The power of one. Maybe OT?

Old 01-18-2006, 02:23 AM
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The power of one. Maybe OT?

I was delivering training to social workers yesterday on communicating with children - 3 days a year I relish my job, taking what children say to workers and somehow using whatever is to hand to gently move whoever will be moved to see them as people.

Yesterday's session warmed me because in years gone by it was a battle and now it's dealing with frustrations they feel that they can't do what's right - can't do enough, can't change the system.

A penny dropped for me. In all the things kids ask over and over, they never ask just to have everything they want, they ask the system treat them well but they ask individuals to CARE. They ask over and over again for someone they can trust, someone on their side, and they ask those things far more frquently than for rights, belongings or even for things to go well.

But it seems so daunting for anyone to change the culture, to change the system, the odds always seem so small. It's easy to resort to frustration and give up - perhaps not easy, but easy to understand why.

It occured to me that each individual there was far from powerless in fact only individuals change culture. They may argue for a child to be heard but lose - but they argued rather than stood by and let the child be ignored, they changed what they did.

I don't think cultures change because of laws, you can take life for a life and people still committ murder, nor do I think racism laws actually made the biggest difference, I think it was each individual who would no longer tolerate it. I don't think the sums raised after the tsunami were because of governments, it was individual people.

It occured to me as there is no other way of changing social services to care more than by individuals caring more, each of us holds the single most important power and the task is simplified. Care more, act, speak, think remebering how much each child is worth, cease to tolerate them being run down needlessly, defend, reason, and demonstrate a deep caring attitude. Because I believe to the pit of me that is the ONLY way to make kids in care feel cared about. Even if an argument is lost, it still remains the only way to bring about change so the actions of compassion are still worth doing.

You know me - one thing leads to another!! I suddenly felt a huge responsibility, understanding that I (just as ANY individual) am the sole cure for the things I really want to see change. I also felt a sense of peace that all that's required is for me to live that way and then NOTHING will go to waste.

For the first time I feel I REALLY get my own fav quote:
We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Now back to the challenge I began with, making words, action and thoughts all speak one language - hopefully with more motivation!!

It's brought new feelings in me about boundaries too, the boundaries of what I will tolerate but also the boundaries of what I will tolerate from myself.
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Old 01-18-2006, 02:36 AM
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Great post, Eq.

And I think that ALL children want to feel that someone cares, not just those involved with Social Services. Time after time I read on here about the difficult paths that adults follow in order to fill the need stemming from not feeling cared for as a child.

I always thought that "Love is the answer" was a fluffy, hippy phrase. Now I know it isn't.

*edit* and I learned through Al-anon that "Let it begin with me" is an enormously powerful phrase.
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Old 01-18-2006, 02:43 AM
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"The Power of One"...I love that phrase. It's the title of a book by Bryce Courtenay (which is a good story about the power of the human spirit) but it's more than that.
It speaks to our individual power and the effect that has on the world.
The power of a smile, a gesture, a kind word, an action taken out of love.
You chicks across the pond are giving me good brain food this morning.
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Old 01-18-2006, 02:47 AM
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You chicks across the pond are giving me good brain food this morning.
That'd be the power of chicks for ya!! I think I may have read that book years ago - is it set in South Africa, about a boy? It is a phrase that's knocked around my head for decades!

I agree Minnie - 'let it begin with me' is powerful!!
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Old 01-18-2006, 03:47 AM
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Love that post, amen, yeap, indeed, very true, I agree...wholeheartedly :-)
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Old 01-18-2006, 06:36 AM
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Thanks cloudy.

I was thinking about the let it begin with me thing. Something I liked crossed my mind - I could shorten it to 'Let it begin' and know that as soon as I act accordingly I can garauntee it has begun. I know that sounds wierd - I'm not sure how to explain what I mean properly.
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Old 01-18-2006, 06:45 AM
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I'm not sure how to explain what I mean properly.
Makes sense to me but then I have studied "pidgin Equus"
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Old 01-18-2006, 06:52 AM
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Oh and by the way, it's not OT.
Working on ourselves and our actions is the name of the game ain't it.
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Old 01-18-2006, 06:53 AM
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or penguin equus... I hereby officially diplomarise you!
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Old 01-18-2006, 07:01 AM
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yeah makes sense to me too! I also like the quote from your original post up there, along with the points made, really liked that a lot.

With your most recent post there I think in a way too it goes with the "to thine own self be true" and then it all ripples out from there.

i really like that first post though :-)
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Old 01-18-2006, 07:07 AM
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Originally Posted by cloudy
yeah makes sense to me too! I also like the quote from your original post up there, along with the points made, really liked that a lot.

With your most recent post there I think in a way too it goes with the "to thine own self be true" and then it all ripples out from there.

i really like that first post though :-)
"we must be the change we wish to see in the world" <--- That one?

If it is it's been my favourite for years - WAY too many to count. It's a quote from Ghandi who I've been reading a bit more of lately but has been a hero of mine since I was about 8 or 9!!

I did a whole thread of some of my favourites of his quotes:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...uff-83184.html

Yup - it's eqqy in total bizarre thread season!
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Old 01-18-2006, 09:22 AM
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I'm happy that you are able to communicate with these kids and learn what they really want. The joy of a job not often experienced I suppose.

The power of one...keeps going through my head. I feel a lot of strength in it when hearing it coming from people like you and others on this site. There are loads of people who carry that power and share it with us on a daily basis. Walls keep forming around me and I'm unable to comprehend the messages...but today, part of the wall came down with that simple statement. We are all a power of one.
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Old 01-18-2006, 09:41 AM
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In her book "Spiritual Power/Spiritual Practice", Caroline Myss teaches a "step-by-step daily program for recognizing and harnessing the massive spiritual power we are each born with."
I think there is amazing untapped potential for the power of one within each of us.
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Old 01-18-2006, 09:44 AM
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Thanks Gabe...going to get that one.
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Old 01-18-2006, 09:48 AM
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"step-by-step daily program for recognizing and harnessing the massive spiritual power we are each born with."
When I think of spirits - I get a picture of an old fashioned bedsheet ghost. When I think of 'sprit' what comes to mind is a capacity to endure and give effort for what we truly believe.

When I think of spiritual - I think of congregations invoking supernatural forces.

None of the above define any more than the pictures in my head - but the thought that it is our spirit giving us the power of one sits well with me.
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