Is being a victim a life choice?

I have been to a college reunion. The college was part of a Children's Home and we were training to be Nursery Nurses. As I was returning home, I knew what this blog would be about. 

Then I thought that I must have written about this subject before, as it's one of my favourites. A 'search' has revealed that I started to write this blog in September 2009, but never finished or published it.

So here is the beginning from 2009. I will follow it up with further thoughts from this week in 2013.
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'Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.' A well known Buddist saying.

Is it a given that if something awful happens to you, that you become a victim? Can you choose to become a victim?

I was prompted to remember the saying above, by an ex teacher who appeared on the programme about excluded children. I am not denying that the attack he suffered by a pupil wasn't shocking, nor that his injuries weren't serious. As he listed the problems that he was still experiencing, he said, "my life has been ruined by..." I couldn't help but think, "but it doesn't have to be like that. You are choosing to have a ruined life".

Some of you may be reading that and taking a sharp intake of breath and wondering what do I know about the aftermath of traumatic events? Well, more than I did 12 years ago and if sharing some of that knowledge on here, can help just one person, then it's worth it.

Have you ever thought why two people can experience a similar traumatic event and one person's life seems to be ruined, while the other person recovers? Why does that happen?

Well, it's much more than I can blog about here, but in case this is relevent to you or someone you know, I am going to give a few pointers.
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That is how I started in 2009. It would appear I was going to write about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but I've done that elsewhere, so I'm going to write about control.

http://emotionalgrowth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/if-you-pick-it-it-wont-get-better.html

http://emotionalgrowth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/im-very-very-scared-trauma.html

As I'm writing, a biting wind is howling through the bare trees. Snow and chaos are being reported in other parts of the UK and I can imagine that many people are going to blame the weather for ruining the day, weekend, holiday, wedding, outing and so on. Or important regional meeting, as in my case.

A headline on a newspaper reads, "The lottery ruined my life."  How the newspapers love a story like that. In fact, tabloids thrive on anything or anybody that has "ruined my life." An immediate 'must read, get emotionally aroused and outraged'.

It's the second time I've heard the "... has ruined my life" expression this week. The first time was at the reunion. There were women in their sixties and a man in his late forties. He had been a child in the children's home from two weeks to five years, moving on the other homes until adulthood.

How many of you think that it must have been the man who said it?

No, it was one of the women. She had recently sold her house in the south and bought a beautiful, large house in her son's partner's home town in the north, where she didn't know anyone. Her son, partner and grandchild had moved north through redundancy. It has been a disaster. "I thought we could all live in the house happily ever after." How old is she emotionally? In fact the reported behaviour of all the adults, left us wondering about the EQ of them all and most concerned about the child.

We supported her and comforted her. She said, " They have ruined my life". Before I could speak, another friend said what I was thinking. Her own daughter has problems with addiction, amongst others. "No", she said, "they have not ruined your life. You are allowing them to ruin your life." There were nods of agreement from others, who knew from their own experiences, that she was correct.

Not easy to understand or believe. I certainly didn't want to, many years ago.

If we look at the difference between those who are victims and those who are not, one of the major differences is those who give control of their lives over to an event or other person and those who take control of their own life. Those who change the word 'ruined' to 'changed' agree that, "...it changed my life...", but will not allow to ruin their lives.

I feel I might be hearing some, "yes, but..." from some readers. Have a look around at your friends, family and wider circle. How have people dealt with life experiences? Do events control them or do they control their responses to events? People who have experienced the grimmest of circumstances have chosen not to become victims, whilst others have chosen that path.

The man, who attended the reunion sent us an email afterwards:

Dear All
It was delightful to meet up with many of you in the evening. It's hard to explain just how pleased it makes me to be able to meet and talk with people who knew me as child. You made a big difference to my life way back then and it continues to have an impact on me today. Growing up in care can leave some people with a sense of loss or abandonment but I can say that I have never felt like that. In fact I feel blessed to have had so many people looking out for me and to me you are all part of my family. As a child I used to tell people that I was brought up by angels and to me, that's what you always will be.

Lots of love,

He could so easily be going through life 'out of control', blaming his mother, unknown father and various institutions. He could be wearing that unhelpful label 'abandonment issues' round his neck and receiving treatment and on medication. 

He has his own family, home and good job. He has grown up chronologically, intellectually, physically and most importantly, emotionally.

©RitaLeaman2013

Criminal, illness or emotional immaturity?

The York Press newspaper has recently reported the case of a young man of 20 years old. He has been imprisoned for 16 months, because he has a shoe fetish and grabbed a high-heeled shoe from a woman, while she was wearing it. He had done this before.
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/10266699.Stiletto_shoe_fetish_man_jailed/

While I acknowledge that the incidents could be frightening for a woman, the fetish could also be something slightly amusing in its weirdness.

I despaired. Sixteen months in jail. Exactly how is that going to stop this young man's behaviour? He is a poorly educated man of 20, with a younger emotional age. It's a fetish. A craving. An obsession. An addiction. 

In one of the reports I read, the authorities spoke of not being able to find out exactly why it was happening.

I thought of another case a few years ago in 2007. Not disimilar. A man with a fetish, uncontrollable behaviour and frightening people in his search for satisfaction.

I wrote a letter to the York paper and it was made the lead letter. I've found the letter in a file and instead of writing something similar again. I'm going to reprint my original letter to explain my thoughts.
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Sir

The Press writes about Norman Hutchins,  “once again”, as he is jailed for three years. (Sept 4th 2007)

I am not excusing Mr Hutchin’s behaviour, but maybe there is a reason, which it doesn’t take a genius to work out.  The judge is wrong, it can be changed.

Mr Hutchins is on a desperate search for something.  He keeps looking but doesn’t find it.  In his case it would appear to be some sort of comfort, security and attention. I would guess that at some point in his upbringing, these vital childhood needs were met with something connected with health, doctors, hospitals or similar.  As an adult he, like all of us, still needs comfort, security and attention. But as an adult, he hasn’t been able to get these needs met in a healthy way, only and ironically, in an unhealthy way.  Emotionally he’s a frightened child.

There are many prisoners who are only back in prison because they have many of their needs met in prison and not in the outside world. eg: Friendship, community, boundaries and security.

If we look at the Strensall* gangs, it’s all about getting needs met, but in an anti-social way.  Attention, fun, security, friendship, status, sense of community, sense of achievement, feeling valued, meaning and purpose. Until these children’s needs are met in a healthy way,  the gangs will thrive and some of them too will end up in prison.

I expect there will be many readers who may dismiss my words, but I wonder how many readers are this very day seeking feelings of comfort, security and attention in their behaviours. They will be drinking and eating unhealthily, because they are searching for a feeling of comfort. They are spending money on gambling and on goods that they can’t afford, but it’s giving them a meaning and purpose.  They will seeking sex filled thrills to feel loved and valued. They will be working to a point of exhaustion, not because of needing the money, but because they are searching for a feeling of being good enough. Maybe they do need the money to pay for goods that really they only want, but don’t actually need, but these goods provide them with a feeling of status amongst their peers. Are we so different from Mr Hutchins?

A fetish sounds seedy, but grabs headlines. Mr Hutchins has an addiction, because he is craving a feeling he once had and is trying to find again. He won’t ever find it though, because it belongs in the past.  He is not alone as he chases rainbows. There is no pot of gold. 

Yours Sincerely

Rita Leaman

*A suburb of York

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In 2013 my opinion hasn't changed. 

©RitaLeaman2013

Targets and boxes - frustrations

I popped into WH Smiths in Euston Station for a newspaper. Of course, I had to pass down the whole shop (and goods) to the tills. Self-service tills. There was a long queue. One assistant was taking goods from the customers and putting them through one of the self-service tills. Another supervisor was supervising him. There was no-one at the manned till.

(For the TV programme, Room 101, I will put in the automated voice, "Unidentified item in bagging area.")

It was a ridiculous situation and I remarked so to the man behind me, who concurred. When it came to my turn, the assistant took the paper and my money, while apologising for the situation.

"I am sorry, but we have targets."

"Don't worry, I replied, "I know all about targets." Don't we all?

There is a family history of osteoporosis in the family. I have kept it at bay, so far, but have bi-annual bone density scans to make sure all is ok.

On the visit to the GP to ask for a referral, she explained to me that she would do her best, but it was down to how many boxes I ticked. At least they're honest. It would appear I ticked enough boxes. I had the scan.

Many years ago I was on a train to London and chatted to a hospital consultant from Newcastle. He was on his way to a meeting about targets. He really didn't want to go, as it was taking him away from his 'proper' work. I feel matters have become far worse since then.

Due to negative equity, we lived for years in a rented flat in York, while owning a flat in the south of England. Have you ever tried to fill in a form where the boxes do not allow for your own personal circumstances. Are you an owner or do you rent a property? Yes, both. Sorry, we don't allow for that scenario.

I claim a State pension and have other paid work. Obviously a forerunner of the Government's intentions for all, very soon. The problem is that HMRC haven't caught up with matters yet. They can manage tax for someone claiming the state pension, but are not proving so hot with anyone who holds a pension and has other income. The problem with this, is that dealings with HMRC can be frustrating and cause distress for many.

Oh, the frustrations of modern life. I expect that has always been so. Some people thought the telephone was the devils's work. Some developments are great. But some are not. 

New machines and technology bring great bonuses, but are we losing the human touch and a person's individuality in the process?

©RitaLeaman2013

Who are they...really? (Plus some news.)

I don't usually write a follow-up blog from comments that arise, but this week I'm making an exception.

A friend wrote about how on attending a funeral, it struck them how someone who died can be seen in so many different lights. You can read her comments on Facebook. I had recently thought the same thing. Memories and opinions of the same person can be very different.

Some illustrations.

1. I had a wonderful uncle called Uncle Basil. A single man. We saw him about three times a year, always on family occasions with his sister, my mother.

Around late 80s, he became unwell. My sister lived the nearest and took charge, visiting doctors, opticians etc: but she found out that no-one knew who Basil was. They knew him as Fred. Indeed, that was his first name, but because it was his father's name, he was known as Basil in the family. One day, my exasperated sister said, "It's no good Basil, we're going to have to call you Fred." " Good", he responded, with feeling, "I've always hated the name Basil!"

A couple of years later, he sadly died. Two of us spoke at his very well attended funeral. An old friend from the same town spoke about the popular man called Fred. There was a hint of the fact that he was careful with his money.

I stood up and spoke about the wonderful brother and uncle, Basil, who amongst other things was very generous and a world traveller.

Afterwards, I felt as if the family were in a wedding line, as one after another wanted to shake our hands, say what a wonderful man Fred had been, but how the man Basil had been a revelation to them.

2. A friend from my teenage years died last year. He used to speak about his frustration with his mother. I had thought of her as the sort of mother, who was everything my mother wasn't. She was at the funeral and I thanked her for the kindness shown me as a regular visitor in the home at that time. This was because the relationship between and my mother was difficult, to say the least.
But my friend had thought my mother was wonderful, because she wasn't like his mother.

I was visiting my aunt in a Californian retirement community ten years ago. She asked me to go to the Sunday service with her in a local community hall. I was intrigued. The hall was packed and the average age was around 75-80. The speaker was a Mr De'Ath and the sermon was on the reading that week, which was about dying. This is all quite true.

I wondered what on earth he was going to say. I've remembered it. It was about how we are going to be remembered at our funerals. What will people say? Was there anything that we might want to change about ourselves? Interesting.

How will we be be remembered?

Better than this lady I hope.

A friend was visiting on his return from the funeral of the wife of a titled businessman. He was still bemused by what he had heard. The woman was known as a particularly difficult woman. The funeral was well attended by the businessman's friends and two sons. The vicar spoke about Lady S and uttered these words, " Lady S was a woman who held strong opinions and um, er...........she had lovely hair!"

I was at a talk yesterday, given by eight women, as part of International Women's week. They were studying Human Rights in York. They came from Sudan, Honduras, Liberia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Iran and Somali. These were brave women, who, at home, lived with fear and violence, as daily companions. As a friend said, " They've jolted me out of my comfort."

I came away with a number of nuggets, but for this blog, the woman from Iran said, "Don't look for roles and labels. Just say your name and hello."

So often we jump to conclusions and get it wrong.

I have spent the week setting up social networking sites for the book I'm publishing in Autumn 2013. But you won't see my name on the book, website and other places. Rita writes blogs, but not books.

I hadn't planned this for today, but now I reached the end of the blog, perhaps I'll take this opportunity to introduce someone I've been calling my shy, twin sister.

Here goes...please welcome a new writer, Alison R Russell. 

©Ritaleaman2013