We're growing, we're going after our weaknesses, we're going to counseling, we're seeking to change for the better...
But for who?
And why?
For some, they're sitting in a therapists chair for their wife.
For another, it might be so that their kids don't experience a father like the one they had.
Even if we're changing for ourselves it's actually, when we include how many factors will be impacted, narrow sited.
Witchcraft is never something I would ever recommend following, but there is one belief that I find particularly fascinating about shamanistic cultures that we might have something to learn from and it's their view that trauma and internal wounds are problems not just for the individual, but for the entire community.
This view is a stark contrast toward our cultures value for praising the individual who exemplifies endurance, "strength," and will-power in the face of tears, trauma, stress, and pain.
Yet, if our rising drug abuse statistics, suicides (Mac Miller and Prince to name a few), rises in depression, ADD, and school shooting aren't enough proof, we are only fooling and hurting ourselves with such beliefs.
This change is about more than just ourselves.
So for everyone who is putting in the work to grow and change for the better, thank you for contributing, for your generosity, for caring about the greater good.
If you thought your internal journey of going to get counseling or taking care of yourself is selfish, it's far from it. If anything, it's one of the greatest acts of generosity you could give toward your family, self, and the entirety of your community.
Well done.