David E Marsh

In 1972, after two years working with the Australian Administration in Papua New Guinea, David and his wife decided to reverse a previous trip David had made alone - but extend it a little. From Port Moresby they began four years of travel through 35 countries. This book gives a glimpse of that life and some of the adventure, spiritual learning and education the author experienced.The photographs in this book are digitalised from Ektachrome slide film. This has created a unique presentation of natural and softer Ektachrome colours.Countries include are: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Morocco, Mauritania, Sahara region, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Southern Sudan and other countries in Eastern Africa. www.highlifethebook.comAbout the author: David Eric MarshBorn in industrial Yorkshire in 1937, David Marsh experienced World War II as a young boy and later completed an apprenticeship on the floor of a steelworks near Sheffield. His interest in exploring the meaning of life and enquiry into the nature of selfhood pushed him to travel and discover other cultures.At the time of his departure from the United Kingdom to Australia in 1962 there was very little information about anything east of Greece, let alone maps. David's main hesitation to travel came from his poor health. His youth was plagued with chronic asthma, bronchitis, infections and polio - all of which were being suppressed by medications. He felt insecure about his determination to leave, but decided that he would rather die travelling to Australia than stay in the United Kingdom surviving on medications. This turned out to be one of the great decisions of his life. After giving up the medications, David later realised that this was the start of a slow recovery, which was supported by genuine healing opportunities that he learnt and used from a variety of natural treatments and disciplines on his journey. It was an inner journey to a far healthier body and mind.Leaving the United Kingdom, David hitchhiked across land to Australia where he studied bookkeeping and accountancy before taking up an administrative role in Papua New Guinea, which is where the photographs, experiences and writings for Highlife commence.From his healing journey, travels and work with indigenous peoples, David's observations and inquiry to the meaning of life result from self-reflection and an openness towards alternate ways of life.The book Highlife seeks to reinvigorate a sense of wonder, excitement and openness toward travelling whilst also tempting some questions around life's meaning. The photographs in the book have been digitalised from Ektachrome slide film. This has created a unique presentation of natural and softer Ektachrome colours, with some blemished photographs having deteriorated from humidity and time.

Since 1950 there has been a steady increase in mental ill-health across the population. At the same time, there has been a similar steady decline in IQ. There is strong evidence of 'dumbing down' right across society. If this is allowed to continue it will be the greatest threat to the sustainability of the human race, even greater than the more visible threat of climate change. The Global Mental Health Crisis is a direct result of the fact that, over time, the actual size of our brains is getting smaller. This is a historical fact but is entirely reversible with better brain nutrition. This has now reached crisis proportions.In 2023, The European Brain Council recognised that "Brain Health conditions have become a global health emergency". Back in 1972, Graham Rose wrote in the Sunday Times "Unless action is taken to care for the nutrition of the brain 'We will become a race of morons ' Authors Michael A Crawford and David E Marsh have both devoted their lives to this vital area of research. This book is their legacy. In painstaking detail, they put the case of how to reverse the Global Mental Health Crisis. With greater awareness of the problem, its cause and the solution required to make a change, their message could not be clearer. By reading this book you will not be able to say, "We didn't realise".This book may contain complex research and the result of detailed research, but the message is simple. And so is the action we all need to take.We also explain the role of the environment in the evolution of the brain, leading to early Homo sapiens with a brain capacity of over 1,600cc, and explain why it is now only 1,366 cc and mental ill-health is escalating. The concepts in this book have been fifty-one years in the making. They can't wait any longer. There is no more time. Presented with these incontrovertible facts, it does not need a rocket scientist to work out what will happen if these dumbing-down trends continue Fortunately, solutions are available which will lead to brighter and healthier children of the future.