Atherosclerosis is the progressive build up of plaque, fatty deposits, and other cells in the walls of your arteries causing them to harden. This horrible disease is the leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke, which were responsible for 602,000 deaths in 2004 — more than 25% of all deaths in the United States. Each year about 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with coronary heart disease and about 700,000 people suffer a stroke.
As staggering as these statistics are, I believe that an even greater percentage of people around the world suffer from a cousin disease called Psychosclerosis. Psychosclerosis is the hardening of the attitude, which causes a person to cease dreaming, seeing, thinking, and leading. It is the hardening of the mind so that we become unteachable: we stop learning and we stop growing. It is the hardening of the heart, which takes away our ability to feel, love and believe. While this disease does not physically take lives, it robs millions of people of the quality of life and success they deserve. Psychosclerosis is the antithesis of a belief in significance, the belief of renewal and growth.
While one of these diseases may not be physically as deadly, the repercussions can be dramatically life changing. It’s crucial we stay vigilant to our mental well being as well as our physical. What are you doing to avoid Psychosclerosis?