My response to prophet, How it affects you?
I think all religious are called to live a prophetic life. Prophets are the one who proclaim God's message to the people. As a Religious I am called to live and proclaim to the people God's message. I am challenged to live a prophetic life. If I live by the God's message. I will have to face a lot of challenges. If I am not true to my self then the people who live around me will not be happy with me. It has a big affect on my relationship with others. Prophets are chosen by God. Until now God has chosen good people only, as chosen one I must answer His call. If I want to be a religious then I have to be chosen by God. Whenever God chose the Prophet of old, they always answered that they were not capable of doing God's mission. But later they accepted the calling and did God's will. I believe that I am also chosen by God. Even though I have challenges to face I hope that God is always with me. God gives me strength to face the challenges and live by His message.
In this world, all Religious find it difficult to live the prophetic life. I am one of them. Nowadays prophetic life means that I have to live not for my sake but for the others sake, and to love God and love my neighbors. This is a big challenge. It also affects my life because I have to sacrifice some of my personal needs and I have to find happiness in my new prophetic life, even though I have left my home and family. Jesus said that if you leave your home, you will have hundred fold. This is true in my experience. As a religious I find a lot of difficulties and challenges like the Prophets of the Old Testament, but God helped them He will help me also to face the challenges and difficulties.
Even though I have challenges and difficulties to face, I see them as part of the call for me to be Religious. God has chosen me from among the people to be His servant. Vocation is a gift that has been given to me and I have received it. Now I am enjoying the gift that God has given me.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
"Will The Real Me Please Stand Up" "Reflection on this book"
introduction:
Communication between two human beings is admittedly difficult. In communication I share the gift of my self with the others. Human communication is the life blood and heart beat of every relationship. We are happy if our relationships are happy. The existence of human being in isolation from others is like a plant trying to survive without water or sunlight. The quality of human existence is grounded in our relationships. A relationship has to be grounded at very deepest level. If it is not at deepest level then it is not a real relationship. Relationships work for those who work at them. The main work of relationship is communication. Speaking and listening is the main source of communication. I would like to give more emphasis on the speaking. When I speak with others, I should not project my mistake on others. I always speak from my point of view. I should not blame others for my mistake. A person can speak the truth of himself but not the whole truth. Some time a person feels that everyone feels the same way as he or she feels, but there are differences. Everyone feels differently and each one is unique in their personality. This affects our relationship with others. These chapters help me and you to communicate well. It gives a lot of ideas for good communication. I selected a book written by John Powell. John Powell is a native of Chicago and he was a member of the Jesuits. He recently retired as Professor of Theology at Loyola University of Chicago, where he was a much-loved teacher for many years. Most of us are familiar with John Powell through his many books which, over the years, have been consistent best-sellers. Books like Why Am I Afraid to Love and Will the Real Me Please Stand Up? But now he has left the Jesuits. I took the book called “WILL THE REAL ME PLEASE STAND UP?” If someone understands, accepts, and puts into practice the wisdom proposed by in the these twenty five guide lines for the good communication the personal happiness and growth will be the inevitable result. I took three chapters about the way of speaking. Three chapters I read were all about how to speak with others and how to share our selves and our feelings and emotions with others. Let me explore more about to you in the next paragraph.
Summery:
Communication happens between two people. one has to speak and another one has to listen. Three chapters of this book are talking about the how to convey our message about our feelings and emotions with others. First of all When I share myself with others, I must take the full responsibility for my actions and my reactions. For this I must make an “I statement” not a “you statement.” Most of us (including me) grow as blamers we accuse others of our own mistakes and reactions and we rationalize our own reactions. It is difficult for us to look at our selves and accept full responsibility for our own mistakes and reactions. If we accept the mistakes and reactions then we are growing into a mature human being. It helps us to have honest relationships with others. As John Powell writes in this book “Most of us grow as 'blamers'. If I can only cross over the line that separates the blamers from those who accept the full responsibility for their behavior, it will probably be the most mature thing I have ever done.” Whatever our reaction react to the incident or anything it is our reaction, not someone else's. Some thing within us makes us to react like that. We should not blame others. Eleanor Roosevelt posted this sentence in her office: “No one make you feel inferior, unless you give him/her permission.” Nobody can make us feel bad or good because whatever we feel it is from our own uniqueness and not from others. There is a another way of blaming others for our mistake. The technical word is “Projection.” Projection is a standard and commonly used defense mechanism. When I project, I blame some one or some thing for my own failures or undesirable reactions and I lay the responsibility on others. Communication becomes a game if it is not honest, and projection is simply not honest. Some time I think that I feel the same way as others also feel. But it is not true, because everybody is unique and has individuality in their feelings and attitudes. They are different like the finger prints each person are different. I laugh at some thing, but the another person may take it seriously. Those people who project their responsibilities on to others. We will never grow up in their attitudes and they really do not know the inner reality of themselves. They will always make “you statements” not “I statements.” If I understand this and apply it to my life then I will make “I statements” not “you statements.”
Most of us are tempted to generalize our personal experience. We forget that others are really other, different from us. Some times I want to speak to the person about my feelings or emotions. But I do not say that I had feelings like this when you did that to me. Instead that I speak for all and I try to use “We” as in “We feel like that when you did that.” When we report in a meeting we try to use “We” that we feel like this and we did this. Some times we react to some body and when we share with others we try to project that if they were the same in that situation they also would do the same. We forget that we are all different from each other and we try to generalize the situation that it hurts everyone or every one feel same as me. But we are unique and individual. Such a habit of thinking and speaking is normal. Humans do have things in common It effects our relationship with others. We should understand that we can not see things as others see, Everybody sees things differently. If I am sharing, I am sharing my truth not the whole truth. I can only share my view of what I saw and heard.
Then it is my truth it is not whole truth. Everyone has a small part of the truth not the whole truth. When we bring all the truth together, we get a total truth not the truth. We must understand this in our relationships with others. Even though understand the individual personality we should speak more carefully but it is difficult to get rid of this habit. It has a strong effect in our relationship with others. We must speak only for our selves, in communication I should make it clear that I am speaking only my truth not the truth.
We human beings are not simple. We have feelings and emotions and they are important when we are sharing our selves with others. Because feelings and emotions come and go. They are affected by the amount of sleep we had and the time of day and the sugar level of the blood. But the act of communication, sharing ourselves with others, is very important to us. When we share our feelings with another, we have a sense of sharing our true selves. Some times we share our choices and our thoughts with others. When we share our feelings and the struggle we are going through, the fears and the joys and sorrows then we have a sense of sharing them, and we are trying to build a good relationship with the person whom we are sharing. It helps each of us to know better. Our feelings are a summery expression of our personal history . We some time have some of our feelings and reactions from our parents or significant persons in early life. But human emotional experiences are not the same from our parents and our brothers and sisters. When we share our selves with others we can not just drop all our emotions at his feet. But we need to give full details of our feelings and emotions. First we have to give a sense of the data. Then I can share, what I heard and saw, it may be a view of one person and his view of what happened. Next I give you the feelings that resulted in me from my interpretation. Finally I can share what I just wanted to share with you that is what I feel and how I reacted to that situation. When I share my significant feelings, I must share the “positive” or “affirming” feelings as well as our “negative” feelings. I should share myself as a gift to be given I should not use you as a garbage dump for my own emotional refuse. Some times I manipulate some body for my own needs. The only acceptable way of sharing my self is to honestly share my self, because I want you to know the real me and I want to have a real relationship with you. I have realized that the only way to a deep and real relationship is to tell you all my significant feelings. All I can hope for is that you will listen and take my sharing into gentle hands.
Reflection:
I really enjoyed reading this chapter because when I was in the novitiate I had a lot of problems in my communication I was mature enough and I always thought negatively. But I had a chance to attend the human development class which helped me to over come out of my circle. The resource person of the course asked me to read this book. Then I got this book and started to read it. It was very helpful and it was a chance for me to look wider and share my feelings and emotion with others in a healthy way. It gave so many ways to look at a situation and share our feelings and emotions with others. This chapters really helped me to share my feelings and emotions.
I have been a fearful person for most of my life... fearful of what others might think of me, so I put on a facade each day and try to be someone who I am not... I have been in a state of depression. I have been praying and asking God to change me and to allow me to learn how to love other people instead of avoiding and being afraid of them and what they might think of me.
God has answered my prayers with this book. I have read only a few chapters and it feels like the shell inside me that I have been building for years has been cracked and the real me is beginning to emerge. What a liberating feeling. My depression and my focus on myself is diminishing at an unbelievable rate.
I have always been suspicious of others think about me. I create a fantasy life by imagining what they might be thinking about me, so as to avoid rejection, I keep my distance and act cool and aloof in their presence. Meanwhile I go on in my loneliness with my insides unknowingly crying out to communicate to others. In reality, my imagination of what they think about me probably doesn't even come close to what they really think.
I started reading this book and I can already see a monumental difference in the way I am communicating with others around me... fearless and loving are two words that I can use to describe my feelings toward others now... and in practicing the ideas of the chapter... unbelievable! Seeing as I have always been fearful and bitter toward most other people.
Now I feel more comfortable to share my feelings and emotions with others. I found only way to build my relationship I must share my feelings and my emotions with others and understand their feelings and emotions also. Sharing my feelings and emotions I have to be very careful about the way I share my self. I am a gift given by God I must share that gift with you in good manner. Whenever I share myself with you I must take a responsibility of my feelings and emotions. Then I am building the good relationship with you. I have Grown as a mature person. I hope this reading make me little more mature in my communication, specially in my speaking and sharing of my self.
Communication between two human beings is admittedly difficult. In communication I share the gift of my self with the others. Human communication is the life blood and heart beat of every relationship. We are happy if our relationships are happy. The existence of human being in isolation from others is like a plant trying to survive without water or sunlight. The quality of human existence is grounded in our relationships. A relationship has to be grounded at very deepest level. If it is not at deepest level then it is not a real relationship. Relationships work for those who work at them. The main work of relationship is communication. Speaking and listening is the main source of communication. I would like to give more emphasis on the speaking. When I speak with others, I should not project my mistake on others. I always speak from my point of view. I should not blame others for my mistake. A person can speak the truth of himself but not the whole truth. Some time a person feels that everyone feels the same way as he or she feels, but there are differences. Everyone feels differently and each one is unique in their personality. This affects our relationship with others. These chapters help me and you to communicate well. It gives a lot of ideas for good communication. I selected a book written by John Powell. John Powell is a native of Chicago and he was a member of the Jesuits. He recently retired as Professor of Theology at Loyola University of Chicago, where he was a much-loved teacher for many years. Most of us are familiar with John Powell through his many books which, over the years, have been consistent best-sellers. Books like Why Am I Afraid to Love and Will the Real Me Please Stand Up? But now he has left the Jesuits. I took the book called “WILL THE REAL ME PLEASE STAND UP?” If someone understands, accepts, and puts into practice the wisdom proposed by in the these twenty five guide lines for the good communication the personal happiness and growth will be the inevitable result. I took three chapters about the way of speaking. Three chapters I read were all about how to speak with others and how to share our selves and our feelings and emotions with others. Let me explore more about to you in the next paragraph.
Summery:
Communication happens between two people. one has to speak and another one has to listen. Three chapters of this book are talking about the how to convey our message about our feelings and emotions with others. First of all When I share myself with others, I must take the full responsibility for my actions and my reactions. For this I must make an “I statement” not a “you statement.” Most of us (including me) grow as blamers we accuse others of our own mistakes and reactions and we rationalize our own reactions. It is difficult for us to look at our selves and accept full responsibility for our own mistakes and reactions. If we accept the mistakes and reactions then we are growing into a mature human being. It helps us to have honest relationships with others. As John Powell writes in this book “Most of us grow as 'blamers'. If I can only cross over the line that separates the blamers from those who accept the full responsibility for their behavior, it will probably be the most mature thing I have ever done.” Whatever our reaction react to the incident or anything it is our reaction, not someone else's. Some thing within us makes us to react like that. We should not blame others. Eleanor Roosevelt posted this sentence in her office: “No one make you feel inferior, unless you give him/her permission.” Nobody can make us feel bad or good because whatever we feel it is from our own uniqueness and not from others. There is a another way of blaming others for our mistake. The technical word is “Projection.” Projection is a standard and commonly used defense mechanism. When I project, I blame some one or some thing for my own failures or undesirable reactions and I lay the responsibility on others. Communication becomes a game if it is not honest, and projection is simply not honest. Some time I think that I feel the same way as others also feel. But it is not true, because everybody is unique and has individuality in their feelings and attitudes. They are different like the finger prints each person are different. I laugh at some thing, but the another person may take it seriously. Those people who project their responsibilities on to others. We will never grow up in their attitudes and they really do not know the inner reality of themselves. They will always make “you statements” not “I statements.” If I understand this and apply it to my life then I will make “I statements” not “you statements.”
Most of us are tempted to generalize our personal experience. We forget that others are really other, different from us. Some times I want to speak to the person about my feelings or emotions. But I do not say that I had feelings like this when you did that to me. Instead that I speak for all and I try to use “We” as in “We feel like that when you did that.” When we report in a meeting we try to use “We” that we feel like this and we did this. Some times we react to some body and when we share with others we try to project that if they were the same in that situation they also would do the same. We forget that we are all different from each other and we try to generalize the situation that it hurts everyone or every one feel same as me. But we are unique and individual. Such a habit of thinking and speaking is normal. Humans do have things in common It effects our relationship with others. We should understand that we can not see things as others see, Everybody sees things differently. If I am sharing, I am sharing my truth not the whole truth. I can only share my view of what I saw and heard.
Then it is my truth it is not whole truth. Everyone has a small part of the truth not the whole truth. When we bring all the truth together, we get a total truth not the truth. We must understand this in our relationships with others. Even though understand the individual personality we should speak more carefully but it is difficult to get rid of this habit. It has a strong effect in our relationship with others. We must speak only for our selves, in communication I should make it clear that I am speaking only my truth not the truth.
We human beings are not simple. We have feelings and emotions and they are important when we are sharing our selves with others. Because feelings and emotions come and go. They are affected by the amount of sleep we had and the time of day and the sugar level of the blood. But the act of communication, sharing ourselves with others, is very important to us. When we share our feelings with another, we have a sense of sharing our true selves. Some times we share our choices and our thoughts with others. When we share our feelings and the struggle we are going through, the fears and the joys and sorrows then we have a sense of sharing them, and we are trying to build a good relationship with the person whom we are sharing. It helps each of us to know better. Our feelings are a summery expression of our personal history . We some time have some of our feelings and reactions from our parents or significant persons in early life. But human emotional experiences are not the same from our parents and our brothers and sisters. When we share our selves with others we can not just drop all our emotions at his feet. But we need to give full details of our feelings and emotions. First we have to give a sense of the data. Then I can share, what I heard and saw, it may be a view of one person and his view of what happened. Next I give you the feelings that resulted in me from my interpretation. Finally I can share what I just wanted to share with you that is what I feel and how I reacted to that situation. When I share my significant feelings, I must share the “positive” or “affirming” feelings as well as our “negative” feelings. I should share myself as a gift to be given I should not use you as a garbage dump for my own emotional refuse. Some times I manipulate some body for my own needs. The only acceptable way of sharing my self is to honestly share my self, because I want you to know the real me and I want to have a real relationship with you. I have realized that the only way to a deep and real relationship is to tell you all my significant feelings. All I can hope for is that you will listen and take my sharing into gentle hands.
Reflection:
I really enjoyed reading this chapter because when I was in the novitiate I had a lot of problems in my communication I was mature enough and I always thought negatively. But I had a chance to attend the human development class which helped me to over come out of my circle. The resource person of the course asked me to read this book. Then I got this book and started to read it. It was very helpful and it was a chance for me to look wider and share my feelings and emotion with others in a healthy way. It gave so many ways to look at a situation and share our feelings and emotions with others. This chapters really helped me to share my feelings and emotions.
I have been a fearful person for most of my life... fearful of what others might think of me, so I put on a facade each day and try to be someone who I am not... I have been in a state of depression. I have been praying and asking God to change me and to allow me to learn how to love other people instead of avoiding and being afraid of them and what they might think of me.
God has answered my prayers with this book. I have read only a few chapters and it feels like the shell inside me that I have been building for years has been cracked and the real me is beginning to emerge. What a liberating feeling. My depression and my focus on myself is diminishing at an unbelievable rate.
I have always been suspicious of others think about me. I create a fantasy life by imagining what they might be thinking about me, so as to avoid rejection, I keep my distance and act cool and aloof in their presence. Meanwhile I go on in my loneliness with my insides unknowingly crying out to communicate to others. In reality, my imagination of what they think about me probably doesn't even come close to what they really think.
I started reading this book and I can already see a monumental difference in the way I am communicating with others around me... fearless and loving are two words that I can use to describe my feelings toward others now... and in practicing the ideas of the chapter... unbelievable! Seeing as I have always been fearful and bitter toward most other people.
Now I feel more comfortable to share my feelings and emotions with others. I found only way to build my relationship I must share my feelings and my emotions with others and understand their feelings and emotions also. Sharing my feelings and emotions I have to be very careful about the way I share my self. I am a gift given by God I must share that gift with you in good manner. Whenever I share myself with you I must take a responsibility of my feelings and emotions. Then I am building the good relationship with you. I have Grown as a mature person. I hope this reading make me little more mature in my communication, specially in my speaking and sharing of my self.
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