A Mind of Your Own. Betty Shine

A video appears and you all watch, joking and laughing at all the stupid things you have done throughout your lives. Then someone says, ‘Well, at least we kept our sense of humour. Without that, everything we did would have been worthless.’

       Think about it!

       Affirmation: My destiny will be of my own making.

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       Destructiveness

       Man, false man, smiling, destructive man.

      NATHANIEL LEE

      c. 1653–1692

      ONE ONLY HAS TO STUDY history to see the destructive nature of man. If you take the destructiveness of every human being and gather it together in armies, then it is not hard to imagine the outcome.

      Then there is the self-destructive mode that is in all of us. Why is it that we often seem to destroy the things we love the most? I have looked for an answer and my conclusion is that there is not one answer but hundreds and that it depends on the unique personality of every one of us.

      I am leaving you, the reader, to analyse your own thoughts and actions, for within you lies the answer to your particular problems.

       Visualisation: Before you destroy anything in your life, whether it is a friendship, loving relationship, the atmosphere at home, at work or any kind of physical destruction, examine your motives. Leap forward and visualise the outcome, and ask yourself whether you have done enough to save the situation or whether you have allowed the destructiveness in your nature to eliminate logic and common sense. If you still want to go ahead, then you must take responsibility for your actions.

       Affirmation: Something that has been destroyed can never be reclaimed.

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       Detachment

       And this the burthen of his song, For ever us’d to be, I care for nobody, not I, If no one cares for me.

      ISAAC BICKERSTAFFE

      c. 1735–1812

      DETACHING ONESELF from a situation may seem difficult, but it is sometimes necessary to do this in order to avoid confrontation. However, to detach oneself when someone else is in need can be callous and inhumane. If you wish to do this then you must remove yourself from the situation altogether, to lessen the hurt that would be felt by others because of your actions.

      At some time or another, everyone will find themselves on the receiving end of this kind of treatment. Unfortunately life is like that! There is no preparation, but knowing that it can happen will lessen the impact it has if it happens to you. But be mindful, the person who detaches themselves from somebody in need will find that they have destroyed a trust that can never be reclaimed.

       Visualisation: You have been asked to support a close friend who is in need. Knowing that it will interfere with your own life, you think about it before making a decision. Then a small voice in your head asks you to reverse the situation. It could be you in trouble. How would you feel if your friend detached themselves from you on this issue? The emotions welling up inside you are the same feelings that your friend is having at this moment. You know what your answer will be.