Hallo... one of my favorite songs... just love the poetry! Posted it on the net and just have to add it here to my blog.
"Carnival" by Natalie Merchant
I've walked these streets
A virtual stage
It seemed to me
Make up on their faces
Actors took their
Places next to me
I've walked these streets
In a carnival
Of sights to see
All the cheap thrill seekers
The vendors & the dealers
They crowded around me
Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Inside myself and
My own mind
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have seen?
I've walked these streets
In a spectacle of wealth & poverty
In the diamond market
The scarlet welcome carpet
That they just rolled out for me
I've walked these streets
In the mad house asylum
They can be
Where a wild eyed misfit prophet
On a traffic island stopped
And he raved of saving me
Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Inside myself and
My own mind
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have seen?
Have I been wrong
Have I been wise
To shut my eyes
And play along
Hypnotized
Paralyzed
By what my eyes have found
By what my eyes have seen
What they have seen?
Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Have I been wrong
Have I been wise
Have I been strong
Have I been
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have found
In that great street carnival
In that carnival?
-zensufi-
July 23, 2006
June 5, 2006
Pet Nightmares
Hallo... which TV show gives you nightmares? A horror series or a violent series? How about an animal series? Did you say - a show about animals? Oh yes I did!
Recently, the Animal Planet TV channel ran several back to back episodes of a reality series called, Animal Precinct. This show takes you on patrol with New York City's Humane Law Enforcement agents who are devoted to investigating crimes against the city's animal population. The series starts off something like this… “New York City, 8 million people, 5 million pets, 1 team of officers…”
Of course yours truly read the disclaimer – “Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised…” but for some reason it did not register in my brain that a show about pets is one that I should be advised against.
So, there I was watching a string of shows that resulted in a string of nightmares. Major impact on my sleep system and one that caused shifts in my mind set!
Okay, you get the picture, but let me explain why this show causes nightmares. Not because it is a bad show, it is an excellent show, but the horrors it exposes one to would make Buddha commit suicide.
Just one show later, I was left with a zillion questions buzzing in my head like: why do people get pets if they can’t look after them? More so, why do people get pets they end up mistreating? And the purpose of a pet is what? I would think companionship, and it involves caring, loving, and spending time with.
Just like the USA has a very tough application and approval process for people who want to adopt a child, I call for a similar system for those who want to bring a pet into their lives. The goal is to make people think twice before they consider something they might not be able to handle. All in favor say, AYE!
-zensufi-
Recently, the Animal Planet TV channel ran several back to back episodes of a reality series called, Animal Precinct. This show takes you on patrol with New York City's Humane Law Enforcement agents who are devoted to investigating crimes against the city's animal population. The series starts off something like this… “New York City, 8 million people, 5 million pets, 1 team of officers…”
Of course yours truly read the disclaimer – “Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised…” but for some reason it did not register in my brain that a show about pets is one that I should be advised against.
So, there I was watching a string of shows that resulted in a string of nightmares. Major impact on my sleep system and one that caused shifts in my mind set!
Okay, you get the picture, but let me explain why this show causes nightmares. Not because it is a bad show, it is an excellent show, but the horrors it exposes one to would make Buddha commit suicide.
Just one show later, I was left with a zillion questions buzzing in my head like: why do people get pets if they can’t look after them? More so, why do people get pets they end up mistreating? And the purpose of a pet is what? I would think companionship, and it involves caring, loving, and spending time with.
Just like the USA has a very tough application and approval process for people who want to adopt a child, I call for a similar system for those who want to bring a pet into their lives. The goal is to make people think twice before they consider something they might not be able to handle. All in favor say, AYE!
-zensufi-
May 8, 2006
Case Study: A Foster Child
Modified Paper from 2003 - "Case Study of A Foster Child’s Grief and Loss"
A non-profit organization in Minnesota known as, Resources for Adoptive Parents held monthly respite camps for adopted and foster children. Families dropped off their children for the entire weekend and adoption counselors engaged the children in a wide variety of activities. Most of the activities revolved around adoption issues, creating awareness, understanding, generating peer support, and making it a fun experience for the children. A key outcome was, that the children connected with others realizing that they were in the same situation as themselves. Thoughts and emotions were shared on a one-on-one basis and during group sessions.
One weekend, an adoption counselor and myself, held a group session in which we asked the children to share one good thing and one bad thing about adoption or foster care. A seven year old, Joey, waved his hand wildly asking to be called upon. Sensing his enthusiasm, my colleague asked him to share his thoughts. Joey proudly boasted, that the good thing about foster care was that he had been in fourteen homes in two years. The bad thing about foster care was, that he had not seen his mother in a long while.
After hearing Joey’s viewpoint, the other children shouted out the number of homes they had been in through their lives and within seconds the group became disorderly. Some stated, that they went through several homes before they were finally adopted, while others were still in search of a permanent home. What started out as an excited self disclosure turned into a competitive game, and the group had to be calmed down so we could continue. Ultimately, the children discussed their loss or losses, and expressed that being in many homes was not fun after all. They wanted permanency, security, and to leave behind the grief experienced with each departure.
In the case of foster children like Joey, they do not really consider being in several homes a plus point nor a competitive game. Joey wanted to make a statement and express his feelings, which did not appear to come from a sense of loss, but they did. When we dug deeper during a few one-on-one sessions with Joey, it explored the loss experienced by him when he left each foster home. His grieving was continuous and he was not given a chance to complete his grieving process and move on, because he kept moving on to another home. Each time he is abandoned by a set of foster parents, he keeps tally and knows exactly how many homes he has been in and out of in how long. It almost appears as if, Joey accepts this abandonment and loss process as a normal event in life which will continue and he will keep counting.
When we approach Joey’s story from another angle, it is rather strange that he went through so many homes in two years. Usually in the State of Minnesota, foster parents keep a child for six months or less. Perhaps, it indicates that Joey disrupted the homes he was sent to, and therefore, was removed from each home after a short period of time. When a child has experienced a certain way of life to be normal, however dysfunctional per the standards set by society, the child will see the dyfunctionality as normal. Children in foster care are abandoned by their biological parents, each set of foster parents they live with, social workers when they are changed, educators, classmates, and many others. A foster child like Joey has not even been allowed to go through the entire grieving process. For him, loss is added to more loss and the grief continues, until he is permanently placed or turns eighteen years old, at which point he will be allowed to exit the foster care system.
Thousands of Joeys’ lives have been tabulated into numerous volumes of statistical data. The material has been researched, analyzed, compiled, and presented to the nation decade after decade. Knock on the door of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any other organization that focuses on child adoption or foster care research, and you will gain access to amazing statistical details regarding the race, gender, age, and even psychological profile of foster children, birth families, adoptive families, and much more. Despite all the facts, children still continue to enter, leave, and remain in the same system, but more so, for now, these children need to be allowed to grieve.
-zensufi-
A non-profit organization in Minnesota known as, Resources for Adoptive Parents held monthly respite camps for adopted and foster children. Families dropped off their children for the entire weekend and adoption counselors engaged the children in a wide variety of activities. Most of the activities revolved around adoption issues, creating awareness, understanding, generating peer support, and making it a fun experience for the children. A key outcome was, that the children connected with others realizing that they were in the same situation as themselves. Thoughts and emotions were shared on a one-on-one basis and during group sessions.
One weekend, an adoption counselor and myself, held a group session in which we asked the children to share one good thing and one bad thing about adoption or foster care. A seven year old, Joey, waved his hand wildly asking to be called upon. Sensing his enthusiasm, my colleague asked him to share his thoughts. Joey proudly boasted, that the good thing about foster care was that he had been in fourteen homes in two years. The bad thing about foster care was, that he had not seen his mother in a long while.
After hearing Joey’s viewpoint, the other children shouted out the number of homes they had been in through their lives and within seconds the group became disorderly. Some stated, that they went through several homes before they were finally adopted, while others were still in search of a permanent home. What started out as an excited self disclosure turned into a competitive game, and the group had to be calmed down so we could continue. Ultimately, the children discussed their loss or losses, and expressed that being in many homes was not fun after all. They wanted permanency, security, and to leave behind the grief experienced with each departure.
In the case of foster children like Joey, they do not really consider being in several homes a plus point nor a competitive game. Joey wanted to make a statement and express his feelings, which did not appear to come from a sense of loss, but they did. When we dug deeper during a few one-on-one sessions with Joey, it explored the loss experienced by him when he left each foster home. His grieving was continuous and he was not given a chance to complete his grieving process and move on, because he kept moving on to another home. Each time he is abandoned by a set of foster parents, he keeps tally and knows exactly how many homes he has been in and out of in how long. It almost appears as if, Joey accepts this abandonment and loss process as a normal event in life which will continue and he will keep counting.
When we approach Joey’s story from another angle, it is rather strange that he went through so many homes in two years. Usually in the State of Minnesota, foster parents keep a child for six months or less. Perhaps, it indicates that Joey disrupted the homes he was sent to, and therefore, was removed from each home after a short period of time. When a child has experienced a certain way of life to be normal, however dysfunctional per the standards set by society, the child will see the dyfunctionality as normal. Children in foster care are abandoned by their biological parents, each set of foster parents they live with, social workers when they are changed, educators, classmates, and many others. A foster child like Joey has not even been allowed to go through the entire grieving process. For him, loss is added to more loss and the grief continues, until he is permanently placed or turns eighteen years old, at which point he will be allowed to exit the foster care system.
Thousands of Joeys’ lives have been tabulated into numerous volumes of statistical data. The material has been researched, analyzed, compiled, and presented to the nation decade after decade. Knock on the door of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any other organization that focuses on child adoption or foster care research, and you will gain access to amazing statistical details regarding the race, gender, age, and even psychological profile of foster children, birth families, adoptive families, and much more. Despite all the facts, children still continue to enter, leave, and remain in the same system, but more so, for now, these children need to be allowed to grieve.
-zensufi-
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