We all play a part in society, we all have an influence on the world around us and that influence is important regardless of how big or small it may be. How we act in public, how we treat others, and the words we say are observed by others and it influences how they think and acts as well. Humans are instinctually tribal and tend to reflect those in their tribes/groups. Birds of the same feather flock together come to mind, and how true that is. Starts as early as elementary school and is very noticeable by high school. We form into cliques and social classes in those years and until we venture out in life for some time we tend to stick to the basic mindset of the groups we formed during those years.
Even those like me that were more of the outsider, lone wolf, and unpopular kid in their school years had formed behaviors and beliefs through the experiences they had during those years. The good thing is as you age you have plenty of opportunities to adapt your way of seeing life and how you act in it, even though those core beliefs from school years tend to play some part in how we develop, they are not immovable objects or unstoppable force in our lives. So we all can change the course we are in life, and become greater than the sum of our parts and experiences. We also can become great influencers on those around us and can either lead others to a more compassionate and peaceful way of life or bring them along the path of ruin.
The ability to think for one’s self and outside the box/norm is a great asset for an individual. Do not fall into the sheep mentality and follow blindly all that is spoon-fed to you by media and peers. Question and verify all, make your own path in life, and try to remain compassionate towards all life. Take time out from all the news outlets and social media and give yourself time to think about it all for yourself. Dont accept a package you dislike just to gain one item within it, especially if the rest of the package is against your core beliefs and values. It is not worth selling out who you are deep within just to get one win.
Be true to yourself and keep your eyes wide open friends.
Basing your self-worth on other people’s opinions of you and building your self-image on such only leads to a rollercoaster of emotions usually ending you up in depression or in a state of low self esteem. It is human nature to follow such patterns since we enter this world seeking the approval and acceptance of our parents and siblings. Which is fine in the earliest years of our life, but we are supposed to let go of such patterns as we age into young adults.
Unfortunately, many of us either let go of such behavior much later or continue on with it throughout our lives. Sure we can not avoid the opinions of others nor can we let go of that desire to belong and be accepted, but we can learn to navigate with the knowledge that what we think about ourselves is more important. Knowing that our psyche tends to seek approval from others and responds to the opinions of others, we should avoid toxic friends and try to navigate around toxic relatives as much as possible.
There will always be those in your life that do not like you and those that try the hardest to bring you down. Those are people we should try and avoid and ignore their negative comments and actions as much as we can. We should seek out those people that support us, enrich our lives, allong with those who may criticise us in a constructive way. We need some people in our lives that care enough to point out when were going astray just as much as we need those that emphasize with us and/or act as cheerleaders for us.
Toxic friends tend to break you down emotionally and mentally, some of them may not even know they are doing such because they never had positive reinforcement in their lives or a caring family possibly. Do not hate toxic people, just feel sorry for them. They are missing out on the love and happiness they could have in life and embrace the negativity in their lives for the short-lived rush they may feel or the temporary relief from the emptiness they feel.
Being a person that has both been toxic on occasion and the victim of toxic friends I can relate to both sides. On many occasions, I have tried to help some fo those toxic people in my life and rarely did I succeed in helping them because they didn’t want to change their way of thinking or being. This probably was due to my lack of abilities more than anything, so if you want to attempt to help someone who is toxic, I would suggest getting help for them if not seek out help for you to achieve such.
Life is hard enough at times, subjecting yourself to the negativity of toxic people makes it an even harder life to live. I guess there may be some strong enough to deal with toxic friends without suffering the ill effects of being around them all the time.Those people are probably rare and possibly the saving grace for the toxic people in their lives.
Just remember no matter what others may say or think, or even what you may beleive about yourself at times, you are unique and just as important as any other living creature on this planet. There is only one you in this universe and you were born for a reason. Just becuase you can not figure out what that reason is does not mean you do not have purpose in life nor does it mean you are less than anyone else.
If you stop worrying what others might think about you and focus more on how you could impact those around you in a positive and contructive way, you may find that you are quite a good person if you give yourself the chance. Forgive yourself of your past mistakes, and go forward with compassion and understanding. Forgive others as well, since holding onto grudges only does more harm to you than the one you hold the grudge againts. If too much energy is spent on regret and vengence the less energy is left to love others and for you to enjoy the gifts in life that you have.
Be kind to everyone and don’t fall prey to the instinct of self-preservation, go beyond the tribal instinct we all seem to still have. Humans tend to group up into tribes / social circles, be it physically or just through our personal world views. It is self-preservation that brings us to want to be part of a group/tribe. There is safety in numbers and that has worked to keep humans alive up to this point.
The downside to the tribal way of life is we tend to find ourselves stuck in us versus them mentality. We thrive on having an enemy to focus on, something to rally against for some reason. This usually leads to wars of one sort or another. Maybe if we look at our tribe being the whole human race, maybe then we can focus on the real enemy/problems that we face as a species.
It really saddens me that we still have people in the world that look at human life or life in general as something cheap and disposable. So many deaths in the world due to the lack of respect for life and human beings in general. Really sad that any group of humans, be they grouped by race, nationality, political belief or even religion could think of themselves as superior and all others as inferior. All life is sacred, all human beings are equally important and there is no superior race.
I don’t think it is so much the form of governments we have but the fact that the governments become corrupt when the same people stay in office for too long. For instance, the Democratic Republic of the U.S.A. is a wonderful governing style but it is being weighed down by senators and representatives that have been in office/power for way too many terms. The longer a person has power the less they seem to put responsibility and the welfare of those they serve to the forefront of their priorities, they get caught up in partisan politics and self-serving agendas. Corruption happens when people have too much power for way too long. Term limits would be a good solution to the problem and maybe a pay cut, making it less profitable for them to keep in office. I find it unfair if they serve one term they get a full benefits package for retirement and the salaries they make only make them more distant from those they are supposed to be serving.
I also do believe there should be more oversight of the lobbyist and regulations to keep the rich corporate lobbyists from having the upper hand over the just as important but less funded lobbyists. Too much money is passed through to campaign funds and other ways to politicians from the lobbyist groups as well. Which in its own way gives the lobbyists that are funding the politician sway over policies and takes away from the real needs and wants of the taxpayers.
Enough of my political rantings for now, but there is so much going on in this world that needs change, and a whole bunch of things I am pretty sure we do not even know about that is going on as well. Either way, I wish everyone a blessed life and hope we all can stand up for positive change and be good to one another.
Where are we going, where is the world heading? Watching the world knocking on the door of world war and my country going through political division and social upsets has got me a bit concerned. It is almost like someone has rolled back time to the 1950s in many ways. Cold wars, war, civil rights issues, abortion rights, and fearmongering.
Between the horror of mass shootings, inflation, and politicization of almost everything one can debate over, it is a very troublesome world to try and navigate and live in at this moment in time. We all need to take a step back or a time out to recollect ourselves and come back together to find a better path for us as a nation and as a species, so we can change the uncertain course the world is on at this moment in time.
I believe the majority of us are kinda feeling helpless and that we have no control over the world around us. Our Governments act like they hear our pleas but then do nothing to help those in need because they claim it’s too expensive as they spend our tax dollars on wars, pay raises for themselves, and to support the super-wealthy companies with bailouts when times are hard.
With a Congress here in the U.S. that seems to be set on bickering and arguing and blocking each party’s agendas more so than trying to find a compromise to pass legislation that could help the American taxpayers and those in need. They need to get over themselves and put aside party politics long enough to do what is needed to be done instead of doing what may get them re-elected or get them the most sound bytes on the news.
I have a feeling all of the nations out there that are not so friendly to the U.S. are all having a good laugh at how dysfunctional our congress is at this moment in time. The world is watching all of you Senators and Representatives and how you are showing the world how you all can not be adult enough to work together to get things done when the pressure is on.
Where are we going, where is the world heading and what will be the destination if we do not change course. Unless we start working together to change its course towards a more benificial one, it doe not look promising.
In times like these, we either succumb to fear or rise up to the challenges ahead of us. Fear is something we all deal with, it is something we are supposed to have in dire and life-threatening situations. Sometimes we manufacture fear out of lack of control or lack of the knowledge to deal with a situation. Feeling fear is normal but one must learn to control it and move beyond it.
Right now I see a lot of fear in the world, I watch fear cause division within the world. Fear can transform into anger and hate as well. That is the reason why we all need to learn how to manage our fear. The problem is what may work for one person may not work for another, since fear can arise from different sources and situations. So I suggest seeking out help dealing with your fears if you are unable to cope with them yourself, try meditation to calm your mind and remind yourself it is okay to not always be in control of everything.
There is so much more to life than fear, we as a species need to focus more on solving the issues before us than the possible outcomes if nothing is done. The future is not set in stone and if we all work together towards a better tomorrow it will become a reality. If Life becomes overwhelming, you can meditate or go find a calm and peaceful place and relax there till you can clear your mind.
Focus your mind on what you can change and do to help bring positive change in your life and the world around you. I know the pandemic and lockdowns have put a big mental, emotional and financial stress on people and It has both brought out the best of people and the worst. It is time to heal ourselves mentally and emotionally so that we can move forward.
Find solace in the way that works for you and be kind to yourself and others
We are living in trying times, the world is on the brink of being at war, soaring energy and food prices along with politicization of almost every topic and the polarization of political views. With the war going on in Ukraine we watch the killing of civilians in the crossfire and the death of soldiers on both sides. Too many children suffered in this war and a sad percentage of the children died as a result of the conflict.
Both the East and West are playing a part in this tragic situation in Ukraine, They need to pause and look at the pain, suffering, and instability that’s being caused by the conflict, not only in Ukraine but across the globe. I ask the leaders of all the world nations, be it they are an active part or just a spectator of this conflict to think of the long-term damage that will come from this war. It will affect all of the countries of the world in the end economically and if we do not find a peaceful resolution to the situation it could cause a third world war. Being that there are too many nations in this world that poses nuclear weapons it could be the end of life as we know it.
So, I plead with all the leaders of the nations involved to seek out a diplomatic solution to this conflict, the cost of this conflict is too high for what may be gained. After all, we are brothers and sisters in this world, even if we sometimes think differently or allow political, religious, and national policies and agendas to separate us. Deep inside we all want the same thing I believe, a safe and happy world for the future generations to live in and the economic success of the nations we live in.
Being just a Citizen, I see all people from around the world as part of my extended family. I firmly believe the people of the world are in general good and caring in nature. I just hope and pray that goodness is in the leaders involved in this conflict and we can go from military conflict to diplomatic discussions before it is escalated to a full-blown world war.
I Also pray that China can get its outbreak of Covid-19 under control so no more people will suffer. China could take the lead in trying to get the diplomatic discussion going, being one of the superpowers in the modern world, it would be great to see them step up and play a peaceful part in this conflict. I also hope China can slow down the aggressiveness towards Taiwan and find some sort of diplomatic solution there as well. War may benefit some financially, but for the majority of the people involved it only brings suffering, death, and destruction.
The East and West need to stop Saber Rattling, Finger Pointing, and posturing. As my mom always told me, be a part of the solution not a part of the problem. I know it all isn’t as black and white as it seems, but we are capable as a species to find peaceful solutions to these issues. The world needs a change in direction away from this aggressive and divisive path towards a diplomatic and cooperative path if we as a species are to survive and thrive in the century to come.
I Pray for peace and prosperity for all of humanity, I hope there will be diplomatic solutions to all the problems we face geopolitically. I hope as well we come together as species to deal with all the problems we face as a whole. God bless and best wishes for all.
People wonder why there is so much low self-esteem in the world, if you take a good look at television shows, commercials, social media, movies, and even the news on cable news stations you just may see some of the reasons for low self-esteem, but then there is also how one’s family treats them, their peers and the educational system.
When you are constantly bombarded with images of thin, fit, and muscular actors, advertisements aimed to push miracle vitamins and supplements to fix all your shortcomings, it is very hard to hold on to a good self-image and even harder to build it up. Constantly being told that having a perfect body weight, toned muscles, the right clothes, and accessories makes one beautiful and successful is making it hard for most people to maintain healthy self-esteem.
Unfortunately, fashion, the newest electronics, and possessions play a big part in teenage self-image, which makes it hard for those who don’t have the money to compete with their peers. Combining that with parents that have to work 2 jobs or inconvenient hours to maintain the quality of life they have only makes it harder on teenagers and kids.
The ones that seem to suffer the worst during school years are those that don’t quite fit the norm, the overweight, the below-average to average looking, and the sensitive passive individuals. Bullying from those who think they are cool, tougher, and better than others does not help the situation at all. The consequences of bullying are usually mild and it seems it’s hard to catch kids bullying or maybe some just overlook it.
Parents and siblings also play a large part in the development of a child’s self-esteem, they can be either a positive or negative force when it comes to a child’s self-image. Siblings usually are competing for the parent’s attention, love and favor so they tend to be very mean to one another. Parents on the other hand usually are trying to do what’s best for the child but don’t realize what works for one child does not always work for the other. Each child is a unique individual, they have different needs and need help in different ways. Some parents, unfortunately, don’t know how to deal with their children at all so they try to treat them as if they are adults way before the child or teen is emotionally and mentally ready to do so. This usually results in conflict and the child/teen becomes rebellious and has a poor self-image.
If the low self-esteem is not addressed and corrected during the child/teen years then it is carried into the adult years. That makes it very hard for the Adult to achieve a healthy relationship with a significant other and even harder for them to become successful in the work world.
Raising kids is not an easy task, being a parent means you have to be a caregiver, advisor, instructor, friend, leader, cook, counselor, and of course an ATM for the children lol. Helping a child navigate the battlefields of youth and preparing them for the many challenges they will have to face in the future is not an easy thing to accomplish. All you can do is give it your best shot and always be there for them when they need you.
I myself have had self-esteem issues throughout my life, I have been battling low self-esteem for many decades. I could go down a list of all the things that caused my low self-esteem but what is the use of that now that it now falls squarely on me to repair the damage and improve myself. Plus the first step in moving on and building up your self-esteem/self-image is to forgive those who helped in destroying it and letting go of your own contributions to the whole mess as well.
Just know this, there is no one better than you, but then there is no one lesser than you. We all are unique, we all have our own gifts to embrace and shortcomings that we need to deal with. There is no one on this planet that does not have some emotional or psychological baggage to deal with. How much money you have, and how many toys you have has nothing to do with who you are or how good you are. What defines you is how you live life, and how you treat others and yourself.
Being successful sure feels good, being financially well off does make life easier in many ways, but money, possessions, and success are fleeting, they can be gone in an instant. Family and friends to me are far more important along with how I treat others, and how I live my life. Those things will be with me throughout my life.
Well, I wish you happiness, remember it does not matter what others think or say about you, it is what you know about yourself that matters the most.
The website Being Fit Start Now focuses on helping women, particularly those over 40, achieve their health and fitness goals from the comfort of their homes. It provides a variety of resources, including at-home workout programs, weight loss tips, and nutritional guidance. The site offers specific fitness routines, such as yoga workouts, full-body exercises, and specialized routines for reducing belly fat, all designed for different age groups, especially women over 40 and 50. Additionally, it features dietary advice, supplement recommendations, and healthy recipes aimed at supporting weight loss and overall wellness.
Dovestar 
You must be logged in to post a comment.