Linda B is a leading international life coach from Iceland and is a LET Communication Consultant, Trauma Resiliency Model expert, Former President of the Icelandic Coaching Federation and Board of Icelandic Women’s Business Association. We’ve partnered with her to help our readers with their problems via our problem page and free advice in articles….
Have you heard the story of the men who were blindfolded and stood at different ends of an elephant? One held the trunk while the other held the tail. When asked to describe what they experienced, of course, they described it differently as they experienced the elephant from each end, but nonetheless, it was the same elephant. It’s a little bit like two men looking at a fence from different sides when it’s painted a different colour on each side — they describe the same fence differently.
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
Isn’t that the case in life itself when we experience people and issues? We usually see them from different perspectives depending on our beliefs, culture and religion. Children arguing, couples getting divorced, friends becoming dissatisfied, and even those going through the same events or experiences in life see things differently, and there can be many sides to each case, not just two.
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
We may not be realizing that in some cases we are not necessarily coming from the events themselves, but even from our old and deep-seated wounds and we also understand words and deeds in different ways. It is common for us to expect others to see things as we do. We all know people who expect everyone to have the same views as them, and they should also have the same values and attitudes towards life as they do and everyone who does not agree with them has even become their biggest enemies. Really humorous if I think about it.
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
What we are dealing with in all situations of life is just programming that began with our arrival here on earth that causes this along with so many other things we are dealing with in life. We begin at birth (and even earlier, some say) to form our reactions to situations and to assess what we need to survive and understand the world. We learn that when we cry loud enough as infants the food is brought to us, and we are shown all kinds of care that we take full advantage of while we cannot use the power of language. At the same time we form our first bond with those who care about us, and those bonds have a profound effect on shaping our attitudes and understanding of the world.
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
After that, the incarnation of society as a whole begins, and in my case I was born into a Western welfare state and a democracy that has Christianity as its folk religion. I’m a white woman, well-educated and my nation that has women’s rights and climate issues in the forefront. We also consider ourselves as a great nation, even though there are only about 370 thousand people in this country. In other words, in our minds we are the largest nation in the world and we believe that everything will be ok no matter what happens. We have a large and extensive history that can be found in our ancient writings and we have a marked language that we have preserved well. All of this shapes mine and our attitudes and cultural consciousness, as well as, of course, many other factors.
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
But could we learn something new and exciting from other cultures, denominations, and could we even learn something from the nations that we consider to be the third world countries in terms of joy, contentment, and happiness of what we have already in our lives? Could it be that our open-mindedness would be enhanced if we would come to know other societies and cultures, and could our awareness of love for the whole world increase if we allowed ourselves to let go of our ‘knowledge’ of other nations? Could it be that these social structure programs here as well as in the rest of the world are preventing us from succeeding as one humanity in the world here and could it be that it’s also preventing us from reaching that sought after place of peace, reconciliation and harmony?
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
Are other cultures equal in our consciousness and can we walk the path with all those who inhabit this earth? Can we live in harmony with black, white, blue, yellow and brown people? Can we look at other cultures, religions, and philosophies without being filled with suspicion and prejudice? Can we take away these programmed stamps of ours and see ourselves as one humanity, where we all hold some of the fragments of truth about life and existence? And can we see that if we put all these fragments together we could create a beautiful mosaic work of art where all surfaces flow and shine without taking up space from each other?
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
I’m so optimistic and simple at heart that I think we can do this if we just see that we are all with everything and everyone – that is, I am you and you are me. When I get to grips with that thought, why should I then want to hurt you mock and condemn you? And why shouldn’t I not enjoy getting to know you and your world? Why should I not throw away all my prejudice stamps and simply enjoy getting to know the whole world in all its beautiful and different colours?
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
In my opinion, the restraints of love are, the stamps we receive in the cradle that shapes our attitudes towards people, cultures and religions and these same stamps tells us what is right and what is not for the heard we belong to and we close our minds to all the beautiful things we can find elsewhere. We probably make few or no comments on the stamps we inhered and it takes a lot for us to throw them out which would be the most likely way though to create peace, harmony and happiness among all people.
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
So you who are I, and are reading this confusing wisdom of mine – would allow yourself to look at those words of mine for a while and then see if these words get the approval of your inner voice and if by doing so, would throw out the things that have shaped your prejudices and just enjoy being without them I can promise you — life gets so much more fun without them – I promise!
Love, kisses and peace to all of us whether we are white or black, believers or non believers, women or men, young or old, western or eastern,
Linda x
To submit an anonymous and confidential question to Linda for free advice email info@lavidaliverpool.co.uk or contact her on FACEBOOK!
