Wonderful Surprise!!

Felt good this morning, lost 2 lbs so I am now 246.4 lbs :)  Got to work, looked at the daily schedule and came to realize that I had a vacation day today, so I went home.  I am in the process of making apple sauce and dancing around the kitchen;  I feel wonderful!

This is not a political blog or even a social commentary blog, but there have been some events of late that have me thinking about how we as a society contribute to the individuals feeling of loss, shame, and guilt.  Both political parties are very good at putting each other down and trying to discredit the other, but I was listening to various voice clips of well known Republicans making statements about the Occupy Wall Street protesters and was blown away by the vicious attack that was aimed at the individuals rather than at the issue. 

There were descriptions of the people as dirty, smelly hair, nose pierced, patchouli and BO smelling, drum banging, unemployed by choice, poor.  On the other hand, there were also comments about the protesters being well dressed rich kids of Wall Street parents who are looking for a date.  No wonder we are so lost.  No matter what we do or are, it doesn't fit into the ideal American image according to the media and those who represent our government.  Again, these are my opinions, generalizations, and observations.

We are a lost society that is struggling to move forward as a united country.  Each side putting down the other, bullying the other.  To move forward, I feel that the bullying needs to stop and find a way to treat each other with respect.  I feel that it is no different than trying to teach your children to respect each other, we are all  human and that alone demands to be treated with respect.  How can we hold that ideal up when all around us we see degradation of everyone?  I don't think there is a single group out there that doesn't have someone else trying to tear them down. 

We need to stop tearing each other apart and start finding a way to support each other.  To do this, it must start with the individual; it must start within yourself.  Only once you have stopped tearing yourself down can you see others as human not something to be destroyed.  So I ask, find within you the ability to forgive yourself, to not judge yourself, to love who you are.  Stop being so hard on yourself and move to a positive view of yourself.  To change society, we need to start w/ ourselves.

“Compassion, forgiveness, these are the real, ultimate sources of power for peace and success in life.” Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama quotes