Wednesday, September 8, 2010

THE VALUE OF WINTER

Our losses are signals for irrevocable change.

Learn MORE at:
http://www.2cover.co.za/2010/09/07/the-value-of-winter/

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

SETTING THE TONE

A clear intention channels our energies to create desired outcomes.

Ensure that you enter this period of significant new beginnings with a powerful intention for a successful future!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

IT ALL BEGINS WITH ME

We all desire to love and be loved!

If we can't show any meaningful love for ourself, how can we expect others to love us?

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

UNDERSTANDING STIGMA

Stigma is not so much what we allow others to do to us as to what we are unconsciously and sometimes consciously doing to ourselves! Stigma speaks of deliberate separation because of something that is generally considered unsavoury and is therefore avoided.

Stigma is frequently shrouded in ignorance and mis-perception drives the intensity of the separation. All too often, people cling to the beliefs of earlier generations without ever adequately questioning the validity of such thinking. We assume that because a belief was handed down and has become culturally accepted, that it should automatically be good.

The process of civilisation and evolution surely demands that we regularly interrogate entrenched habitual thinking, to ascertain whether it remains valid. Inappropriate beliefs keep us stuck in the past; which in turn brings considerable limitation to individuals and society in general. Stigma is riddled with thinking that is outmoded and irrelevant.

By their actions, Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, achieved a considerable amount in breaking down the former "leprosy-style" status of HIV/Aids by physically engaging with those who were HIV+. As the world watched these noble women comforting those suffering with Aids, they allowed people the opportunity to abandon inaccurate beliefs, by demonstrating that simple touch could not generally cause a harmful HIV infection.

Living in secrecy frequently creates the seedbed for our own unhappiness. Secrets are veiled in a sense of personal shame. Feeling shamed is deeply disempowering and is effectively resolved by perpetually exposing our shame, by talking out the shame to those we can trust. The more we discuss our shame, the less power it has over us, allowing us to take back our power.

Stigmatisation most frequently happens to those who feel disempowered by circumstance. To be disempowered we need to feel damaged or worthless. HIV has become a chronic managable disease which if managed properly, does not need to significantly impair the quality of life going forward. Most frequently, those living with HIV feel damaged regardless of their actual ability to live quite normally. This sets up a dangerous process of self-alienation and separation, which is where stigmatisation begins.

By allowing ourselves to think like victims, we become victims. When we encourage ourselves to regularly dwell on empowering thoughts, we notice how life begins to glow despite seemingly impossible odds.

To think in the style of a victim encourages stigmatisation. When others perceive your inner strength, they automatically avoid stigmatisation because it serves no purpose. People are attracted to personal power which always emanates from considerable authenticity.

Stigma serves neither the perpetrator nor the victim because it can never be based on positive intent. Stigma is a destructive loop which slowly eats at the soul of society. Prejudice is often a mask for an unresolved insecurity, where we try to make others wrong to cover our own inadequacies.

Stigma always starts with us! If we feel less than positive about ourselves, we invite the mocking attention of others. To be MORE, we need to resurrect our crippled thinking and to build esteem by constantly engaging in acts of self-love. A healthy attitude of self-love creates an environment where stigma cannot exist. By healing our own thoughts about ourselves, we begin to heal the hidden fractures that run through society. This is the climate where stigma becomes irrelevant, where people choose to build each other as a means of building self.


(Learn MORE about being "MORE" at: http://www.indigo-man.com Click Indigo-Links and then click "MORE or LESS")