Awaken2Life

Good morning all,

My sons have stayed home with me today because the school they attend decided yesterday (before they could even be sure of the weather conditions) that today would be a day where all the children would gather next to a fan and do nothing for the entire day.  Ironically, the children are still free to participate in sports, but all of their play times have been cancelled.  I found this waste of my sons’ energy to be foolish, so I kept them home and have them doing activities where there is no need to allow their brain to turn to mush.

All sarcasm put aside, I have to question what message the school is giving my children.  Outwardly it appears to me that they are saying, “Anytime that you are the least bit uncomfortable, it is all right to sit and do nothing.”  What an appalling message.  It is so unrealistic that it threatens to leave them unprepared for the expectations that are put upon one as they get older.  Could you imagine if we all just stopped what we were doing when there is discomfort?

Don’t get me wrong I realise that adaptations would have to be made (a good fan, plenty of water, and perhaps allowing the children to wear lighter more comfortable clothes than their uniforms), but I truly question if just sitting around is the correct choice.  It seems to me this hurts them in both the short and the long terms.  Short, because they are in an institution and receiving no benefit to their brains  and in the long term for the reason I spoke on above (and this is not even to mention the fact that the teachers are getting paid to babysit and not to teach).

Paul

I was talking earlier today with Paul about the way women strive to be model thin in today’s society and how the world has changed it’s view of feminine figures over the ages.

Ancient cultures all around the world have worshipped goddesses with voluptuous proportions.  A rounded figure was sign of nourishment and fertility.

In the 1950s it was fashionable to have hips and a bust.  Come the 60s when women were striving for independence and freedom we see the emergence of Twiggy and so the trend begins.

This pressure to look a certain way helps the diet industry in it’s billion dollar return each year.  Women strive, to the point of starvation, to achieve what is simply impossible.  Isn’t it time to look at ourselves and the reason why we want to be pencil thin?

Lyn

Hello everyone=)

My name is Paul and I am excited to share my thoughts as well as life events with you.  This is the first blog that I have had the opportunity to write since joining the service, so I am truly excited!!

I decided that I would kick it off with a thought on taking responsibility for your own life. 

When I first heard the words, “Take responsibility for your own life” I cringed.  They seemed harsh and like I was being expected to take the burden of the entire world upon my shoulders.  Though I was partially right, I was not taking the whole picture into account.  With deep consideration I have evolved my views.

The simple truth is that when one chooses to take responsibility for his life it  does feel burdensome (after all it is unknown terrain where one cannot simply watch the world go by), but there is a further truth that makes swimming up river refreshing and even desirable.  What is that further truth?  It is simply the benefit.  If you take responsibility you will work harder, but you will shape the life that you desire.  Think about the alternative-you can be a pawn that others manipulate to achieve their goals.  Is it not worth everything to be a free person mentally, physically and spiritually?  Can you  feel your entire being crying out for that freedom? I know that I do daily.

Paul

I caught sight of a question posted on Yahoo! Answers from a young man who suspected his girlfriend of self harm. She had cuts on her legs & arms and the reasons she gave for them were not logical. He challenged her, she denied everything and he’s left puzzling how to help his girlfriend.

It’s a sad and an increasingly common problem in our society yet self harm is widely misunderstood. Some replies on Yahoo! demonstrated this – he was told to run away quick, that she was a loony and he’d be better off without her.

There are two types of self harm that are recognised by most people – anorexia and bulimia. These eating disorders are well documented and medical professionals have an idea of how to treat (or cope) with these patients. But if you talk about people cutting themselves then that brings about a less than sympathetic response.

Common misconceptions about self harmers make this a very tough subject to bring into the open.

• Self harmers are not attention seekers.
  Cutting or other forms of bodily abuse are done in private, not talked about and covered up.
• Self harmers do not intentionally seek to kill themselves.
  Cutting is a way of dealing with emotional pain and the act of self harming brings about release. The physical pain caused from the acts of self abuse are easier to deal with than the intense emotional hurt inside.

It’s very difficult to get a self harmer to seek professional medical help. Luckily more self help groups are springing up to offer support to people who see self harm as a way of coping.

Lyn