CONFLICT RESOLUTION EDUCATION ~ ISSUE 214 ~ AUGUST 2, 2016

By Diane Gold

DEFINING CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION

Conflict resolution education deals with how to handle a serious difference. We might call it an argument or a fight when people are using defensive language about their position. Depending upon how people were trained/schooled to proceed, this can lead to violence, which proper education can minimize.

Conflict is defined as fighting, contending, battling. Most of the time, clashing engagements such as these begin when we are young, from the very first toy we take out of the mouth of our play date or very first friend, continuing until the day we call our last.

Resolution is defined as coming to some harmonious position between two or more opposing views.

QUESTION

So how is it we only think it’s important to study conflict and its resolution in our third year of study in pre-law, political science, mediation training or debate? Did anyone ever think that if we began to educate our young about conflict resolution from early childhood and onward, we might have experience studying the studies, role playing the scenarios and discussing the value of the outcomes by the time we influence communities, plant seeds for our own children and make decisions that need temperance?

CONFLICT CLASS, BEGINNING EARLIER THAN KINDERGARTEN

If I were programming early public school – such as in New York – where there’s Kindergarten at 4 or when kids go to day care at 3, I would create a conflict resolution program. Of course, it’s a little dry to call it that for 3-year-olds, so What To Do When We Disagree might be a better title or WTDWWD or wu-tu-du-wu-wu-du. If I called it How To Conflict, that might be good, too. Then, everyone would have to learn the vocabulary word “conflict.”

We would discuss first that we are free minded people and may come to different conclusions about what to do in a certain situation. We would have to be calm, ourselves, in order to make a good decision. And, for that, we would introduce tai chi, a system of movement that teaches us to do slow, physical movement from every fiber of our body in order to bring the mind into a state of balance.

ACTION STEP ONE for conflict resolution is: bringing the self to a state of calmness. This ability serves to prevent sickness, enhance self-esteem, reduce the amount of times we feel stress.

CHOICES

The next thing would be to realize that we all have choices to make. If we are lucky and live in a land that is free, such as the United States, we decide what we will do. We can find it’s more important to get our way than it is to be kind. Or we can decide that we don’t have to get our way because we would have to hurt another person to do it. But talking about it from early on would give us FFF, food for thought. We would be stimulated to think and bring that thinking to school where others could respond. And the teachers, of course, would mediate, the way each student would do upon growing older.

Since we don’t have 5 years in which to study being calm or time to take a blasphemous weekend certification course in tai chi, chi kung, meditation when there is an immediate conflict, we would drill in making decisions quickly, to get good at making good decisions under pressure. It would be similar to target practice with moving targets, except with the mind.

PRIVATE PROPERTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The example I like to use with groups is LAND PIRACY. This is a most common conflict, so we discuss what we would do when someone came to take our land.

There are not many options. We have what is morally right, legally right, egotistically right. Not much else. All these options are open to interpretation. But, if we have been considering them since 3 years of age, we may not have to panic and strike out or panic and run the other way. This gives great value to beginning conflict resolution education early.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Since our options are few, we have to decide what motivates us. Is it (1) who needs the land more, (2) who possesses the land because laws must be followed, (3) who will kill to get or keep the land, (4) who looks weak and who looks powerful or (5) something else?

Is it moral to have lots of land when others live in garbage cans?

Is land worth taking someone’s life?

Is land worth giving up our own life?

ACTION STEP TWO

Give these questions some thought and send in answers to [email protected]. We will read every one.

CONCLUSION

Conflict resolution education may be taught in school. Students may receive less biased information that is less home influenced at the source and learn to express themselves without family interference if they are not home schooled. Those who are may not be free to read a wide variety of world opinion, since family values may override the topic at hand.

Let’s be good citizens, all, and pass on the outcomes of history during conflict. Children can understand what happened in history. Discussion of this will develop thoughtful adults. Let’s not conceal any information in learning. Let’s put it all out there for new minds to choose for themselves. Why do we give people the skills to read and right but not to interact in debate until they are older? Hardly fair.

Let’s build conflict resolution education into every subject that is taught, because we need the skills that it teaches everywhere.

If you wish to share your story, leave it as a comment under an article at http://warriorsofweight.com/issues. or even better, write our own article and put it up on a free wordpress site (https://wordpress.com), or post it on a social media site. Share yourself.

If you need habit help, check out warriorsofweight.com/consulting.

Know that you can reach out to a fellow human, probably to the person right next to you. If that interaction works out poorly, do it again. It’s worth it, since most people are nice and want to connect with you.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can comment on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, has been a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, has been a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and has been certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes in conflict resolution education at an early age since we encounter its need as soon as we are born, or, certainly, upon socialization. She says,

“I don’t believe in hiding information from children. It is we as parents who have the responsibility to fill our children with the skills to decide how they will live and what they will believe.

“I do believe in creating circumstances that can teach children to see harmony instead of strife, to value kindness rather than property, to be productive in ways that make them happy and fulfilled.

“And I do believe it is just as important to role play social situations as it is to learn about other people’s history and crucial to start these lessons early. Think of how much more polished at handling conflict we would be. Think of how much more understanding we would be.

“Wouldn’t it be special to advance human evolution through the wisdom we would have from the longevity of this experience.

“This in itself would help take good care of each other and ourselves. It would demonstrate loving ourselves and our fellow beings at all costs – because we are all always worth it.”

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:
CONSIDER HOW WE WOULD ACT IF SOMEONE PIRATED OUR LAND.

HOMELESS – HOW WE CAN HELP ~ ISSUE 207 ~ APRIL 5, 2016
By Diane Gold

ARE WE HOMELESS?

Are we aware of what it is to be homeless? Probably only if we are homeless or if we work with people who are homeless.

Are we blind to suffering? Probably only if we are not suffering.

These suppositions have to do with how aware we are when we are living a situation but how unaware we become when we are not. Think of having a baby. It’s very painful. Do I remember the pain? No, I remember the joy. Or think of being sick when we are not.

Do I remember being sick? Depends upon how long ago I was sick. For me, it was just the other day, and it was the kind of sick where I could see life’s end. But, the last time I had an ache, a pain, a cold where I was totally clogged is but a small memory since it happened so long ago.

THE CONCEPT OF HOMELESSNESS

How I began to think of being homeless had to do with asking my step-niece, who works with homeless and housing as the administrator of community housing in Austin, to do an interview. What also got me thinking was a young feral cat I was feeding who arrived as if she had just gotten lost from her inside home with a human. I found her a new home and was able to trap her and give her to the seemingly willing family. Due to some error in nurturing, she ran away from that family and has to start all over again making her way not to starve.

My feral cat responsibility started a few months back when the cross-the-street neighbor who had been feeding 3 cats for, at least, 10-15 years, moved. I didn’t know about ferals and was told by a cat person that feral cats who have become dependent upon humans most of their lives would starve if not fed. So I started to feed them. Not until the young one who arrived, got trapped by me and brought to a seemingly willing family, and, subsequently, ran away, did the idea of homelessness really start to weigh on me.

The feral cat situation is difficult. Neighbors fear disease and late night cat fighting. But, how can we let the dependent ones starve?

HUMANS WHO ARE HOMELESS

This brings us to humans who are homeless. I was first introduced to people who lived outside when I went to the beach every morning to teach class. There were always the few same people under blankets when I arrived, who would be gone and in town by the time I was ready to leave.

Why are people homeless? Don’t we have plenty of money in this country to provide for everyone? This reminds me of the reaction of a virtual techie I had hired who was at a university in his country of birth, India. He did not know the great United States had homeless. Or that the statistic is around 600,000 people, 2/3 of whom live in shelters. That’s 200,000 outside homeless, including 50,000 who are veterans.

The hard righties say that everyone should work, and people who are homeless have no reason to be there. The hard lefties say that we should provide for those who are homeless, no matter why. In the middle, we can look at why people are homeless which may impact what we think is the answer.

WHY HOMELESS

Most homelessness revolves around the almighty dollar.

Most homeless people get to the street, bench or field by some event that puts them over the line, such as losing a job, domestic abuse, becoming too sick to work, losing a loved one who no longer provides.

We know there are homeless because of sexual abuse or because some have lost limbs, eyes, mental capacity or emotional balance in the United States military and could wait no more for veterans’ organizations to exhaust their waiting lists. The street is there, and it is filled with people.

Shockingly, there are some people who prefer homelessness to making money as someone’s or some corporation’s minimum wage slave.

I had a student who chose to live under the pier because he said it was cheaper than having an apartment on his construction helper wage. Others prefer the idea for ethical reasons where they object to making money by manipulating others through crafty marketing designs and can find no other work. These two examples put a burden on the rest of us, yes.

This is in the United States? YES. Is it our responsibility to help our sisters and brothers and their children who are homeless with our money and our time? YES.

NOW WHAT?

Those of us who have homes are fortunate. Those of us who do not are not as fortunate.

I’m not faulting anyone for having a 20-room house or for being a maker of a money making life. Utilizing the self for financial gain is great. I’m only noticing homelessness and how far away it is from most of us who have homes. In turn, I am not faulting anyone for becoming homeless. For most, it is not a choice. Or, if it seemed revolutionarily glamorous at one time, people get stuck where they are.

I do think some of the makers in software design and writers of TV show plots can create some radical new housing scenario that serves the homeless as it serves the community. A great example of a creative group’s doing something is InfoExchange, a software company that won Google’s Impact Challenge in Australia. The company is building an app for homeless to connect them to all the shelter services on a nightly basis based on location.

CONCLUSION

No matter who we are, we don’t want to be homeless. As George Carlin used to say,

“I need a place to put my stuff.”

This very concept is why we see people walking around with shopping carts filled to the brim.

Whether we push carts that hold shiny new products we have just bought at a store or whether people who live outside are pushing them, we need a place to put our stuff.

Consider the good fortune of housing. May it teach us the patience to understand and help those who live on the street.

ACTION STEPS

1) Be kind to a homeless person, and know s/he could be you.
2) If you are a creative, consider creating a better way to connect people with housing.
3) Connect with a project in your local community that helps homeless.

If you wish to share your story, leave it as a comment under an article at http://warriorsofweight.com/issues. or even better, write your own article and put it up on a free wordpress site (https://wordpress.com), or post it on a social media site. Share yourself.

If you need habit help, check out warriorsofweight.com/consulting.

Know that you can reach out to a fellow human, probably to the person right next to you. If that interaction works out poorly, do it again. It’s worth it, since most people are nice and want to connect with you.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can comment on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, has been a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, has been a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and has been certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes we can never be too kind. She says,

“Aside from the fact that we should care for each other, both the ugly and the beautiful, how would we want to be treated if we were homeless?

“There was a movie about a rich person being relegated to living in the street. He had learned to be resourceful by the nature of having such large responsibilities, but he got to see a side of life that many of us, more fortunate, will never see.

“We don’t know why someone is homeless, and we are not better than someone who is homeless. Although we may own the land on which the homeless sleep, this property ownership doesn’t mean we are better or spiritually richer or more worthy.

“Let us be kind. Not only because it could happen to us. Let us be compassionate and understanding because we are human and we are our sister’s keeper.

“Let’s take overall good care of each other and ourselves – including loving ourselves and our fellow beings at all costs – because we are all always worth it.”

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:
LOOK AT A HOMELESS PERSON, AND REALIZE S/HE IS SOMEONE’S SISTER, BROTHER, MOTHER, FATHER, DAUGHTER, SON.

REBIRTH – COMING BACK TO LIFE – SHE NOT BUSY BEING BORN IS BUSY DYING*** ~ ISSUE 206 ~ MARCH 22, 2016

By Diane Gold

The concept of rebirth here means coming back to life and daily evolution. My definition may be one of the lesser common ones. It has nothing to do with reincarnation. It has all to do with how we live our lives here and now.

Let’s start with birth. That’s when we begin a series of catharses from our mother’s womb to the end of breath as we know it. It is also when we begin a concept or project, a belief system or a phase.

Rebirth, therefore, is what happens when we take one step in a new direction. Some refer to it as born again. Others know it as transformation. This happens every day and can be noticed by being aware of everything – our minds, our bodies, our relationships, our talents, our intellect, our purpose – or nothing. It happens whether we are looking or not. It happens from one condition to a better one. It happens from one condition to a worse one.

Let’s look at Bob Dylan’s words which are really,

***He not busy being born is busy dying,

a lyric in the 1964 song It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).

I feminized the lyric to represent a more universal approach, not to aim it at women, but to rebirth the male pronoun to a feminine one to include all of us.

The lyric refers to being in the moment of doing things, living, evolving – busy being born, as opposed to busy being in the moment of doing nothing, living in negativity, choosing to stagnate. I don’t believe the lyric refers to physical dying. Even when we know we are physically dying very soon, we have the opportunity to live well while we are still breathing. Not such an easy thing, but if we live that way when we are not soon to die physically, we have more experience opening up, living newness all the time.

How profound! Let’s be being born. It happens anyway. How many times in a lifetime do we say,

“I’m not the same person as I was then.”

As I see it, we are the same person; we are a conglomeration of the daily evolution of that being.

REBIRTH SCENARIOS

Rebirth can be anything:

from being sick to being well
from just mopping a floor to mopping a floor so well that it starts to shine with love
from not having kissed to kissing for the first time
from djing in our prime to djing for the last time
from being a child without the ability to give birth to giving physical birth
from not being dependent on a drug to being dependent on a drug
from being dependent on a drug to replacing the drug dependence with dancing
from having many visits with our kids to visiting with our kids one last time
from being sad to being accepting
from being too shy to reach out to doing it after years of shyness
from nice to nasty
from nasty to nice
from young to old
from old mind to young mind
from sitting on a bench hungry to eating a strawberry while sitting on that bench.

All these scenarios represent the rebirth experience: getting familiar with living and dying (shedding our former self) on a daily basis. Some happenings take us to what we would call favorable places. Others take us to new places that, on the surface, may seem undesirable. Even these can be evolutionary. We become from wherever we are.

REBIRTH ACTIVITIES

All activities give us new life, are evolutionary and can be instrumental in guiding us to change. Something dull and boring may become meaningful and evolutionary. Nothing has to be glamorous or look spiritual. If we are involved, this is part of our spirit, so it is spiritual. It can be cleaning feces off a wall, meditating with monks, creating an empire or teaching a child.

Take WATCHING A BASEBALL GAME. I am using this example because anything can be that one thing that causes a grand leap. So we are watching a game with the girls, and from this watching, we realize that we need to spend more time playing catch with our kids. So we get home and launch a full campaign to do just that. The result from our doing so brings us closer to our kids, seems to contribute to our middle daughter’s not acting out as much and we reduce our cholesterol. Triple header!

MY LIST

Here are the things I like to do. Although every time I interact with another person, I am aware of my own transformation; the following activities seem to be universally popular for rebirth, catharsis, dramatic change. Of course, this is from my view point. I really like each of these activities, and they transform. So is it possible that,

“THE MORE WE LIKE AN ACTIVITY, THE MORE WE WILL GO THROUGH REBIRTH, BLOSSOMING, EVOLUTION AND REPLACE OURSELVES IN THE DOING?”

TAI CHI is one of my transformers.
PLAYING PIANO & CREATING MUSIC have been a huge part of my life.
FREE DANCING and being surrounded by other beings who free dance has been amazing and is my newest love.
COACHING PEOPLE to be good to themselves brings a layer of growth to me.
LISTENING TO ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC is sooooooooooooooo relaxing.

CONCLUSION

Rebirth, as I mean it, is the process of our becoming new. It is the blossoming and shedding we do within ourselves daily and always. Kind of the way our skin sheds regularly. We all do it. We all become, even in our final days. Let us flow as we grow.

Even though flowing like water seems easy, we encounter much obstruction along the way; we have to maneuver. The journey is to find the flow, even in the harshest conditions. It is said that the ONLY time we know how balanced and flowing we are is in times of adversity.

Whatever we do for rebirth, change, growth has to be pure, because any impurities tag along and invade us. Hallucinogens can transform us. Most other drugs are too controlling. Plant-based food can be transformative. The animals saved by our eating this way certainly think so. There are many glorious choices out there. Most of them involve moving. So go move something. Feel the rebirth occur.

ACTION STEPS

Please make a list of, at least, 3 things that you love to do.
Notice how one of these activities transforms you.
If so moved, write about it and send it in so we can post it. We can share it anonymously or just read it privately.
Notice personal growth on a daily basis as you become new and then new again.

If you wish to share your story, leave it as a comment under an article at http://warriorsofweight.com/issues. or even better, write your own article and put it up on a free wordpress site (https://wordpress.com), or post it on a social media site. Share yourself.

If you need habit help, check out warriorsofweight.com/consulting.

Know that you can reach out to a fellow human, probably to the person right next to you. If that interaction works out poorly, do it again. It’s worth it, since most people are nice and want to connect with you.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can comment on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, has been a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, has been a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and has been certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes it’s important to become new, to notice rebirth. She says,

“What I mean by rebirth is being born or changed into, a new person, each day, every day, more than once a day, just by being and noticing.

“I thought of it because I do this free dancing which creates in each of us a movement similar to birth where we go from a pile of rubble to a glowing ball of light that can heal inside us and outside us. And one of the participants used the word “rebirth,”to which I could not relate, wholeheartedly, at the beginning of the session. Toward the end, though, it was as if I were a continuum of myself,combination of myself a second ago, in the present and a minute from now. That, to me was rebirth.

“Pretty much fun. I recommend noticing any kind of change, replacement, renewal that occurs. Enjoy it.

“Finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves – including loving ourselves and our fellow beings at all costs – because we are always worth it.”

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:
CONSIDER ONE THING WE DID THIS WEEK THAT WE CONSIDER A CHANGE, A NEWNESS, AN EVOLUTION.

PARTY TIME – SAYING HELLO AGAIN – FEELING GOOD – OUT OF DANGER – MARCH 8, 2016

Dear Everyone,

It’s doing well Diane Gold, 1000% better than last time I wrote. I wanted to say hello again, thank you for reading my last issue, and let you know I am feeling good. Breathing normally and strong. Still and forever living each moment as it comes. Don’t know why I’m better; don’t know why I was sick. Lovin’ it and grateful.

Lots of love always. May you have good fortune and love today,

Doing Well D

Diane Gold of WarriorsOfWeight.com

PARTY TIME – SAYING HELLO AGAIN – FEELING GOOD – OUT OF DANGER ~
ISSUE 204 ~ MARCH 8, 2016
By Diane Gold

Party Time is the best way I can express my attitude about what has happened to me. When I wrote my last article, it was to say hello with the probability that I would not be able to write again. As the universe would have it, here I am again, grateful and feeling great today.

BACKGROUND

I believe every day is a cause for Party Time. But, I more deeply agree with that now.

In August, I began speeding, feeling as if my body were shaking inside as if my adrenal glands were going crazy or my image of that, since I am not sure I really know what that feels like. It started out to be a level 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst and increased all of a sudden to about a 6. I was learning to live with that feeling since I thought it was a new part of me.

During Christmas break, my daughter and I went to the movies, where we climbed 3 flights of stairs finally to get a seat in the very top row, my favorite. I got completely out of breath; it took, at least, 30 minutes of concentrated effort for me to catch my breath. I wasn’t normal, but I seemed to be able to breathe fairly well. I had never felt like this before.

The entire second half of my visit (with one of my two favorite people in the world) was an exercise in learning how to cope with a new level of lung capacity. A few days later, after packing my car and climbing the stairs again back up to my daughter’s, I got out of breath instantly, and had to sit for, at least, an hour. I went home determined to investigate what was happening. Yikes!

I made some medical appointments but they each had waiting periods, due to our health care system’s method of scheduling. While going through this period where the medical appointments were in the future, my breathing became so seriously limited that I ended up in the ER twice in a 7 day period. We all don’t know what is ahead, but it felt as if my time were short. Because I went to an ER without having had an internist admit me (boo hoo, still looking for Dr. House: http://ezinearticles.com/?Looking-For-Dr-House:-Finding-A-Diagnostician,-Part-I&id=5572902) and order specific lung tests, all the staff did was make sure I was not having a heart attack. I appreciated that very much, but not going deeper into my difficulty breathing did not help me. I was comforted that my heart was stable and appreciate the work of everyone involved.

I have to take the time to talk about the good that came out of this, since that is what I do. So here I go.

BENEFIT 1: REACHING OUT

I reached out to my kids. There were there for me and both arrived to hug me. My daughter, an animal doctor, even did an entire medical synopsis of my abnormal tests to make it foolproof for doctors to have an historical look at me from the inside since they would never read the 500 pages of reports and tests I had with me. My son made it all better by coming to tell me it would be all right. If you’ve ever met my son, you believe him instantly.

I reached out to my friends. They were there.

I told my cousins whom I see once a year or once every thirty years. They cared.

I reached out to all of you, and I got much love and appreciation back. Ah, the joy.

I am convinced that we, the people, like to reach back. All we need is for someone to be on the other end. When we reach, we will experience people who reach back, most of the time. This seems to work with strangers as well as familiars. So many of us are nurses, teachers and counselors who spend their lives reaching back and reaching out, whether we have those job titles or just take on those roles.

BENEFIT 2: FEELING FREE

When I reached out, it meant I was talking about what was happening to me. The interaction was liberating. Not that I was hiding or keeping my health to myself before. But I have good friends I love who are better talkers than they are listeners. I usually limit what I share with them about my health. Especially because some of them will only wonder how they will survive without me, and, this time, when I was sick, I could not help them with that dilemma because I was busy drawing my next difficult breath.

But I opened up to everyone, and everyone opened up back.

Having to share that, all of a sudden, my breathing capacity felt like 5 out of 10 or 3 out of 10, when, the day before, I was a picture of health, was not my favorite thing to do. But, I wanted to say one last hello. By sending my article to you saying hello one last time, I experienced a freedom that was a true gift. Thanks. Then I was able to open up to everyone else, and it was good.

THE TURNAROUND

I had started using inhalers as per the pulmonologist in Miami, while awaiting a pulmonology appointment at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Before, Jacksonville, I had a nuclear medicine test to search for abnormal serotonin secretion in the body, which might indicate tumors. Either the day before I got my good result or the day after, my speeding stopped and my breathing normalized. Some think the symptoms were only in the mind. I think not. But they are gone as of this writing, who knows for how long!

When I got to Jacksonville, the pulmnologist said he didn’t know if the inhalers were doing anything and suggested I stop. This made me chuckle since most doctors (including the one in Miami) err on the side of recommending continued usage for no reason rather than stopping medication that may be useless. True, in this case, the doc in Miami only met me when I was in crisis. So, she felt compelled to prescribe. I think she always does, though. But, I liked it that the doc in Jacksonville (very hunky) suggested that my recovery and inhaler use may have been completely coincidental. And he advised that I stop using the one I had left.

CONCLUSION: NEW VISION

Although I always take each day as a new experience and know that every day I awaken in good health, I am lucky; now, I see with clearer vision.

I know how it feels to be short of breath, a condition that changes the ability to function. Hearts out to everyone’s lungs. May they respire, work well and flourish!

Hey, we never know, but looks like I have some time. Wowie! So, it’s party time for me, and I am reaching out to share my good news. Having time is a relative term and can change in a moment. For now, I am here, breathing normally, not speeding and doing well.

Fantastic! Whoopie! Yay! Awesome! All right!
Party Time – I Wish You Bluebirds I wish you bluebirds in the spring, and I still love you all.

ACTION STEPS

1) Every day you wake up, rejoice within the first 5 minutes.

2) Every day, within the first 5 minutes of waking, decide to replace one non-vegetable thing you eat with a leafy green vegetable.

3) Every day, reach out to a stranger. That person is your sister or brother. If you don’t have the time and do have the money, pay a college intern or a social worker to do it for you.

If you wish to share your story, leave it as a comment under an article at http://warriorsofweight.com/issues. or even better, write your own article and put it up on a free wordpress site (https://wordpress.com), or post it on a social media site. Share yourself.

If you need habit help, check out WarriorsOfWeight.com Consulting.

Know that you can reach out to a fellow human, probably to the person right next to you. If that interaction works out poorly, do it again. It’s worth it, since most people are nice and want to connect with you.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can comment on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, has been a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, has been a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and has been certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes people are good, great even and that they are ready to reach you when you put out your hand. She says,

“Life is still not forever, but I am feeling healthy now. When we are at the precipice of life, everything is different. Now that I am back from the brink, for many days, I hope, the impact of that brink is fading. My gratitude is not and remains high.

“Thinking I had one week to live and being here now able to function well, is a gift. Girl, do I love gifts.

“Let’s live in the moment because the moment is here now, and that is miraculous.”

“Please write and tell me your story. I will drink it up, if you do.

“Finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves – including loving ourselves and our fellow beings at all costs – because we are always worth it.”

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:
RATHER THAN SIDESTEPPING BAD ENERGY, IF WE CAN’T HELP THE EMITTER TURN THE BAD INTO GOOD, LET’S PUT OUT DOUBLE THE GOOD ENERGY SO THAT THE NEGATIVE STUFF GETS ABSORBED AND THE GOOD STUFF GETS TO LINGER.

DIANE GOLD – SICKNESS AND HEALTH – SAYING HELLO ONE LAST TIME ~ JANUARY 19, 2015
http://warriorsofweight.com

Dear Warriors,

I Come And Go In Peace.

It’s Diane Gold. I wanted to say hello one last time This may be my last mag, although I hope to write when I can.

Lots of love always. May you have good fortune throughout your life,

D aka Diane Gold of WarriorsOfWeight.com

DIANE GOLD – SICKNESS AND HEALTH – SAYING HELLO ONE LAST TIME ~ ISSUE 203 ~ JANUARY 19, 2016
By Diane Gold

Sickness and health are two very different states of being, so sayeth Diane Gold (I have to get in that keyword for ranking). When we are sick, there is little else to think about except working all the techniques we have learned in life to get us through stress, difficulty, panic, fear, sadness the biggest one, the feeling of feeling sick. Health is a completely different way of being, one that we often don’t think about. Or, if we are lucky, we realize there’s a reason to be grateful  for it.

SICKNESS

Unfortunately, I am sick. Don’t have a name for it yet, but I don’t see a way I will be recovering, or that is the logical conclusion. In seeing it this way, it is helping me adjust.

Everything was hunky dory, and then it wasn’t. As an aside, accidentally, Hep C was found in my blood 6 years back, although, like most liver problems, it wasn’t making any apparent difference in my life. But, because it can be life-threatening as it progresses, I took the new meds for it, Harvoni, for two months, and the Hep C virus cleared from my system. (Yay!) As I mentioned, I had no symptoms or abnormal liver functions before that. I have no liver abnormalities now. Coincidentally or possibly related to taking those meds (since all meds have side effects, even the ones that don’t), 4 months later, I started to feel constantly speedy and nauseated. Now I have diminished breath, too, and abnormal tests from other body systems.

HEALTH

I, Diane Gold, have been healthy for a beautiful 66 years and it’s two children later. I have had a joyous life, filled with many delectable experiences, the biggest being the privilege of having my children and watching them grow up to be respected, dynamic change makers in their own right. I have been able to be a mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, mentor. Privileged. And, until now, I’ve experienced feeling super perfect health.

I have had the honor to make people smile and de-stress through teaching music and music therapy, through teaching tai chi and through giving general advice to the weary.

I have been able to learn to play the piano and play music with others.

I have lived by the ocean for a long time. Now, living a block from the beach, I have been able to smell the ocean air. A few days ago, I went to view the lovely ocean with my daughter. Just a moment ago, I got to walk on the beach with my son and breathe the full array of Atlantic Ocean air (stopping periodically to catch my breath).

I have done tai chi which has given me a way to flow through life, positioned to evolve through my last breath. I have also been able to pass this “way” on to others and have been privileged to be called “teacher.”

I have done 5 Rhythms Dance which is a freeing tai chi like dance that takes us through the cycle of our life within the dance. And, if we can see it, the 5 Rhythms lives within us as a method of cycling through life, similar to the tai chi.

I have fortified myself with martial arts.

I have shared my life with wonderful animals and currently live with my two amazing and loving cats.

I have been fortunate to be able to choose to minimize the amount of animals I have killed, as a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 40 years and since 2009, as a vegan. I believe it is the human’s duty to survive, but it is also our duty to be kind to all living things.

THE BIG CHALLENGE

Now it’s my turn to put to use all the knowledge I have received from training, from teaching, from movement, from creating. So much of this knowledge is part of me. I will have to recall it in the face of no longer good health.

One of my new jobs will be to call my skills to the forefront, since I will have a whole new set of norms in my life, which include NOT feeling strong as a truck or healthy as the strongest plant-based athlete or feeling completely healthy with all of my being. My new norm may also include pure discomfort.

I will recall how to breathe deeply, even if my body cannot.

I will recall how to quiet the spirit, even if my mind is in chaos.

I will create waves of balance for myself, even though part of me will not naturally go there.

I will walk my walk as graciously as I can, even if I have fear, pain, doubt.

I will reach out to my fellow humans who are familiar with me or my new path.

I am leaning on my children as I know they want.

I will go off into the sunset with a smile, and I will lean on these words as I am doing it.

ACTION STEPS

There are several action steps I want to mention which may be helpful or may show who I am, both.

Stay away from cigarette smoking at any age since its effects are timeless and its damage catches up with you even if you quit.

Stay away from crack and other drugs that are inhaled, since they take their toll on you, too.

Stay away from cocaine and other snorting drugs since they can affect your lungs, although studies that have been done cannot identify how much causes what damage. I’m not saying stay away from the drugs. I believe they should all be legal to provide comfort, when necessary, similar to drugs used in the conventional medical system. Only, find a safe delivery system to spare the lungs or other body parts.

Stay away from second hand smoke, and take your kids across the street to avoid someone’s smoking on your path. Your kids will appreciate it later in life.

Make lots of joy, in as many ways as you can.

Move your body around daily so that your organs get their exercise and stimulation. Picture moving the body with the freedom of octopus tentacles so that all organs get their workout.

Eat plants, as long as the ground grows them, to live longer and to be moral.

Eat fiber to please the gastrointestinal tract.

Juice green goodies, at least, once every day.

Adopt a pet from a shelter. There are many wonderful lives waiting to give you love.

Trap-Neuter-Return a feral cat. If s/he is just homeless, take her (him) in.

Care for others to be kind.

Don’t judge. Take action that is not prejudiced.

Make sure to train every customer service person to whom you speak that your time on the phone is not being reimbursed and that it is more valuable than 10 X the salary amount the rep might consider, since we don’t get a refund on time. Teach the rep to respect this time and do not allow one to ask you to call back at a later time. It is the rep’s supervisor’s job to call you back, even when the rep says it’s not allowed.

Get up if you fall. Don’t worry about being graceful. True dignity has nothing to do with how stylish we are. It is within, even if some people equate it with how kempt our appearance is.

Share yourself and your ideas by trusting others, forgiving them when they err. If people do bad or hurtful things, it is because they are afraid of being overrun, so nurture them in some way. Even the worst ones.

Create today since life is short.

Do not rush because life is long. (If you do tai chi, it will give you more time.)

Go say hello to someone new, just to make connection with the universe to which we are all connected through each other and all life.

Love as hard as you can wherever and whenever you can.

Think of me kindly, and know that I meant the best for you. I love you and am smiling with you.

Be at peace.

If you wish to share your story, leave it as a comment under an article at http://warriorsofweight.com/issues. or even better, write your own article and put it up on a free wordpress site (https://wordpress.com), or post it on a social media site. Share yourself.

If you need habit help, check out my articles at the link above. Know that you can reach out to a fellow human, probably to the person right next to you. If that interaction works out poorly, do it again. It’s worth it, since most people are nice and want to connect with you.

FEEDBACK

You can still leave comments here.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can comment on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, has been a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, has been a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and has been certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes in love, kindness, forgiveness, daily personal evolution. She says,

“Life is not forever, but it’s great if we live as if it is. I have always lived fully, not living in anticipation of my end, but being as much in the moment I am in. Like this very one.

“I have been so fortunate to have perfect health – up to now. For this, I am grateful. I am also grateful that I have had the ability to have this gratitude, to have forgiveness, not to hold anger or grudges. This is a true freedom.

“My mother didn’t hold grudges either. ‘Thanks. Ma.’

“Thank you for allowing me, Diane Gold (there’s that keyword again), to have readers such as you and to be able to interest and help people along the way, even for a moment. It means a lot to me.

“And, finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves – including loving ourselves and our fellow beings at all costs – because we are always worth it.”

EXERCISE OF LIFE
IS TO BE KIND WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY,
KNOW YOU ARE WORTHY OF JOY AND
TREAT YOURSELF WITH REVERENCE AND FORGIVENESS. AND DON’T FORGET TO MOVE YOUR ORGANS AROUND THROUGH DANCE OR TAI CHI AND HUG AS MANY TIMES A DAY AS POSSIBLE.

If you’ve missed any articles or wish to review any, go to the ISSUES tab on the website to see them all.

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SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY: APATHY NO MORE

~ ISSUE 201 ~ DECEMBER 15, 2015

By Diane Gold

Supply chain transparency may seem a far cry from my usual nutrition, world peace and habit change. However, it is something most of us have developed a habit to ignore. Whether we purchase a product, locally or globally, do we think about how the product is made?

When there’s a rally because someone points out that children are used as inexpensive labor, we join the crowd. We use social proof – viewing the enthusiastic behavior of others – to follow the herd. Do we let this mentality reduce how conscientious we are as consumers or users of product?

BUYING UNETHICALLY SOURCED GOODS

I do think about how companies serve their labor. I often teach customer servants to think for themselves, rather than keep their minds closed to the lessons taught by their employer alone. But, what if we need something and don’t have time to be kind, thoughtful, ethical, moral, independent?

Take yesterday, when I put my own comfort ahead of a persona debate I have been having. My umbrella, given to me at some convention for some network marketing nutritional product I gave up because it wasn’t vegan, took a turn for the worse. It went from shielding me from raindrops to being more likely to poke me or someone else in the eye. So, on my way back from seeing a friend, I stopped into a giant retail store that had a reputation of having used child labor.

I purposefully and purposely have avoided the store because of media coverage of child labor. However, I had a need. And the almighty “I” had to be satisfied. So, I bought an umbrella. I truly was thinking that this multinational company must have cleaned up its act, or we would be hearing continued stories about it. Maybe it has. Maybe it hasn’t. I don’t feel clean for having purchased there.

I was going to write that I would return the umbrella, but it started to rain, and I used it. And that’s how it goes. We get ethical when it’s convenient for us. I have since researched sustainable umbrellas, and I returned the questionable umbrella, even though it might have rained.

CALIFORNIA SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY

In 2010, California passed an act whereby, companies had to post certain details about their product chain by 2012. Although many have complied, some have not. Others, one of whom grows the fruit I might eat, say they are out of bounds of the act. Many companies have smaller divisions that are, themselves, incorporated. So, they do not fall into the financial sector required by the act.

The act requires that retail sellers or manufacturers that make over $100 Million dollars must post form an SB-657. Its purpose is to verify that human trafficking and slavery are not present in any part of the supply chain from which a product is made or from which gets it to market.

Each company that fills out the form (and we realize this leaves out loads of companies, but it’s a beginning) certifies that it:

1) Engages in verification of product supply chains to evaluate and address risks of human trafficking and slavery. The disclosure shall specify if the verification was not conducted by a third party.

2) Conducts audits of suppliers to evaluate supplier compliance with company standards for trafficking and slavery in supply chains. The disclosure shall specify if the verification was not an independent, unannounced audit.

3) Requires direct suppliers to certify that materials incorporated into the product comply with the laws regarding slavery and human trafficking of the country or countries in which they are doing business.

4) Maintains internal accountability standards and procedures for employees or contractors failing to meet company standards regarding slavery and trafficking.

5) Provides company employees and management, who have direct responsibility for supply chain management, training on human trafficking and slavery, particularly with respect to mitigating risks within the supply chains of products.

OUR ROLE

In reading the act, it makes me wonder why all companies in every state aren’t required, at least, do this much. It also makes me realize that we all have a role. It is our responsibility to think about ethics when we purchase. It is our responsibility to talk to others and ask what others are doing as consumers, producers and retailers. It is very nice to go march for awareness; it is better to take an ongoing active role.

It is best to lead by example. Buying an umbrella that was supplied by a company that has many divisions oversees brings to mind what supply chain transparency can avoid: humans forced to work in unseemly conditions. And makes me consider what other companies I support that do not treat workers fairly.

KNOWN OFFENDERS

Let me say first that I do not agree that we should be using meat, poultry, fish for food or product unless our environment does not support plant growth or our environment is so harsh that it would put our lives at risk to do so. But, here’s a reference to the Southeast Asian shrimp trade. According to much publicity, young people are kidnapped and brought onto fishing boats against their will and taken out to sea for several months. It is said they are given no wage, no time off, are beaten and abused. This is a story we know about. What if every other company from which we used goods or those whose goods our families used, at some point in the supply chain, used humanly trafficked slave labor?

The large multinational I mentioned earlier with the umbrella story and so many other manufacturers and retailers may think they know their supply chain. The people in direct contact with the sellers/manufacturers could be as ethical as could be. But, what if the next step in every chain violated these ethics?

CONCLUSION

Let’s hope that every state adopts a supply chain transparency act and that all companies are included. If small business is the way of the future, why would we not include all small business, no matter their economic size?

ACTION STEPS

1) To be ethical is to develop the habit of considering supply chain before we buy. Even if it means giving up something we love, it would make a statement. If it’s so important to us to buy a particular item, write to the seller/manufacturer saying you will be waiting until the supply chain is fixed or verified before continuing to buy.

2) Think of one product you use that could use child/slave labor for production, and change retailers/manufacturers. If one doesn’t exist or it’s too expensive, eliminate the need.

3) Have one discussion with one friend, group or family members about the importance of being diligent in making purchases.

We can only do so much. We may not have the funding to cut out everything, but we can certainly keep it at the top of our minds.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes in facing it. She says,

“If we want not to think about what we cause, that’s our choice.

“I do want to face what I do, cause, effect, help, hurt. Imagine my surprise when I realized that most of the clothes in my closet were made from genetically modified cotton, possibly sourced from child labor. And the bedding on which I sleep, although cotton, is also GMO. since it would have cost me double to get organic, which would, by requirement, eliminate genetic modification.

“Let’s face it, whatever it is. Let’s stand, sit, lie, whatever we can do, face to face with ourselves. If we decide we are caring individuals, and most of us are; let’s consider choosing to become aware of how we get a supply. My telling the world that my $100 Million Dollar company (CA requirement for transparency) does its best not to use supplies or suppliers that deal in slavery or human trafficking. If we had to take out an ad in The New York Times confessing that we used vendors who deal in slavery and human trafficking every time we were caught, it might be more impactful. I would certainly like that more.

“Let’s be aware. Let’s do something, and let’s keep it up. Once is great, but continuity is best. In my eyes, we are our sisters’ keeper.

“And, finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves because we are so worth it.”

HABITS FORMED BY OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS ~ ISSUE 198 ~ NOVEMBER 17, 2015

By Diane Gold

“Belief systems are the stories we tell ourselves to define our personal sense of ‘reality’,”

said Gerhard Adam in an October 3, 2011, in an article for Science 2.0.

We are taught value systems when we are young which we accept or reject as we get older. We are exposed to rituals that accompany value systems, which we accept or reject as we get older. We always have the impressions of this exposure, no matter whether we decide to follow these systems or not.

THE BEGINNINGS OF OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS

My very earliest memories are of being encouraged to speak up, speak out and question. I remember making trips to the library weekly where I had my own library card at 2 or 3 years of age. I also remember, later in life, at the ripe old age of 5 or, possibly, 6 or 7, getting The Gift Of Life, a booklet (I now know was created by Planned Parenthood in 1951) that described how a baby was born and being encouraged to ask about it.

My questions about almost everything were welcomed and answered in a way that was meant for me to understand the true nature of the answer, as opposed to some half-baked answer that would take limited effort on the part of my parents to insure my understanding.

From this, I developed a set of beliefs, mores, life concepts that have led me in this life.

Many of us do not experience the privilege of this open questioning forum that I had. We are brought up to acknowledge the beliefs of our family that are reinforced throughout the family day, through ritual, study of the specific belief system, regularly scheduled meeting with others who have the same belief system and the study of historic references to fortify the beliefs. Questions are often dismissed, discouraged or not permitted since the belief system has been established to be one way.

HABITS FORMED BY BELIEF SYSTEMS

Both for those of us who are encouraged to question and for those of us who are required to follow along, we form habits. If the system seems to agree with us, we may get a feeling of warmth when we go to perform a ritual related to the system. If it is an open system that we are developing for ourselves, we might automatically go study something when questions about the universe are asked. We use the teachings of our family and our ancestors, book knowledge, school knowledge, how we are accepted by others into specific groups of present day thinking, how we have groomed ourselves in terms of what we do with what we believe.

No matter which way our belief systems take us, we are convinced we are right. So much so that we break the code of not bringing the topics of politics or religion to discussions with friends or family. We are compelled to do so.

To enhance our belief and to share our customs and understanding of this belief system, we spread the word. We have studied it, we have repeated rituals that pertain to it, whether they are prayer, taking time to read or being active in some way, be it alone or in a group. We are so convinced about this way that it is our duty to spread the wealth of our knowledge.

SPREADING OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS, FORMING HABITS

When we repeatedly talk about our belief system, we are forming a habit. So, each time we encounter another person; it is easier and easier to slip into discussion about what we believe. And it happens that more frequently, we are in this discussion.

The more fervor we generate, the more passionately we share our knowledge.

The more we believe in a particular system, the less we tend to listen to someone else, even though, if it is our duty to communicate, it would seem to be our duty to listen, as well. Even though we think we are spreading knowledge, we often forget to see whether what we are being understood.

Then this talking at people becomes a habit. We may only be interested in talking to people who immediately get our point of view, in which case, we don’t have to stop much and listen. But, belief happens through understanding, so it would seem that listening would be a requirement.

CONCLUSION

We all care about our belief systems, what we have taken for our own from which to live and act. If we have made it this far, however far that is, and don’t have a name for the values and beliefs from which we act; we may not need one. If we do have a name for it, let us stand tall in our beliefs.

No matter what system we follow, advocate, take as our own; it is imperative that we respect the value of life. I am sure all belief systems have a place for this, although, it is hard for me to understand how the preservation of human life can take a back seat to principle in some belief systems when there seem to be other choices.

ACTION STEPS

To follow are some action steps that may open the mind or, at least, develop understanding of others.

1) Begin or continue to study yours and other belief systems. This will help in understanding each other.

2) Listen to others when offering a point of view, and do everything possible to see it someone else’s way.

3) Do not be closed to changing your mind.

4) Show forgiveness.

5) Don’t be prejudiced. We all get comfortable with stereotypes. Let’s make every effort to know that every person or group deserves freedom. If that freedom infringes on someone else, s/he has the responsibility to resolve conflict in the most harmless way possible.

6) Find the good in every belief system. When you find something intolerable, examine yourself.

7) When belief systems are involved, so are habits. Understand that creating harmony and bridging the gap between belief systems has to do with changing habits. Create small actions requiring new behaviors which will, in turn, cause habit change, which will, create harmony.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes in evolving on a daily basis through study, conversation, healthy work.
She says,

“The way we conduct ourselves in adversity shows our way, our belief system. If we show compassion, forgiveness and humility during unsettling times, our belief system has led us to be there. If we show aggressive behavior and vengeance, we may not have found a sustainable solution through our belief system.

“We always have a chance to grow and evolve, as long as we wake up. Let us learn why we act the way we do and listen to the heart of the world in the process.

“And, finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves because we are so worth it.”

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK
IS BELIEVING ENOUGH TO APPLY CHANGE.

RECYCLING IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY ~ ISSUE 196 ~ OCTOBER 13, 2015

By Diane Gold

Recycling is our responsibility, a task that most of us choose to be environmental stewards and better our planet, present and future. We do it for ourselves, our families and our planet’s longevity. The amount of money companies make as a result of our actions is not of concern to most of us.

Preventing waste (by being more aware, recycling and composting), reducing air pollution (from waste incineration), reducing water pollution (from landfill dumps and soil leaching) and lowering gasses (that develop in landfills) are of concern.

WHY WE RECYCLE

Some of us consider it our duty to contribute to the health of our environment, almost as a give-back to Earth for being there for us to live. We do it as a labor of love, knowing it is our sacrifice in time, energy and effort. It is done without question. We also believe that our cities, counties, states and federal governments have a duty to allot budget to selfless recycling programs that look out for the welfare of our community, region, country, planet.

Others of us have reasons which directly relate to what we see and feel in our immediate environment. We want to live in a clean environment where we (1) don’t have to look at a pile of plastic at the end of our canal, (2) don’t see random plastic strewn all over the streets, (3) go to the beach and don’t see garbage in the sand or at the shoreline and (4) boast about how clean our community is.

And then, there are those of us who are involved in the business of recycling and do it for the money.

RECYCLING AND HOW IT HELPS

Last week, a journalist, for a major newspaper, wrote an article that questioned whether recycling helps. His slant mentioned nothing about our duty to do everything we can not to waste, so here I am. His article rightly questioned whether the amount of water we use to clean what we recycle wastes more than it gains. Of course, we need to consider water resources and money to pay for them vs. greenhouse gasses and landfill space if we don’t recycle.

But the essence of recycling lies on our responsibility to the human condition, to do it for benefit of our sisters, brothers, families, ourselves.

MONETARY VALUE OF RECYCLING

We, outside the recycling industry, don’t care about how much money the industry makes. We do care how much money we save in clean up costs for our land, rivers, lakes and oceans. And we certainly care about how clean our air supply is.

It’s a good thing if the town, county or state makes a great deal with the recycling industry, and campaigns for us to do more of it. It’s also superb when the recycling industry makes money. But, if there comes a time when recycling becomes unprofitable for the industry, it is time for the government to allot money for such a purpose.

WTE FACILITIES – FOR WHAT WE CAN’T OR DON’T RECYCLE

Waste-To-Energy facilities are those that burn our garbage and use the result to produce electricity. Some people are concerned with the toxic emissions that are released from this burning including the fly ash and bottom ash. Advocates of the WTE method see the other side: the increased greenhouse gas (GHG) and toxic chemical compounds that are released and leach from landfills for waste that has not been incinerated first. (FYI, after the incineration process, the resulting ash is usually put in the landfill.)

In Sweden, their use of incineration for electricity is working well. In Portland, Maine, ecomaine, a WTE since 1989, burns the community’s garbage and produces enough electricity for some of the community’s homes. http://www.ecomaine.org/electricgen/processdiagram.pdf

Advocates of burning refuse say that the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere from incineration is two-thirds less carbon than that released from landfill waste dumped without incineration. The discussion continues.

CONCLUSION

Recycling matters. It matters to each one of us, whether we think about the future of the planet or we think about our comfort level in the parks of our communities.
The first thing to keep in mind is that recycling is our responsibility for our home, whether it is a castle, a shack or the planet. We are not entitled to much after we become adults unless we work for it. As long as we put something in, we can create the best our situation has to offer. And, to prepare children to become responsible adults, recycling ed has to start immediately.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several action steps that will be helpful.

1) Find out what you are permitted to recycle in your community recycling bins. Only recycle those items.

2) If there are no bins provided at your individual homes, call the jurisdiction in which you live or the surrounding areas and find out what community facility allows free recycling. Make a schedule to use it.

3) Call your county to find out whether your county recycling facility has more choices than your local bin. If yes, plan to recycle what you can’t locally when you make a trip close to the county facility. Don’t consider the time you will use to do this. It is part of your duty. Do consider the gas you will use. If the facility is very far, plan a monthly trip with friends who will also recycle.

4) Educate your children as to what numbers (1) through (7) mean in the way of containers. Children enjoy memorizing numbers that represent objects. This identification process can become a fun game that will instill recycling in them. If you do not have children or grandchildren, educate an adult.

5) Explain to your children that each of us has a responsibility to account for our waste. Talk about using just enough and how recycling can benefit us right now and in the future. If you do not have a child to whom to talk, talk to an adult about this subject.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and certified in plant-based nutrition.

She has been close to recycling since the 80s and, at one time, wanted to be the recycling coordinator of her town.

She says,

“It is very disturbing that we don’t approach certain things as responsibility. Recycling is something we have to do for our planet. Or we have to come up with another way to reduce waste. If there’s a better way, let’s hear it. Please shout it out.

In reading about the disposal of ash after waste management combustion, it seems hugely complicated to neutralize the toxins that are formed. Do we know how? Do they know how in Sweden?

“Let’s keep working to figure out the best method to recycle our waste, but let’s keep recycling and educating in the meantime. We need more. We need government support. We need it now. Not only if it benefits an industry but so that it benefits the longevity of the human race.

“Finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves because we are so worth it.”

CONVENTIONAL PRODUCE – GMOS AND PESTICIDES ~ ISSUE 195 ~ OCTOBER 6, 2015

By Diane Gold

Just so we know, the term “conventional produce” is another way of labeling food that has pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and is made with seeds that are, more than not, genetically modified. The question becomes why are we accepting the term “conventional produce?”

Isn’t it just a term to deter us from questioning why we allow any kind of spraying that might be carcinogenic or dis-ease causing or genetically modified? This reminds me of sleight of hand except for the mind: talking about one subject to take the focus off another. Exactly the same as the discussion that we should label GMOs, why are we talking about labeling them when we should be preventing their use altogether until some large independent study not performed by a friend of the GMO industry is done for all to see. Should we not look at the European Union that has many restrictions against GMOs?

QUICK TIP: Kale is on the Environmental Worker’s Group list of the Dirty Dozen, meaning it is one of the pieces of produce that retains heavy pesticide residue. When buying kale, make it organic.

NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD

It’s bad enough that the NOSB allows hundreds of chemicals on its list of what is allowed and what is not. I thought it was 32, but there’s a huge list.

ACTION STEP

If you would like to make a comment before the annual meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, go to:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=AMS-NOP-15-0037-0001.
The cut-off date to comment is October 8, 2015 for the October, 2015 meeting, so the time is now.  Or just notice when the next meeting will be and get ready to make a comment.

MY NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD COMMENT

There are far too many exceptions on organic food. The idea of organic food was not to benefit the industry. It was to eat cleaner food. How can we, who are not farmers, live better lives, when those of you who are specialists are not strict enough to advocate on our behalf?

In the meantime, why isn’t it required that everything that has the USDA Certified Organic logo on it be labeled with EVERYTHING that has been used on it up until the point it reaches the retailer?

We deserve to know that bananas are gassed with ethylene, one of the less troublesome allowances. OR sulfur dioxide may be present. Why is not a sign required in every retailer’s store in full view of every counter that holds produce revealing that the produce has such and such on it or was treated with such and such even though it evaporated?

It’s our right to know.

The biggest problem with not having a labeling requirement for every showcase of every retailer of organics is that retailers have no idea what’s on the produce, so we can’t ask the retailer. Retailers are not required to give a phone number of a producer or finisher, so, most of the time, we have to go hunting the number down to call them and they end up saying they don’t even know what’s in the combination chemical they use from such and such a company. So the poor consumer who calls about only 1 piece of produce a day has to endure 5-10 phone calls to get one answer and rarely gets an answer at all.

What if we are allergic to xanthan gum? How will we know whether there is any present? OR what if we choose not to eat produce that has xanthan gum? How are we to know?

Please help by making producers pass on their pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, wax/coating list. And then there’s beeswax. Can’t we make a rule that animal product must be labeled as such so that we can choose our produce without 10 phone calls for one piece of produce a day?

Thank you for your help.

GMOs

Genetically modified organisms are those items that have been manipulated by science, not nature. GMOs are made using seeds that have had their DNA changed in some way. To slow the extinction of the human race, science may be needed at some time in the future when soil no longer produces. But, now, we have not researched its perils, and we put ourselves at risk for its side effects.

Modification of seeds and plants has occurred as a means to profit and success. I love profit and success. It shows some of the productivity and creativity of humankind. Unfortunately, genetic engineering has been done at the expense of our personal health. No viable tests have been conducted by non-interested science groups to show that the harmful effects from GMOs are real. Often,we rely on the industry study reports that favor their own agenda. Yes, we all do that, but this is about the food we eat, so why aren’t we taking better care?

PUBLISHER’S NOTE ~ PERSONAL HEALTH

Many industries profit by taking a toll on our personal health – the war machine, although I am soooooooooooooo grateful for my United States Military – I just don’t agree with creating war to sell military product; the pharmaceutical industry – creating drugs that are not necessary and giving medical personnel incentives for recommending said drugs; the food industry’s putting sugary, oily, salty ingredients in our food so that we buy more at the expense of our lives. One more example is the food industry’s convincing us we need meat and dairy at the expense of animal’s lives and, worse, our own good health.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE ~ SOILING AN ORGANIC FARM

Another tidbit I’d like to mention comes from a true story in 2009 from a 152-year-old farm that had been working on becoming organic. The farmers, 5th generation in their family, were in their 3rd (which is the final) year of working the land following organic guidelines – it takes 3 years of organic protocols to get certified.

One day, a crop duster came to spray non-organic pesticides on a neighboring major player GMO farm. Accidentally, the pilot forgot to turn off the spray. Unfortunately, that action pesticided the 3 years of work. Not sure if the certifiers discredited the 3 years or not. They should have (but lots of things slip through), and wow, how too bad.

CONCLUSION

When the word “Conventional” is on some sign in front of us, hopefully, we will take a good long look at it and realize it is another word for strong chemicals that can be more carcinogenic than the allowances on organic produce and genetically modified which is not permitted on organic produce. Let’s call it what it is,

“More-heavily sprayed & probably genetically modified stuff,”

and know that organic produce is

“Sprayed with different ills & probably not genetically modified stuff.”

Keep in mind that not all organics are sprayed, and not all conventional produce is a GMO. But let not the word “conventional” make us blind. Let us call it what it is. And do personal research.

ACTION STEPS

1) Don’t forget to go to http://whatsonmyfood.com. Pick your favorite produce, and go have a look.

2) Make a comment at the National Organics Standard Board website here: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=AMS-NOP-15-0037-0001. If too late for this meeting, notice the next time you can comment.

3) Keep sharp. Conventional means more heavily sprayed. End of story. Buy organic food, and don’t forget to check out this video (remember that unsprayed crop that starts with GM seeds is not organic, even if you love the local farm from which it came): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtwZ8t5NS6c

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight-consulting.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and certified in plant-based nutrition.

She is very aware of how marketers secretly enter the minds of their customers.

She says,

“Marketers have their jobs. And I love creativity in the making. I do know that the job of swaying the public is fun and continual. I also know that it’s my job to mention it to the public. Therefore, I am pointing out the term “conventional produce.” It’s only a convention because we have been duped into thinking that Big Food, Big Agro, Big Dairy are on our side. They are on their side as are most businesses that continue to operate.

“Let’s keep our eyes open and know that we are responsible for our own food research. Let’s figure a way to use organic produce, even if we have to sacrifice a new piece of clothing or a movie.

“Wouldn’t it be great if conventional were organic so that the norm would be organic? Until that time, let’s be aware of what’s on conventional produce and choose organic.

“Finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves because we are so worth it.”

ABUSER – WHY WE ABUSE ~ ISSUE 194 ~ SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
By Diane Gold

As an abuser, we get something out of the pain of others. What is so spectacular that we forfeit our love for others, our reverence for the rights of others, our sense of right and wrong, even our own dignity at the blink of an eye?

FEELING SMALL

Feeling small or powerless is usually at the root of being an abuser. We see ourselves as less valuable than others, our self-esteem is in the toilet (much like some people who are abused and allow the abuse), we see ourselves as weak. This feeling of having no power makes us miserable, angry, juvenile or, even, infantile. Although we may act as adults in many (or most) areas of our lives, we act like children when it comes to pursuing balance of our anger issues.

UPBRINGING

When baby boomers were young, they were shown the new entertainment – television. For part of my childhood, thanks to my uncle, I was able to watch superman and cartoons on a color television. I can recall one character taking a giant gavel and slamming it down on another character. Usually, the squooshed character would pop back up and be fine, with birds flying above the character’s head or symbols floating out of the head to represent pain from the strike in the head.

When my kids were coming up, they watched an environmental hero who was fighting pollution and outsmarting big development. Was there violence? Yes. It was justified by environmental pollution. But violence was there. Many of the parents with whom I hung out when my children were young did not allow their kids to see violence. Today, we see violence as entertainment all the time. Does this justify our being abusers? No!

ACTION STEPS

So, what can we do if we think or if we know were are an abuser?

1) HAVE COMPASSION

Feel for others, and think about how you would feel if someone were treating you the way you treat your object of anger. Be compassionate with yourself, too.

2) BE UNDERSTANDING

Understand that it is possible that you are not in control of your emotions and that you may need support.

3) GET EDUCATION THROUGH SUPPORT

Educate yourself as to how talking to others can help you control you as well as get you to see the truth.

4) BE FORGIVING AND PLAN AHEAD

Be forgiving of yourself for everything. Begin today to see yourself as kind. As with any habit, it’s crucial to plan ahead. Here’s an example strategy for when you get angry.

a) Immediately leave the premises that contain a person to whom you might direct your anger.

b) After this, immediately call someone who is not an enabler who won’t talk out of your own realization that you may be out of control. The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 can suggest a certified intervention program for you or give you some resources that may help.

c) Notice your anger as you start to build the habit of walking away from the trigger environment. Forget this one until you actually have some success rate with walking away to protect everyone.

d) Feel hopeful that you are taking control of your circumstances.

5) BE REPETITIVE

a) If you are succeeding with the above strategy, keep going. Great.

b) If you are not, recall the hotline in 4) b) and tell someone you are in need of further help.

6) DO DAILY EVOLUTION

Every day, we have to take care of ourselves. This includes right food, good water, rest & relaxation, creativity & productivity and companionship. Here, I will mention activities that relax us: tai chi, dancing, chi kung, meditation come to mind. Doing one of these activities helps the body rejuvenate so that it has its best chance of doing well and helps us to lead a joyful, balanced life.

CONCLUSION

What makes us abusive can be varied: our childhood, how we think someone else is responsible (which is bogus because it’s on us), how someone triggered our anger. Whatever happened in the past, now is now. Right now. How we change our immediate behavior is the important thing.

When we begin to act in a new way, we are becoming familiar with how to do it. When we do it again, we get better at it. And we end up looking at ourselves in the mirror and saying,

“I can do this.”

We all have many qualities within us. The good news is, with new actions, when it is time for change, we can establish new habits that are supportive of our morality and our peace.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to
http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and certified in plant-based nutrition.

She knows she has the ability to be an abuser within. We all do.

She says,

“When we feel angry, there are many things we can do other than abuse. Once we realize that being abusive shows weakness, it may not give us the feeling of control that it did. We may change our perception of the act of cruelty once we see that we look weak – since the act itself is about power.

“It is wrong to be an abuser because forcing others to bend to our will is wrong. Learning martial arts will teach us to balance the mind as it trains the body. That’s why this subject should be in every school curriculum.

“If we are the abuser, studying martial arts can level us out. We can use this study to stop our bullying. We can use the systematic approach taught to absorb the physical discipline as a training method for our anger and power struggles. All we have to do is begin. The control will come.

“Finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves because we are so worth it.”