My frustration with new age concepts that can be bad advice

[Sealynx]

Yes HP,
Quite a few different "spins" can be put on any philosophy. We see that every night on the news. Fox and CNN supposedly both report the news, but somehow it comes out very differently! Religious interpretation is not different.

I am reminded of a Hispanic single parent family with two boys I briefly worked with while in Social Work graduate school. In some Hispanic cultures, mistresses are accepted and frequently they and their children are supported by the rich men that they see. It does not matter that these countries are very Catholic because culture is king.

The mother of these two very sweet children was the mistress of a wealthy man who "found Jesus". Amazingly this discovery led to his refusal to support or even see his children, leaving them suddenly destitute!

He walked around professing his love of Jesus while his children and their mother starved.  She struggled to find work in a world that wanted to see at least a high school diploma and English proficiency while he pranced around spouting goodness and light. I'm quite sure that his "religious" conversion had more to do with getting tired of the woman, who was now getting older and gaining a few pounds, than anything Jesus said! He should have at the very least helped her to get a job and/or an education.

I have seen this theme of "using" spiritual doctrine, Christian, New Age or other, played out on numerous boards. The bottom line seems to be that people are who they are and anything a selfish, mean or spiteful person touches is bleached of its goodness and perverted.

[teartracks]

Sealynx,

Dang!   You’re making me wade deep!  Should have told you I’m a troglodyte!
 
Uhmmm…could it be that for convenience sake, most any clever practitioner could create a mystical ‘quantum physics portal’ as a tool for thrivival?

I know it’s true that I am what I think in my heart.  However, in my mind, the question I meet coming and going is,  am I what someone else thinks in their heart?   Some days here on the board I argue that I am.  Today I argue that I'm not.  Go figure!!!

tt

[Hopalong]

Hi TT,

You're good enough.

I'm good enough.

Almost everyone I know is good enough.

The rest feels like an opportunity to act and act differently, and see how that feels.

All within good enough.

There are bad people too, those who take pleasure in abusing power or causing pain.

xo
Hops

[Sealynx]

TT,
My take is that everyone is perfect in every moment, even if we don't like what they are doing. They are who they need to be and we need to reach inside of ourselves to find our path with, through or around them. It's all learning and the answers are always within your infinite wonderful self.
S

[teartracks]

Hops,

I value your encouragement. 

I agree.  We're good enough .

tt

   

[bearwithme]

Good thread!!!   Me like!!

[Ales2]

Sealnyx - You have a lot of good thoughts about buddhism/acceptance; forgiveness (i.e. accepting what it is); the relationship request showing you step 1 - this one is very true!  I recently experienced this one myself.

My question to myself this morning was about respect. If I'm not getting the respect I think I deserve, I must not be giving it (I think I do- I return all calls and emails, I'm polite, I don't waste peoples time, I'm genuinely nice)  - or I have accepted so little respect in the past thats why I keep attracting a low level of respect.

If I take the psych approach, you see your T, figure out why you accept less respect than you deserve (my NM never thought I was worthy of certain levels of respect, she disrespects me; never supported me when I was disrespected, she also disrespects my judgement/feelings when I'm being disrespected!!! I bought into her garbage, I established a low level through my thoughts, actions, words, did not confront those when I got less respect than I deserve)  then you figure out the patterns and work on breaking them, if your self esteem can handle it - sometimes not. You may lose people that wont treat you with the respect you deserve and wont allow you to alter that part of a relationship that functions to their liking, not yours. This is very frequently a work/boss or a family issue - its also the reason to stress having strong boundaries from the beginning, respect, like trust is hard to rebuild. 

If you take the new age approach - they'll ask you if you know its true, are you taking it too personally, where are you not being respectful in return etc. I think they focus more on changing your overall perception and with things like accepting what is, being grateful, appreciative of the lesson - all of that stuff and I think for DONMs it leads us farther away from a solution to the problem - which for many of us, is rebuilding self esteem and self respect. Also, as DONMs anything that tries to get us away from your true feelings is to be avoided, since many of us had our feelings invalidated in the past,,, this is hugely true for me anyway.

Anyway, these are my thoughts for the moment....

[Ami]

Dear Ales
 I think as our relationship to ourselves change i.e we can love ourselves God Willing, many things will fall in to place. I think I did not demand respect cuz I believed what my M said was true----I was BAD and worthless.
 I see you getting there, friend, to your place of self respect. Keep asking, sharing and going !        xxooo Ami