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I am a survivor, not a victim
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<blockquote data-quote="Copabanana" data-source="post: 667044" data-attributes="member: 18958"><p>I agree with Tanya that at the end of everything all we have left is attitude. That comes as we face decay and death and it comes to some of us as we face down genocide or disaster. We can decide to fight or to succumb. I hope I fight. The Syrian father who decided to share the picture of his dead son changed world opinion. He said he did it because it was all he had left to make meaningful the life of his son. The picture of his corpse. That one choice by a man who had no choices left (without home or homeland, having lost two children and his wife), polarized world opinion so that powerful governments had no choice but to listen to their people and to offer some refuge to the fleeing Syrian people.</p><p></p><p>That father chose to be a survivor.</p><p></p><p>I will not speak for Suzir, but I will speak to myself and for my best self. I think that speaking about victims and survivors is not only a personal thing or in the main about individual attitude. I think it is about power and consciousness of power and its effects. And the choice to take responsibility for abuse of power by ourselves or others.</p><p></p><p>I think that is what the slogans help us to do. To choose.</p><p></p><p>What the slogans do not do is help us to understand and act against the abuse side of the coin. There are forces in us and in others that are hurtful. And nobody is purely a victim or an abuser. Individually we can take responsibility to root out both the victim and the abuser within us. The vulnerability of each of us, is the vulnerability in each of us. Whether we attend to it or not.</p><p></p><p>Do we choose so as to not add to the snowball of pain that rolls down the hill? Or not?</p><p></p><p>We can take stands--even beyond our own individual sphere---by denying consent or complicity. Simply, by our choices. Like SWOT choosing to turn off TV. Just yes or no. Slogans help us see the simplicity of it.</p><p></p><p>But the limitation is that affirmations are that...affirmations. Can they help us say no, when we need to?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Copabanana, post: 667044, member: 18958"] I agree with Tanya that at the end of everything all we have left is attitude. That comes as we face decay and death and it comes to some of us as we face down genocide or disaster. We can decide to fight or to succumb. I hope I fight. The Syrian father who decided to share the picture of his dead son changed world opinion. He said he did it because it was all he had left to make meaningful the life of his son. The picture of his corpse. That one choice by a man who had no choices left (without home or homeland, having lost two children and his wife), polarized world opinion so that powerful governments had no choice but to listen to their people and to offer some refuge to the fleeing Syrian people. That father chose to be a survivor. I will not speak for Suzir, but I will speak to myself and for my best self. I think that speaking about victims and survivors is not only a personal thing or in the main about individual attitude. I think it is about power and consciousness of power and its effects. And the choice to take responsibility for abuse of power by ourselves or others. I think that is what the slogans help us to do. To choose. What the slogans do not do is help us to understand and act against the abuse side of the coin. There are forces in us and in others that are hurtful. And nobody is purely a victim or an abuser. Individually we can take responsibility to root out both the victim and the abuser within us. The vulnerability of each of us, is the vulnerability in each of us. Whether we attend to it or not. Do we choose so as to not add to the snowball of pain that rolls down the hill? Or not? We can take stands--even beyond our own individual sphere---by denying consent or complicity. Simply, by our choices. Like SWOT choosing to turn off TV. Just yes or no. Slogans help us see the simplicity of it. But the limitation is that affirmations are that...affirmations. Can they help us say no, when we need to? [/QUOTE]
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