Real gut-wrenching stories reminding us that there is much work to be done.
#doonething #makeitstop
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2015/08/19/child-victims-of-sexual-abuse-in-guatemala-are-giving-birth-at-an-alarming-rate-these-are-some-of-the-young-mothers/?hpid=z6
(Amy Dier and Jeremie Miller will be teaching an Online Live a Brighter Life Class starting April 29th. Sign up here for free! http://indranislight.org/engage/intro-course-live/)
The Live a Brighter Life Classes will change your life.
I realize that is a REALLY big claim to make, and I am not one to overuse hyperbole, so I mean every word.
However, I realize that statements like this are not overly helpful, so I would like to share a personal story from the Setting Boundaries class, and SHOW you how these classes changed my life.
My family and I were eating in a sushi restaurant in Spokane. The restaurant staff was almost all Asian, with the head sushi chef being Caucasian.
At one point, the head sushi chef walked up to one of the waiters and told him to set up four spots in front of him at the sushi bar for some regulars coming in. The waiter, with a thick accent, asked for clarification and the head chef lost it on him.
Holding up four fingers in the waiters face, the head chef shouted “Four people. One. Two. Three. Four. Learn some Engrish”
I was blown away, and in normal circumstances would have just grumbled to my wife about it and continued eating. Then I looked at my son’s shocked and confused eyes. My stomach twisted, and the teachings from the “Setting Boundaries” class popped into my head.
I have a strong boundary around bullying, but I have been very squishy with that boundary. I hold that boundary firm when teaching and working with teenagers, but I don’t hold the boundary strong in everyday life.
Well, that wasn’t going to work this time. I asked to speak with the manager, explained to him what had happened, that I couldn’t believe it was allowed in his restaurant, and that my 6 year old son had witnessed it.
The manager apologized, talked to the chef, and then the chef came over to apologize, telling us that he and the waiter were friends and they were just joking. I still couldn’t drop it (to my surprise) and talked to the chef about violence and abuse and asked if he was 100% sure the waiter was “OK” with being treated like that, and if he had thought about the effect such “jokes” could have on other people listening.
He apologized again and said he would talk to the waiter.
My wife looked at me and asked, “Where did all that come from?”
The only answer I had, “The Live a Brighter Life teaching I am listening to.”
This huge shift in enforcing my own boundaries comes directly from the Setting Boundaries class. If you find yourself in need of strengthening your own boundaries (and who doesn’t need to work on improving boundaries) you can sign up for the Live Online Live a Brighter Life class right now http://indranislight.org/engage/intro-course-live/
We start April 29th. See you there!
I love having conversations with professionals in different fields of study. One such exchange was with a few chemical engineers, who were explaining to me about chemicals that are heat sensitive or heat stable.
This definition of chemical stability comes from Wikipedia: Chemical stability when used in the technical sense in chemistry, means thermodynamic stability of a chemical system.[1]
Thermodynamic stability occurs when a system is in its lowest energy state, or chemical equilibrium with its environment. This may be a dynamic equilibrium, where individual atoms or molecules change form, but their overall number in a particular form is conserved. This type of chemical thermodynamic equilibrium will persist indefinitely unless the system is changed. Chemical systems might include changes in the phase of matter or a set of chemical reactions.
The instances of abusers going completely crazy and killing the individuals that they are blaming for the fury makes me think of chemicals that are NOT stable.
Abusers are NOT stable people. We never know when they will fly off in a rage, and decide that they must take drastic action and kill and maim people.
I am not an expert on what happens inside the body when people are in rage.
I am willing to guess that they feel like they MUST react and must react fast. They may feel like the other people are “winning” but if asked they probably cannot even verbalize what the game is that the other is winning!
How can we encourage abusers to learn to be heat stable?
How can we teach them that THEY are the only ones in control of their own behaviors?
How can we empower abusers who have not had any training in self management to be able to manage themselves?
We must start with YOUNG people. We must start in schools. We MUST at least START.
Here at Indranis Light, we have started. We have FREE classes.
Here is the link: http://www.liveabrighterlife.eventbrite.com/
Send the link to someone who is suffering from abuse.
Send the link to the young people in your life.
Send the link to women whom you suspect are suffering and oppressed.
Do SOMETHING that will cost you nothing. Send the link.
If you are afraid that your friend may never again speak to you, take the chance anyway.
Take the chance. Do something. Send the link.
Here is the link again.
http://www.liveabrighterlife.eventbrite.com/
We are on iTunes. We are FREE on iTunes.
Please do something.
Love and light,
Indrani
Change the world with ONE simple act….like opening a door consistently.
What a guy!
Can we all be more like him?
http://www.wimp.com/simplething/
