Affirmation: I am worthy.
What determines the worthiness of a human being? In 1997 the movie Gattica came out staring
Ethan Hawke. It was a sci-fi film about
genetically altering the human fetus towards a specific occupation. A child who was born without this alteration
was considered "imperfect" or "inferior" and that human was
deigned useful only for menial jobs.
Ethan was one of those children born without the advantage of the
sophisticated science of the time. He
was not happy with his pre-determined role and the movie revolves around what
he needs to do to give the illusion of being one of the perfect people. As we all know, the science fiction of today
has often become the reality of tomorrow.
With genetic testing widely available and with the mapping of the Gnome,
the theme of Gattica may not be too far removed from the very near future.
When I've facilitated programs about creating affirmations people
are encouraged to create phrases that do not have any negatives in them. A few years back, however, I had one person
who had had a very difficult childhood and she decided she was going to use
"not" in her affirmation because it was the best phrase to help her
feel better and so she did. Most of the
time when we use a negative in an affirmation, our brains ignore the negative
and we wind up doing or feeling exactly the opposite of what we had intended.
She decided she did NOT need to do anything more or be anyone other than who
she was to be of value. When she shared
her affirmation it was obvious to everyone present that it was going to have a
powerful impact for her even with the word "not" as part of it.
Recently I was involved in an activity that was more than
humbling. I was actually embarrassed by
what I perceived as my poor performance.
(If you've been following this blog you can probably guess what I was
doing.) I then became annoyed with myself for judging myself so harshly. For me this was another experience that made
me wonder, what determines the value of a human being?
When someone is asked, "What do you do?" the answer
generally generates a visceral response in both the questioned and the
questioner. Have you watched the
physical response of both parties as this question is presented, have you
observed yourself? I've seen the persons
being asked sometimes "puff-up", stand taller, perhaps their
shoulders go back. I've watched some
people slump over, maybe step back as if they're preparing for battle. Then there's the person's response when the
answer is given. For example, if the
answer is, "I'm a brain surgeon" most people would probably have a
different response than if the answer was, "I'm a trash
collector." We generally judge and
many times value an individual based on what they "do."
I am fascinated by society's value determination of occupations. As far as I'm concerned if people were
financially rewarded for their services based on how they benefit society,
sports persons would not be making millions of dollars while teachers eek out a
living. Movie stars would not be some of
the richest people in our country while those who care for the sick and elderly
barely make minimum wage.
Where am I going with this?
I want everyone to feel valued simply because they are a human
being. My friend was right. We don't need to do anything more or be
anybody special to be worthy. We need to
value each person simply because they are a creation of God. If we don't do that it would mean that the
sick, the infirm, the elderly, the mentally ill are of no value. It will mean that someday society will allow
science to genetically alter or design a human being and those that don't come
out "perfect" will be relegated to a subservient place or even worse
destroyed.
My faith, the Catholic Church, promotes the sanctity of life from
the womb to the tomb. I know this is not
a popular concept and I understand how people because of dire circumstances
sometimes want to be in charge of who lives and who dies and when, but it seems
to me it's a slippery slope towards devaluing the human being and life itself.
Several years ago I was invited by a dear friend, Ann Baucom, to
join her and a group of women in developing a personal "charter of
compassion." I came up with six
steps: Pray, Embrace Silence, Listen for God's voice, Affirm what is important
to me, Release it into God's care, and Love, non-judgmentally, non-graspingly
and unconditionally. When I shared this
charter with a friend, she thought it was too self-centered and not enough
other-centered but I feel I can't affect
any change in the world until I change myself.
Each human being is a masterpiece, no matter what the flaws. The flaws can add color, depth and
texture. We are each a precious treasure
and with that concept we should know that we are worthy; worthy of respect,
worthy of love, worthy of all the good and prosperity of a Divine
creation. Once we believe in ourselves,
we will posses the wherewithal to give back to the world.
We can be of service by simply knowing God is always with us and
She is leading us and guiding us. If we
are listening we will do it with love and honor and compassion. We are of service if daily we rise with the
intention to bless the world in our thoughts and words and deeds. We can impact
the world regardless of what we do or, are unable to do if we simply hold our
fellow man or woman in our thoughts with blessings and love. I am a perfect
being created by a loving God regardless of what I do or don't do and so are
you!
