July/August 1998
Articles on the theme "Pride & Prejudice"
Prejudice Can Kill
by Patrick Plaskett
Why is some pride good and some not
so good. What is the connection between pride and prejudice.
Loving Authority
by Barbara Bedingfield
Teaching children to become selfless individuals, having a sense of gratitude,
and able to show care and consideration for others.
The Same Only Different
by Bob Gonzalez
Of astral travel, contact with the
departed and the interpretation of dream symbols.
Random Acts of Kindness
by Rev. Pat Cross
Discarding human attitudes and recovering
our oneness with God and each other.
The Magic of Differences
by Judith Sherven PhD and James Sniechowski PhD
Maybe it is not what we have in common
but the differences that really make a relationship.
A Threat To Survival
by Cydné Su Battreall
A battle with cancer. How pride and
prejudice can get in the way of making rational decisions.
Forgiveness and Compassion
by David Simon
A discussion of the origins of pride
and prejudice, and the nurturing of their opposite attitudes: forgiveness
and compassion.
No Room for Pride or Prejudice
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
On the importance of being able to
stand alone as an individual, so that one can enjoy a relationship free
of pride or prejudice.
Unlimited Vision
by JoAnne Gregory
Freeing ourselves from the limitations
of restricted points of view to create a reality of our choice.
Personal Pride and Legal Prejudice
by Constance Felos
Dreams of the good life, earthly dreams,
bad dreams, possible dreams and the ultimate dream.
Too Much!
by David Findlay
How going to extremes leads to the
negative aspects pride and prejudice. Underlying roles and identities.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q&A
by Elizabeth Fenton and Renee Gillombardo
The psychological and physical benefits
of walking, plus other factors that affect our mental health.
What is . . . Hypnosis
by Alvin Bartz PhD
What hypnosis is and what it isn't.
The benefits of hypnosis. Some common misconceptions.
A Threat To Survival
by Cydné Su Battreall
If you are a person challenged with cancer, your whole body, mind and spirit must surrender its pride and prejudice in order to survive.
In the case of my twenty-two year old daughter, Allison, her pride and prejudice were blocking her chances of survival.
Time was of the essence. Her doctors were begging her to accept aggressive treatment options to actively attempt to save her own life, yet she wouldn't budge. A tumor had been removed from her ovary ten months prior and had returned. Therefore, her doctor suggested that a complete hysterectomy be performed, combined with oral chemotherapy, and she would then have a greater percentage chance of recovery. Her response was "NO" to both.
What was at the bottom of this staunch rejection of treatment? I couldn't even imagine what it could be. One, I wasn't in her shoes. Two, I was her "Mother" and in my mind there would never be any reason substantial enough to prevent my child from treatment that could possibly save her life.
She was so busy running from those options and wanting to keep them hidden from anyone who might take charge, it literally took an intervention with a hospice nurse to get her to speak her truth and reveal the foundation her decision was built upon. Even though the words were never spoken, they rang out loud and clear to me, as "pride and prejudice." It came in the form of, "I don't want to lose my hair," and "I want to have another child, and I don't want to lose all of my womanly parts . . . I'll be nothing if I do." Even though I was barely believing what I was hearing, I did understand how she came to believe that way.
Society teaches us, advertising programs us . . . that our looks are very important. According to society's standards, a woman's fulfillment is found in bearing children and in looking good. Women unknowingly support this by buying into it and adopting a "looksist" attitude with one another. Women are forever complimenting each other on their looks, as if this was a very important criteria. Upon greeting each other, compliments on appearance flow freely whether they are sincere or not, such as, "Your hair really looks nice today," "You look great in that outfit." We are so caught up in this programming that we find ourselves giving compliments that aren't true simply because it's polite to say something nice.
Allison is by all standards a very gorgeous woman with a beautiful, long auburn head of hair that has quite literally been her "identity" for years. Her profession keeps her in the public eye every day and she is dependent on her looks for the success of her job. Adding to that pressure, she fears that her partner might leave her because she will look strange or ugly without her hair. However, when she refuses to take chemotherapy based on not wanting to lose her hair, she is indeed putting her life on the line for that prideful thought.
Not only looking "good" but motherhood is also part of female programming. Women are so strongly geared to becoming or being mothers that, if there is some biological reason that prevents them from having a child or the supporting male is unable to produce a child with them, they literally feel as though they are damaged goods, less than, or emotionally scarred by not being able to fulfill this role they've been groomed for. Given this understanding, it is very natural for my daughter to think that her life would totally change and she would be nothing without her female reproductive parts, her "identity". She wants to have a second child with her son's father. It is very important to both of them. So important that she is willing to put her life on the line for it.
During the intervention with myself and the nurse, Allison quite literally surrendered her pride and prejudice. She finally heard what was being said to her. "Without treatment you are possibly choosing to end your life." "You might not live long enough to have a second child." "You will not lose your hair, but you could lose your life." "Your life is what is important to us . . not your hair, not giving birth to babies." "You are what's precious to us . . . your spirit, your light, your love." "If you do not fight for your life, we will lose you!"
She stopped running. She faced these realities. She came up with answers totally different than what she had been running with in her head for months.
Programming is very strong, as personal beliefs are strong. They enable you to take actions in your life that perhaps don't make sense, but you do them anyway. In this case, interrupting the programming and changing the belief were momentous.
Could this have been prevented? Absolutely! We as individuals could simply adopt a positive belief that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. In other words, our essence is in our Divine Spirit, not in our bodies. Then as divine beings we naturally feel compassion towards our bodies, and wouldn't get caught up in measuring our value merely by what is on the surface. We could greet one another with "Namasté " (the God in me greets the God in you) rather than meaningless "looksist" compliments.
I want to acknowledge the spiritual lesson brought forth by my daughter's real life challenge. I honor how hard this process was for her to come to this raised consciousness regarding her personal value. My hope is that it will save her life.
Namasté Allison!
Cydné Battreall, a neuro-linguistic practitioner, specializes in restoring a person's power through spiritual and mental clearing. Also associate editor of Power of One, a spiritual magazine out of Winter Haven. Gulfport, Florida. (813) 981-3322.