Category: Empowering Discussions

Empowering Discussions

Haifaa – Fighter

Impower You

This is wonderful news about Saudi Arabia’s first recognized female director. Haifaa al-Mansour directed the movie Wadjda, a story about a independent young women who learns how to work the gender biased system to get what she needs. Haifaa studied comparative literature at the American University in Cairo and was encouraged by her father who introduced her to videos due to the lack of movie theaters in SA.

I like her quote about inequality.  “It is not like before, although I can’t say it’s like heaven. Society won’t just accept it, people will put pressure on women to stay home, but we have to fight.”  Because we CAN fight for equality as well as any man, we just have to be willing and unafraid.

Be encouraged about whatever cause you are fighting for. Read the article about her that is on Trust Law: http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/female-saudi-film-director-breaks-taboos-in-venice/

WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR TODAY?

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO FOR THAT SUCCESS?

Haifaa poses with the young actress in her film Wadjda, along with a green bicycle, which is part of the plot.
Empowering Discussions

Non Violent Communication

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Here is a great article I found about Non Violent Communication, NVC. I especially like #9 “Look inside at your inner motivation for blaming, complaining, shaming and other defensive behaviors that make others wrong.” It can be hard to recognize our own behavior as nasty and I know becoming defensive causes a lot of problems for myself. Compassionate understanding of others is an important aspect of us living in a peaceful society. In other words, give everyone else a little space to figure it out.

http://paulshippee.com/?page_id=28

Is it important for you to use non violent communication in your daily life?

Empowering Discussions

Vote with your Dollar AND Your Voice

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I love this post about voting with my dollar. http://necessarymeans.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/are-we-voting-with-our-dollars-or-just-lying-to-ourselves

 However, that is more of a capitalist activism. We still have to speak up and use our voices on all other issues. As needed, I send emails about important issues and concerns to my political representatives. It is so easy to find your political reps by area. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/

Or you can sign up for Change.org and any other petition site to make your voice heard with millions of others. We don’t have to act like democracy is some huge impossible task. It is simple enough to send an email, make a phone call, or sign a petition once in a while.

Empowering Discussions

Science can be done by ANYONE!

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Personally, I don’t get enough science in my day. What about you?  Here are videos my former science teacher, Caren Kershner, shared with me. Each one are examples of LEARNING that is fun. After you enjoy these videos, pass this post along to someone else. 

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Science is an important part of progress.  So go out there and learn why you still can. Instill a positive environment for children to pursue scientific research.  It helps us all!

Empowering Discussions

Enjoying Violence

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The old argument of whether violent entertainment is a reflection of humanity or vice versa is constantly waged, but I think a bit pointless. To me the point is how so many people enjoy violence.

What makes you watch people get tortured or run for their lives in pretend situations as a form of enjoyable entertainment?  These things happen in real life all the time, but it is not enjoyable for me to watch news about a crazed gunman killing people at a theater or a school. I don’t enjoy watching movies about war. I can watch the news of innocent people in the crosshairs of drug cartel wars or learning how rape is used as a weapon against women in the Congo.  Last week I saw a preview that made me so angry. It is about a man and a girl who go on a killing spree and gun down anyone that pisses THEM off . It’s supposed to be justified because they “know” that people have become so selfish and uncaring for others. Obviously they “deserve” to die.  Are you kidding me? Letting the world piss you off and then punishing everyone is not justice. It’s you being stuck in victim mode and unable to find peaceful solutions. It is what fascist dictators do.

Why do so many of us enjoy violence? I used to. I loved movies or books with near death tragedy, fast car chases, and explosions. It was fun because in my imagination I put myself in the heroes place and always won, but there was also this scary tone of violence that made me feel uneasy. That feeling only grew with time and became so strong that watching a heroin get pistol whipped and sexually tortured before she successfully killed the bad guys became physically nauseating.  I find no enjoyment from even the smallest violence in move or TV previews. I don’t want that crap in my head.

I know that most of the violence we “create” for entertainment happens in real life. There are real flesh and blood people with feelings, families, and nerve endings that experience this pain long after the violence ends. It is not entertaining. Violence does not build good character. Too much violence builds a nasty sort of character or a victim. So for my own spirit, I know that no matter if life imitates art or art imitates life, violence will never again be entertainment for me.

Why do you like violence as entertainment?  

Do you feel good after watching pretend violence?

Does it feel similar to watching real violence? 

Do you want violence in your life?

Empowering Discussions

My Voice

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I was featured on the blog Voice 4 Society. They promote youth and community advocacy. I am part of the summer showcase with lots of other amazing people that are working to get youth involved in creating stronger communities.

Check it out here: http://voice4society.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/investing-in-women-the-leah-o-story

Empowering Discussions

Think Past the Pop Politics

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I haven’t wrote a political post in some time and since election day will be here before we know it, now is a good time to start.  I often wonder why political candidates constantly pitch and we constantly argue on the same issues over and over again while there are so many more issues. From my view we should focus on issues that effect EVERYONE. We need to discuss problems that cross party lines and religious beliefs! Thankfully I am not the only one who feels this way.  On Care2 I read an article by Beth Buczynski, “Top Ten Science Questions to Ask Your Candidate”.

“Instead of obsessing about same-sex marriage or who deserves access to birth control, maybe we should be worried about what’s gonna happen when the drought lasts all year, or the Keystone XL pipeline spills into the Ogallala Aquifer, threatening 83 percent of Nebraska’s irrigation water. Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/top-10-science-questions-to-ask-your-candidate.html#ixzz21TdPYbcM”

Both points she brings up have already been proven to be important to the average citizen. Remember all the press after the gulf oil spill? I saw people riding the bus and walking with signs stating they were protesting our overuse of oil. I overheard conversations and saw all the posts on FB about the spill and the effects. I read about the businesses that were affected by the spill and saw the photos of animals drenched in oil.  So why isn’t the environment a more popular topic for candidates?

I know several people who live where there is a drought and it has impacted their life in a most negative way.  It’s hard to ignore neighbors dying from heat or increased prices at the grocery store. Water is scarce. It is polluted and there is much less freshwater than saltwater for us to drink and use.

To get you started and give you information Beth’s article gives you 10 questions regarding the following topics:

  1. Innovation and Economy
  2. Climate Change
  3. Education
  4. Energy
  5. Food
  6. Fresh Water
  7. Ocean Health
  8. Science in Public Policy
  9. Space
  10. Critical Natural Resources

Take action! Do what I did and send an email to your reps in congress and the senate. I sent out emails asking all ten of the questions. You can do that or focus on just one or two questions that you are most concerned about or have the greatest impact on your life.  To make it easy for you, here is a link to where you can find your political reps by area. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/

What issues are important to you that effect your community?

Empowering Discussions

Planting a Seed

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After reading a post by one of my favorite bloggers I was inspired to share it with you. it is based on a conversation she had with a date about rape. Can you imagine having that conversation with someone you just met?

This ridiculous notion of night time and strangers hurting us is dumb. According to what I learned, acquaintance rape is much more common than stranger rape. I can see this as true, unless you live a in war zone where rape is a weapon used everyday. I used to go jogging at 10 pm in a less than desirable neighborhood and never got harassed. I think it was because one I am huge, and two I was moving fast. However, for as long as I can remember, I can simply walk down the street in broad daylight and be harassed to NO END!

Even though the date ended awkwardly I am proud of her for having this conversation. Perhaps she planted a seed of knowledge about what rape really is in this man’s head.

Often in life, all you can do is plant a seed, a thought, or a new idea and let that person decide.

Empowering Discussions

Focus on The Solution or Dig Up The Past?

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I recently learned about Solution Focused Therapy.  Unlike traditional therapy where we look for problems from out past to figure out what is wrong, SFT instead looks for solutions. I think it is brilliant for two reasons. First, we seem to live in a society where nobody wants to take personal responsibility because it is easier to blame others.  Second, a lot of us are addicted to drama and what better way to bring up drama than to focus on everything bad in our past?  I am not saying that traditional therapy is wrong, in fact I think it is very important to learn what makes us tick and twitch. I just don’t think we need to do that our whole lives.

I know all the reasons I am the way I am, I don’t need to dig anymore into my past for some aha moment or for people to blame.  The past is there, it is a part of me, but I am done with letting it control me.

SFT was introduced in the 1970’s and “is directed toward developing and achieving the client’s vision of solutions.”  So instead of trying to figure out what went wrong, you try to figure out what went right before and what can go right now and in the future. My favorite part of the therapy is the “miracle questions”.   You are asked what would happen if you woke up and overnight the problem had been solved.  What would be the first sign that it was better and how would you react to that? This means that you have to use your imagination, something humans are not at all short on.  There is a great example of the MQ on this website: http://www.solutionfocused.net/solutionfocusedtherapy.html

 What is a problem right now you need to deal with?

Can you imagine waking up and having it miraculously solved?

What are the first signs it is no longer a problem?

How will you react since the problem no longer exists?

🙂

Empowering Discussions

Lessons to Learn: Judgement

Impower You

Over the past year I have learned so much and grown so much that sometimes I feel so high and mighty. Than my ego gets the best of me and life serves me up a lesson or two.

I was one of those kids with pathetically low self-esteem that was bullied from Elementary school until my Junior year in High school when I finally stood up to a bully. I hated that people would judge me based on something stupid I said, how I dressed or the variety of my family and roots.  Yet looking back I can see that I am as guilty as anyone of judging. I see people walking down the street doing something I don’t like and I judge them. I hear people say ignorant things and I judge them. I get offended by an offhand comment and in my mind I ruthlessly judge that person.

Just because my judgments are not said doesn’t mean they don’t have an effect on me or anyone else. My body language, actions, and tone of voice speak my judgement loud and clear.  

This is one of those lessons that life continually sets down right in front of me and asks why are you being so darn judgmental?   Luckily the more I pay attention and listen to life the less judging goes through my mind.  It is NOT my place to tell others how to act. It is NOT my duty to set them straight.  It is NOT going to hurt me if someone is different from me.

It is my job to allow others to be as they are and to love myself. It is my duty to focus on my own actions and let what I do speak as loud as any words.

 HOW OFTEN DO YOU FIND YOURSELF JUDGING ANOTHER?

 HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN YOU JUDGE ANOTHER? 

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED?