The other day I was walking down a street and someone approached me with a white ribbon attached to a black and white card. This person was a supporter of UNIFEM NZ (United Nations Development Fund for Women). They were seeking my support, through wearing this white ribbon on my shirt.
On the card it read:
Speak Out Against Violence Towards Women
White Ribbon Day, 25 November
(okay, so it was not exactly “the other day”. Looks like it was nearly two months ago that I was handed this card)
These UNIFEM supporters also had a large stand nearby with large signs displaying the same message.
What stood out most starkly to me is that they were asking people to take a stand against the thing they wish to minimise in the world. That’s all very well, but I think it is important to realise that the unconscious mind will pick up primarily on the statement “violence towards women”. The human mind is a creative system. The word “against” does not relate directly to an act of creation and therefore the mind has to first translate it into something else before it will take on that attribute. People reading the promotion put out by these UNIFEM supporters are going to first and foremost be giving their attention to “violence toward women”.
A basic principle in Ancient Hawaiian Huna is that “energy flows where the attention goes”. By drawing peoples’ attention to “violence towards women” that is also where their energy will flow (consciously or unconsciously). I doubt this is what the UNIFEM supporters had in mind.
Why not make the most of this function within the human mind and make a statement that will inspire energy to flow TOWARD the desired outcome. How about:
“Speak out for loving relationship with women“, or
“Stand up for kindness toward women“.
When you read over these two statements what feeling does it engender within you? Now compare that to the statement the UNIFEM group were putting out there. I suspect you will find the difference quite noticeable. Food for thought…
