a lot more flexible with assessing what is needed, allowing what feels most loving and caring to my body to guide my choices.
Oh yes rigid beliefs was where I was at prior to meeting Serge and I will be forever grateful for presentations that have inspired me to be more flexible and listen to what feels right for my body.
Great Golnaz – it is quite a journey to no longer align with one or the other belief system about our health and well being. I found myself sometimes so willing to give my power away to a prefabricated setting…and it is an interesting journey away from there (the settings I trust in – but why?) to “my body to guide my choices” (where I have to learn and to train again to trust in).
Thank you Penny for your article titles ‘Changing our perspective on vaccination.” I have found that these expressions on this subject has brought a deeper awareness and understanding for myself. I must admit I previously had ‘a belief’ about this arena of discussion, and am finding that there is a deeper awareness here to be had, including the awareness that we have a responsibility for the whole – the whole community of people everywhere.
Although vaccinations do have their side effects, the overall benefit is much greater than this. The support of the Australian government to have children vaccinated for free is a tremendous support for families and not a luxury that all countries have. We should be very grateful. For the record, our family is fully vaccinated!
Great sharing, thank you Penny. It’s interesting how our perception can be swayed by fear. You made a really great point at the end about vaccination being for all – this is so true. Perhaps our bodies may be able to fight off something even if we are not vaccinated ,but this still doesn’t mean that we are not a carrier for the disease. Being a carrier for the disease means that all the people who we interact with, pass in the shops etc etc are then open to potentially catching something. By vaccinating we are ensuring that disease does not get spread and that others are protected from being exposed to it . . . that is the elderly lady in the street, the new born bay in the supermarket, the woman go through chemo at the swimming pool and so on . . .
We definitely have a grander responsibility and that is to ALL.
Following a career in naturopathy the anti-vaccination-consciousness is quite implemented in me. Besides the unreflected all-natural ideals there are for sure some facts that cast a critical light on vaccination like side effects, twisted statistics, corruption in the pharmaceutical industry or manipulation by fear and guilt. Nevertheless I appreciate very much the presentation of the topic in this and other blogs that make me reflect and consider all the aspects instead of simply going with the ideals, beliefs or fear… to reassess my choices around vaccination and liberate myself from a consciousness (set of thoughts, beliefs, ideals) that I was not aware of.
Yes Alex this is what was important in all of this for me. To be free of the beliefs and ideals I took on around vaccinating that held me in fear. From there I could choose what was true for myself and my family of my own free will. From time to time small thoughts tried to come in but when I connected back to the purpose then it was simple for me.
I loved reading this blog Penny. My views on vaccinations have also been changing in the past few year as I’ve been willing to let go of some long held beliefs that have been obstructing my decision making which in turn have opened my mind to the real benefits of innoculations. Reading this however, I realise I’ve always made any talk on the subject about my children and left myself out of the picture. Time to look at making some loving choices for me and the bigger picture.
Great blog Penny, there can be risks involved with vaccination, but I’m also of the stance that they can be so beneficial not only to the person receiving them but in helping to minimise the spread of certain diseases. Thanks for the reminder that I may also need to check if my vaccinations are up to date – it’s not something I have thought to check for a long time!
Dear Penny, when my children were born, vaccination was simply something that we did, for me there were no questions asked. Like you though I feel this stance was a direct result of how my parents had done the same for me. What come to mind when reading your blog and how you brought into the equation the responsibility we have to the greater community was the awful disease poliomyelitis. I personally have known people in my life who were permanately disabled from contracting this disease as children. They thought: “we’re the lucky ones”, as they lived. I shudder to think where we would be today if it were not for the polio vaccine. This for me speaks volumes in support of vaccination.
Perhaps you have hit the nail on the head about why some parents choose to not vaccinate their children, “Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear and not wishing to do her harm.” “To look at the bigger picture and one that includes us all” is a different slant on the issue… If we love our child, don’t we love all children? Don’t we endanger the health of other children and place stress and worry for other parents when the disease is contracted because of a lack of immunisation?
Great point, Rachel. Wouldn’t we want all children to be protected from infectious diseases, not just our own? To think otherwise exposes how centralised and isolated we have become from our communities, negating the sense of a common truth for all.
As a nurse I see how much people struggle with whether to vaccinate or not. While it is a personal decision whether to vaccinate, this decision does need to be considered within the bigger context of how it impacts the wider community. It therefore provides us with a great opportunity to work as a global community.
I’m yet to have children of my own although was given all suggested vaccinations when I was younger. I’ve only ever had to consider accepting vaccines as an adult when travelling to developing countries. Malaria for example was a disease I felt I was at a certain risk of getting as I have always been the target for mosquito bites, as well as being allergic to them for many years.
Great blog Penny. I have never had strong feelings about being ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ vaccination but now, although Serge Benhayon has never told anyone what to do, he presented to me a different perspective, a perspective that showed me that my choices affect everyone else. So, if I needed to take any shots, I wouldn’t hesitate to get them.
Penny, thank you for sharing your story here — it is a very pertinent one and a great insight into what happens when we make choices that are fear-based and not responsibility-based: fear-based choices can impact ourselves, our loved ones and the wider community. Whereas when we make choices based on responsibility and not fear, there are still ripple effects on everyone around us but these are now positive ripples, based on consideration and what is actually needed — which is true responsibility.
The wider implications are starting to sink in with me, the fact that we vaccinate our children for their benefit but also for the benefit of other children and those who are more vulnerable to diseases. I have never really looked at the wider implications before and the responsibility we hold when we choose to vaccinate or not.
When I was a child it was common to get mumps, measles, chicken pox and polio and there was absolutely no question about being vaccinated against these diseases, as there was always someone you knew who was living with the lasting effects of these illnesses.
I agree Julie – at the time when the diseases where still common and so the suffering that comes with them was still known to many, vaccinating was an obvious choice. Since then the suffering caused by many diseases has been almost eradicated and yet the need for vaccinations is still there.
Yes absolutely Julie; vaccinating our children benefits other kids and adults who are more vulnerable to diseases, and those who do not make the choice to get their children vaccinated are actually being supported by those who do.
Wonderful blog, it gives a whole new perspective on choice. I haven’t taken responsibility for vaccinations while travelling (out of reaction and fear) and if I would travel again, I will definitely make other choices, this time from love.
Absolutely Marietta. When the choice is about choosing more love or less love, it makes it much simpler! I would certainly consider getting vaccinated when travelling too – and also take the responsibility of finding out a lot more about it.
Great blog, Penny. I had doubts about vaccinating too after seeing a natural physician. She strongly advised against it and provided me with all the negative information. After reading this I decided to wait with vaccinating both my children as long as possible. When my son (at the age of 15) got the measles last year because of this I could strongly feel the lack of responsibilty I had had both for him, his sister and all those around us. This decision about vaccination has a bigger picture to consider and so everybody is vaccinated now. Thanks to Serge Benhayon’s clear presentations on choice and responsibility and also his pro vaccination stand I could take a different decision.
Wow, Monika. It has been fascinating to read some of the comments on this blog and realise how often and strongly others can impose a view (in this case of anti-vaccination) with no true regard of the consequences. This debate raises an all-important point about the responsibility we have to simply present information and not impose our views that can be so often laced with influences and ideas that might well be a misinterpretation of the actual truth. Serge Benhayon is an amazing role model for this. Never will he try and press his ‘opinion’ on anyone, he will simply present the facts, he may share what he does but he will not advise one way or another. There is potential great harm in someone to give advice on matters such as immunisation as many of this blog and the many comments in response reveal, and it implies that ‘I know better than you’. Information should always be presented to empower another to make their own well-informed choices, not to sway them in one way or another.
Great post Penny, vaccination when appropriate feels common sense to me, i’ve been vaccinated against MMR and also against various diseases when traveling to different/developing countries. And indeed Serge is never someone who tells anyone what to do…. because of personal choice. This ‘personal choice’ is one however that is not solely just about oneself, but in addition and equally all others too, as you also share.
Good to read you changed your perspective on vaccinations.
Thank you Penny. I too have had an interesting and varied relationship with vaccinations. Although I had my vaccinations, I was not vaccinated for measles as my mum was told I had this virus at age 3. I was misdiagnosed at age 3 and got measles at age 13. I was extremely sick for two weeks – with a temperature of 42 degrees. Not long after, most of my hair fell out due to the extreme temperature. I also had a severe case of chicken pox at age 21 and was hospitalised.
But having spent a significant amount of time being treated with homeopathy in my childhood, I too was apprehensive about vaccination with my own daughter, having been told about all the dangers. While I was pregnant, there was an outbreak of whooping cough at a local school where many of the children were not vaccinated. Some of the children came very close to death.
Suddenly my choice became clear and simple. We have stopped the spread of a huge number of infectious and fatal diseases through vaccination. It felt like I, and perhaps many in my generation, take this for granted as we have not experienced first hand the devastation that contagious and deadly illnesses can cause. After discussion with my partner, we decided that we would vaccinate our daughter. Because, for us, it seemed like there was no point in risking her life or the lives of those around her, based on anti-vaccination propaganda and potential side effects – of which there have been none. Thanks again Penny for inspiring me to share my story too.
My experience was similar to Penny’s and your’s, Simone, in my case becoming fairly blinkeredly and actually arrogantly anti vaccination until Serge Benhayon supported me in more common sense discernment to have a true choice and not just go along with the fear mongering of the anti-immunisation propaganda.
I love where you say: “We have stopped the spread of a huge number of infectious and fatal diseases through vaccination. It felt like I, and perhaps many in my generation, take this for granted, as we have not experienced first hand the devastation that contagious and deadly illnesses can cause.”
This is a great and hugely relevant point. My step son when seeking to inform himself of the dangers of these illnesses we thankfully rarely see now, googled images of wards full of children in iron lungs and similar. A real eye opener and made him want to be a part of the Polio vacination he had not been denied access to as a child. I too was caught up in the whooping cough outbreak you mention and contracted the disease at 12 weeks pregnant – an intense experience that went on for many months – this too left me in no doubt that it is for the benefit of all that we raise herd immunity to protect ourselves as well as our more vulnerable citizens.
I had a very similar experience to you Kate, I was totally blinkered and arrogant about the ant-vaccination stance out of fear – more terror of what the vaccination would do to her. All the while putting my beautiful daughter and those around us at risk. You are spot on when you say we are blasé about it because we don’t see the illnesses anymore.
So true Kate, and it’s kind of amazing that we have somehow skipped the appreciation of what the vaccines offer to this extent. There are so many maintenance and self care things we do in life that we know are needed so things don’t have to get really bad till we take action. These diseases are fully preventable and the real risks of the vaccines administered when our kids are fit and well and healthy are a drop in comparison to needing the full extent of the illnesses as a reminder to appreciate. I finally feel free to choose – with no fear or apprehension, just well informed (conscientious!) appreciation.
Well said about being blinkered and arrogant anti-vaccination Kate (and Kate) – it is an apt way to describe how we can be when making choices based on fear. I also love how you describe appreciating what vaccinations offer – this is so true. While the medical system may not be perfect, it has been hugely successful in eradicating many infectious and fatal diseases from our society, amongst so many other benefits. Cultivating a fear culture around western medicine has potential to inhibit our ability to deeply appreciate what is on offer through healing our body. Great sharing thank you.
Awesome Simone! Thank you so much for sharing your experience – it has expanded this blog and the service it provides.
Thank you Bianca.
Immunisation isn’t just for children – I’d forgotten that, so thank you for the reminder. That you and your husband decided to get immunised, and not just for travel or work reasons, is really great to hear. I feel inspired to do same.
Victoria, it is crazy how we often just associate immunisation with children only and forget that adults too could have immunisation. We often only think about it when we off on holiday. This blog is a great reminder to find out what immunisations are required as an adult.
A brilliant blog – I have to say I am pro choice when the choice is made with all the facts and responsibility taken into account – as with anything in life, if the choice is made out of fear, mis or lack of information or under duress, then is it really a choice?
Great point Rebecca and this is why it seems a lot of people vaccinate for fear of getting sick, not as a way to take loving care of themselves and everyone around them, which has never sat well with me.
Agree, the argument isn’t whether it is right or wrong. The choice is presented in a way that the individual is well informed about the decision. And you are right Rebecca if there is a lack of information or they are mis-directed is there really a choice?
Penny I relate to what you have shared – I too became interested in natural and alternative medicines (and cynical about drugs and big pharmacy) and began to reject out of hand all that conventional western medicine seemed to represent, fears around vaccination included. While I can still see now that money does unfortunately enter the equation, for the most part there is in conventional medicine a genuine desire to heal, and I now have a much greater appreciation for all that it brings. Like you and your husband I didn’t get there on my own – and I too have Serge Benhayon to thank for that.
Thank you Penny for sharing your family’s journey through the vaccination minefield and how discussing it with Serge enabled you to see the bigger picture and make your decision from there rather than from fear.
Penny I relate to making choices from a place of fear when it comes to vaccination as I was from the generation that questioned all things medical in a rather knee jerk reaction to some aspects of medicine that had lost their way, and also a belief that the common childhood diseases like measles, chicken pox & rubella strengthened the immune system etc. In fact I recall parents exposing their children to the illnesses to this end.
I was part of a mass immunisation program delivered to school children, and so had not seen the suffering my parents had lived through with serious outbreaks of polio and diptheria etc., affecting the population, and dreaded ‘innoculation days’ where we lined up, sleeves rolled up, waiting our turn and hoping the needle did not break when it was in our arm (and all the other horror stories that pass round).
I now take advantage of a workplace influenza immunisation program, having read the information and decided when working in close quarters with others in an air conditioned environment this a practical response to today’s realities.
I too used to have fears when it came to vaccination and in particular vaccinating my children, but over the years, through talking to doctors and through the teachings of Universal Medicine, which have helped me enormously to learn how to self-care and take responsibility over my life, I have begun to understand and was willing to open up my mind to the benefits of vaccinations for myself and everybody else, and the responsibility I hold in doing or not doing so, not only for myself but for all.
I find that for many the driving force behind not vaccinating, or even vaccinating their children is fear – either of the side affects or the possibility of the child getting the disease. Either way, fear doesn’t allow us to make good decisions, and that is why fair balanced information on these subjects is imperative – so people can make responsible and informed choices.
Very true, Rebecca. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate is a quandary that disempowers so many parents. When fear comes into the equation our natural intuition goes out the window, and we are left scrabbling for piecemeal facts to convince us one way or the other rather than being able to connect to the whole picture.
I agree Janet – vaccination can be very disempowering for parents, not knowing what is best for their children.
Vaccinations are such a controversial issue in our society. There are many who out rightly oppose them. Thank you for putting forward your experience and something to consider. That vaccination is a part of self care and protection against diseases of our communities, and that is what they do.
Penny thank you for sharing your story. This is such an important point that you have made –‘ Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.’ As I believe that it is important that we have a choice, but it is equally important that we understand where our choices are coming from.
Thanks Penny for your Blog. The power of the written word, the Media and discussions taking place can have a huge effect when it comes to making decisions about all things in life. You have mentioned that, you uncovered ‘Fear’ in relation to your choice not to vaccinate. I chose to have my children vaccinated but not because I knew I had a choice, but because that is ‘what you did’ back then. I am not questioning my choices but I do look back and can feel the importance that in making a decision it is important to feel what is true for you and the intention, agenda, fears etc that may drive that choice. I am also aware of how irresponsible it is to just go with the flow in what ever the ‘thing’ of the day is. Thanks to Serge Benhayon, I have come to learn to – breathe, feel into, consider and then make my choice in all that I do, bringing with it the love of myself and all others that will be affected by that choice.
Penny I really what appreciate you have presented here. I also decided after my fourth child reacted to an immunization injection not to vaccinate my younger children. This resulted in my 5th child and 6th baby at 10 months developing whooping cough (I did as well) . This was a very challenging and exhausting experience that lasted 4 months and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Despite this I did not choose to vaccinate my 7th baby as I was so entrenched in thinking I would harm her.
I can now feel that this decision was made out of fear and the desire to do my children no harm like you shared.
I have been pondering how to address this now that they are now teenagers and have decided to book an appointment with our family GP to discuss a way forward, as like you I can feel immunization is not just about the individual, it is about everyone!
Wow Penny this is awesome, thank you for sharing your experience of choosing not to vaccinate and then coming to know the value of vaccination in supporting us all. Thank goodness for Serge Benhayon and his words of wisdom, what a great support for you and your family. I love that Serge always presents the big picture and never tells people what to do but simply presents the truth for all and then the choice of what to do is yours.
Thank You Penny for sharing your personal account on vaccination. It shows how you were influenced (and many of us) from personal experience on how you perceived vaccination. But due to certain circumstances you chose to re visit and look at vaccination with a willingness to take responsibility for your choice.
I can resonate with this a lot Julie. I was very much held under the anti-vaccination consiousness and it took for a community outbreak of whooping cough for me to reassess my decision.My child was 4 but I had 2 close friends with very small children. It hit me as to the risk these babies were at. I realised I had not been open to all sides of the story and had simply lapped up the anti-vaccination information without ever checking in with myself as to what felt best. It is an area where people are so strongly pro or anti and it can be challenging to find your way in this.
The vaccination debate is certainly a hot topic, and will continue to be so. Since studying for an early childhood degree where the topic was also in hot debate, it became extremely interesting to me that here was a choice where each individual needs to make their own decision on what is right for them, but also that decision will affect not only them, but also the greater community. I came away from that course seeing that there is a “tipping point” in the vaccination program where at some number of people getting vaccinated (e.g. 85%) the community at large is protected, but when that number drops to a number below what is needed (e.g. 75%) then the opportunity for illness can flourish and the entire community is at risk. At the time it struck me how the choices of the one affect the choices of the all, and so it will continue.
I personally have travelled regularly overseas since the late 1980’s. Sometimes I choose to be vaccinated, sometimes not. It will depend on my destination and time away. What I love about this blog is that like you Penny, Serge Benhayon does not tell me what to do, but if I want support he is always there as a friend would be to assist, but my choices are my own.
Thanks Penny for sharing your experience of vaccinations and how your stance has changed over time. Vaccinations are often spoken about in a highly charged way – it’s great to read this and not feel like you are trying to convince anyone what they should or shouldn’t do, just presenting your experience and views.
Choice and responsibility not only for yourself but for the wider community.
It’s a fascinating topic for discussion and one that a few years ago I would have dismissed, reckoning that anything unnatural to the body cannot be supportive of it. Of course I am starting to see the bigger picture of the responsibility that vaccination carries for all those around me. If I come into contact with children or older people, their immunity may be less than mine and whether I have been vaccinated or not may impact upon them greatly.
A great inspiration – thank you! There are many words full of wisdom I have heard presented by Serge Benhayon over the past 7 years, without any telling anyone what to do, just offering the choices for all to be aware of a greater level of self responsibility, health and wellbeing which also affects everyone we interact with.
There have been many changes in my own lifestyle with great shifts in my body health and flexibility.
I am inspired now to re-commence vaccinations – next stop the doctors surgery!
Hi Penny, thank you for this blog. Alongside “Serge Benhayon on vaccination – choice and responsibility” what both these blogs clearly offer is the truth and responsibility we all have, not only for ourselves but everyone else in the community and the world, as you say “there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.” What else is also abundantly clear is that fact that Serge Benhayon is absolutely pro medicine and never ever tells anyone what to do.
How alternative views, conspiracy theories and our imaginations can run away with our sensibilities and leave us incapable of making responsible choices when it comes to vaccinating our children; a choice that will affect their lives and therefore our own.
It’s amazing how your perceptions of being vaccinated has changed, and that now you see it as another responsibility you hold to not only care for yourself and family, but also the people around you. Thank you for sharing Penny.
Thanks for sharing Penny. It is such a great point that you not only endanger your only children but others in the community. Everything that Serge Benhayon presents considers all and takes responsibility to a whole new level. Listening to him has hugely expanded my awareness and allowed me to develop a much deeper and more responsible connection with the community.
Thank you for sharing your experience here Penny. I have always felt that vaccinations were supportive and responsible and when I began to attend the presentations given by Serge Benhayon I loved the fact that he was (and still is) very clearly pro medicine. I have embraced western medicine more than ever in the last few years while also taking far more responsibility for my own health.
It is amazing how we take on other people’s views on things, especially around something like vaccination. We can be influenced by so many factors. I know for myself when vaccinating my daughter, even though I chose to do it, I couldn’t say I was fully informed. I just went with the flow. Now, when vaccinating for trips overseas or for my daughter when it comes up at school, I inform myself and then a decision is made.
Thanks Penny, for sharing your experience of vaccinations. When our first daughter was born we too chose not to vaccinate her. I could feel the fear that is placed on parents from the medical professionals and also the fear that came from the anti-vaccination campaigners. I didn’t want to do anything out of fear so we waited. Over the preceding 5 years I have slowly come to feel the benefit of having vaccinations, and was able to not get caught up in the fear around it all but make a clear, responsible decision. So at 5 years old we decided to vaccinate our first daughter and when our second daughter came along we vaccinated her from the very beginning. Now understanding the immense responsibility it is to care for our children, ourselves and our community in this way is an enormous learning for me and one that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine has supported me to feel.
Penny this is a great learning to share. How is it that we forget about everyone and focus just on ourselves and the outcomes that will suit us? Without considering literally everyone we leave the world separate and ‘debating’ issues that aren’t really issues at all, but acts of great consideration that include the whole community.
Thank you Penny. Your words inspire me re-consider my approach to vaccinations too. I find when we do something that improves our health sometimes we can take this as a sign that we can stop caring, as if it is ‘job done’. It is kind of a false sense of safety that comes. These days I am seeing that when I take responsibility for my health there are always opportunities to develop things further. It feels like there is no end to the care and love that can come.
There is a lot to say about vaccinations. When I was a teenager I was volunteering for a group of disabled people and we used to take them out to the movies, or for holidays. One of those women had contracted polio from the (old) vaccine. She was in a wheel chair from young, that was difficult to swallow. I would not say I agree with ALL vaccinations, but I know there is a lot of development in that field and most of them protect the vast majority of people, and the benefits on a large scale outweigh the side effects/complications. I still would use discernment for the seasonal and swine flu ones, as I would for the triple one for girls to prevent cervical cancer.
Yes, Penny, having the necessary vaccinations makes sense to me. When I was growing up it was not uncommon to meet or see someone who had suffered from Polio as a child and you could still see the effect of the disease in their bodies, like a shortened limb, or a bent spine. Today you seldom see that any more, nor do we have to concern ourselves about diseases like TB which is still a risk in developing countries where there’s less vaccination available to all. So it doesn’t surprise me that Serge Benhayon is pro-vaccination because vaccination makes sense for the common good (as well as the individual) and I know how much he cares for humanity as the individual and the whole.
It is so easy to be swayed one way or the other about vaccination, nutrition, exercise, education, not to mention cultural norms and expectations. The point is well made here that to break this cycle of ‘being blown around by the wind of knowledge’ in life, it seems important to make a choice from one’s own awareness of what one feels to be true. The invaluable gift of connecting with the part of me that can discern truth from intellectual knowledge is something I have learnt and begun to apply in Universal Medicine presentations from Serge Benhayon. I understand that throughout history there has been a similar call – to connect to the wisdom within and contemplate the whole truth and that it is possible to live that truth. Yet despite higher education and years of spiritual experiences, up until Serge Benhayon, I have never found it presented with the love, support and encouragement that has made it real and applicable to everyday life for me.
Wise words indeed Penny, the choice is left free, along with the awareness of responsibility for the bigger picture. I have been deeply untrusting of conventional medicine for years owing to some early awful experiences, and if it were not for the support of Serge Benhayon I would have continued to refuse an operation that was badly needed, as I was too terrified to go there.
Serge’s common sense and endorsement of conventional medicine as part of taking true responsibility for care of your own health allowed me to see this treatment in a different light, and his support helped me to approach the operation with far more acceptance and enthusiasm in how to maximise its benefits and healing. Since the operation 2 years ago, my health and well-being has improved out of sight.
It’s interesting how we can put our body at risk of the effects of disease because of a belief that we have about a medicine that is designed to prevent or minimize the same disease.
I can relate to much of what you’ve written Penny, I too was vaccinated fully as a child and held no anti-vaccination stance until meeting the man who was to become the father of our son. His father was responsible at the time for editing an anti-vaccination book and provided us with the statistics and angles taken by the anti-vaccination lobby groups. Like you, out of fear, we chose not to vaccinate.
I remained quite decisively anti-vaccination until hearing Serge Benhayon speak about it in response to a question in a workshop one day… and for the first time heard a perspective that seemed balanced and sensible and was very much pro-vaccination – without pooh-poohing the anti-vaccination stance. He held no judgement towards those who chose not to, respectful of this also, but made very clear that for him, it worked. Beyond a child being healthy when one chose to vaccinate, he did not advise one way or the other, making it clear this was a personal choice.
It’s so interesting how easy it is to be influenced by statistics and research and then make choices based on fear…I am sure we have all done this in many areas of our lives. I was also at that talk Jenny & I really appreciated how Serge Benhayon just shared his perspective…no selling or influencing either way, but just presenting and leaving you to feel for yourself and make the choices for yourself as he does with all of his presentations. I remember I was fascinated listening to the discussion, because it is a topic I never had to consider much before, as I do not have children. But I feel more educated now and am inspired to research more deeply as I now understand that vaccination is not just a choice for children, but also adults to consider, as our choices in regards to vaccination have far reaching consequences to the community at large…
Hi Penny, I did not vaccinate my children when I was a young mother as I also thought the potential harm outweighed the disease. When all the kids in the local playgroup came down with the measles the woman who ran the playgroup, who was aware of the un-vaccinated status of my children, accused me of putting all the kids at risk. I could not understand why she was so upset as her child had been vaccinated therefore protected. At the time I was not sure why or how it puts others at risk but knowing what I know today I would most definitely have vaccinated my children. My grandchildren certainly have been.
Thank you Penny, your account here shows just how easily we can be influenced by popular opinions and lose sight of the bigger picture. The history of vaccinations proves their worth, for many deadly or crippling diseases have been brought under control by their application and it’s good to bear this in mind when considering the whole equation. This is about the bigger picture. We are graced with many choices in this field, it is important to ultilise the opportunity to moderate or erradicate the impact of these diseases for all of us.
I can understand why many people have moved away form western medicine, with its big business pharmaceutical companies and often impersonal pressured systems. Vaccinations have in many ways been forced onto the population not always in a truly informed manner, however, as this article presents, they do actually have merit, as do many aspects of western medicine as a whole. It seems like time for western medicine to be embraced again, this time with greater understanding, and a greater level of self-responsibility.
Awesome, Penny. I love the fact that your choice to vaccinate your child was not based on being told what to do, but on being given the option to decide for yourself.
That’s right Naren, one of the many things that I appreciate about Serge Benhayon is that he never tells people what to do, he just presents great common-sense information and leaves you to make your own choices.
Fear is such a powerful emotion that can override what we can know is actually true, resulting in us making choices that are made with the best of intentions but are are actually harmful to ourselves and others. Thank you Penny for showing how we can do this in relation to vaccinations.
Thanks Penny for offering your stance on vaccination. I was vaccinated as a child and I had my children vaccinated without hesitation and agree that vaccines have gone a long way to prevent the spread of disease. It hadn’t occurred to me until reading these blogs that to be vaccinated myself would support the community. What I am still struggling with, and I feel a resistance there, is the flu jab. Maybe it’s just being hypocritical of me to choose to not to have this jab because I have never had flu, when I am quite prepared to have the tetanus jab, for example. Much to ponder, thank-you.
p.s. it’s curious that we have our cats and dogs immunised without hesitation, but often question it when it comes to ourselves.
Thank you Penny. I like the way that your sense of social responsibility has lead you to consider what choices to make for the health of your family.
Hi Penny, it’s so beautiful written here that all choices that we make do relate to others in the world. Every choice is affecting so many others. That might be scary on one hand, but also gives us (back) our True power. So yes, from this perspective the word responsibility gets a whole new meaning and level. Thank you for the inspiration. There’s a deeper level of understanding and commitment now.
Your sharing resonates in me, Penny, as I have made similar experiences. My feeling now is that vaccinations do support health when we treat our body in a loving way concerning food and exercises. A lot of diseases have been gone or have almost gone but tend to come back because of the lack of understanding and the fear concerning vaccinations.
What an excellent post Penny and great timing as there is some much controversy around this subject right now. I can really relate to what you say about taking the stance when you read much of the same material and in this case you are referring to the alternative medicine. I did this for many years and of course I was looking and searching for anything but conventional medicine and there was plenty to support me and my beliefs and not once did I consider feeling what was actually True and what is the “big picture”. Back then I would never agree with vaccination but today I have more awareness, understanding and a Responsibility not only to myself but also how my choices would affect others. Making sure I take full responsibility for my own health and well-being not only supports me but allows me to support others through my work and in the long term, taking the burden off our health systems.
On a final note for the record – Serge Benhayon never tells us what to do or not do. He presents what he lives as his Truth and then we have to make our own choices.
For me the most important thing about the ‘vaccination debate’, which let’s face it, is heated and polarised, is that it has to be about choice – informed choice – not just leaping into either camp and their ardent views. It is a brilliant and clear opportunity to take responsibility, to inform ourselves effectively and then to make our decisions. I have spent time in both camps and now realise that in either I was avoiding taking the responsibility myself.
Absolutely Matilda. ‘It has to be about choice – informed choice’, and, ‘to take responsibility, to inform ourselves effectively and then to make our decisions’.
It’s a reality in our society that we have illness and disease, it’s very worthwhile to take the time to protect ourselves against vaccine preventable illnesses. In so doing, we are also protecting other people. I view it as socially responsible to do so.
I have a similar experience. I was vaccinated as a child and as per requirements for my job in the medical field but over the following years had chosen a more holistic approach to life. When my partner and I had our son we were uncertain about getting him vaccinated. I was not anti or pro vaccination but not sure what the best thing to do for my child was, however I was adamant he was not to have his Hep B vaccination the moment he had been born as I felt this would be additional stress on his body after all he had gone through being born. With the support of our GP and Serge Benhayon we as a family decided yes we would vaccinate our son but would like to wait until he was a little older before we commenced than the current recommendations stipulate. We also ensured that come the day of his shots he was in the best of health, which meant we had to delay one or two times due to him having a bad cold or a fever as we didn’t wish for his immune system to be under strain already on the vaccination days.
Whilst it is distressing to see your child be injected, it would be far more serious for them to develop a preventable disease which could harm their health and that of people around them.
It was only recently that I realised that vaccination is such an emotive subject and when I am asked my opinion on the topic, I always make it clear that I am pro-vaccination but it is for the family in question to make their own decision. However, I do feel we have a moral obligation and responsibility to one another to vaccinate ourselves and our children.
There is indeed a bigger picture to vaccinations here that goes beyond individuality and personal likes and dislikes.
Thank you Penny for sharing your journey with vaccinations. I was also vaccinated for everything growing up and we vaccinated our children. I can remember though not questioning our decision to vaccinate our children until I came up against other parents who were strongly anti-vaccinations and then doubt would creep in. I see now how much fear surrounds vaccinations and other medical procedures, and how it is up to each person to get informed and make that decision for their bodies and families. I’ve never had a flu shot, as I had an attitude of ‘I won’t get that’ or ‘I don’t need to get the flu’…quite a new age approach. But since also taking responsibility for my health and wellbeing, this year I decided to have my first flu shot as I felt how supportive this was to my body. I prepared myself for it and rested after and didn’t have any side effects.
Thank you Penny, I feel the loving inspiration of words of a deeper wisdom within your article.
I remember this same concern about taking our children for vaccinations but our children were healthy and strong and there are other children with poor immune systems and not in such robust health who may not be able to tolerate a vaccine and certainly to suffer one of the diseases could be life threatening for them, so in order for these children to be protected, I felt that our healthy children should be vaccinated. Through vaccination smallpox has been removed as a threat to the health of all of us.
A great article Penny, thank you and I can relate here as I for so many years did not go to the doctors and in fact I felt as though it was a waste of time. Since listening to Serge Benhayon and his insight on conventional medicine, I now regularly go to the doctors and this has been an amazing revelation to me.
Thank you Penny for sharing your experiences with vaccination. I too have had these false beliefs where I only considered the harm that the act of letting my children being vaccinated could cause to them, and this sight of view is fed in many ways nowadays.
Your line “but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all” says it all. It is not only about ourselves but we have to consider the whole. By my choices I have added to the harm of having the diseases around longer to bring suffering to our society. I have neglected my responsibility in this as a parent and left it to my children to decide when they are abel to do so, and by doing so I have put my children at risks they probably would not have chosen to take for themselves.
“Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all” – beautifully said, Penny.
It’s a great thing you have shared Penny. We live in an era when it is easy to forget the appalling diseases that vaccination covers, and has to a large extent eliminated. Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio to name but a few are highly contagious and deadly…but we imagine them to be long gone diseases of the past. We forget the fact that they are frighteningly hard to treat and some of them leave the sufferer permanently impaired, and they are not actually gone at all. Many of them are rampant in the countries we love to travel to on holiday.
Whooping cough has experienced a number of breakouts in Sydney and elsewhere in the world reminding us all that coverage is sensible for us at all ages.
The simple fact is that lying in bed sick, or watching a small child struggle for breath with whooping cough is a great big wake up call about the importance of vaccination.
…And as a matter of “physician take care of thyself”, I always check my Hep B vac is up-to-date.