administrator
25-05-2012, 10:01 AM
May 2012 Newsetter by Joy Brisbane.
Hi Folks,
Recently I had reason to visit the local police station to have documents signed. When the process was completed I looked at the officer, a man in his mid to late fifties, and said, “You blokes must get sick of having to do this all the time. How many of your signatures have you put onto pieces of paper throughout your time in the police force?” He broke out into a big and delightful smile and blushed.
They were simple words but they had a powerful impact. His response was not what I had expected from someone who has been trained in how to be tough. I walked to my car and sat for a few moments pondering on what just took place. I realised that day after day these people perform these tasks and probably rarely get acknowledged for what they do. He was not expecting someone to thank him and to acknowledge what he does. It caught him off guard.
Coming home from Melbourne last night, I shared a taxi with a man taking the same route as me. The conversation between the taxi driver and the male passenger was the kind I often hear. “Any cops about mate? They’re all bastards. You’d think they’d have enough to do without collecting revenue for the state. I got caught the other night. Jezz, I was only doing 5 over the 60. I asked him why he wasn’t out chasing bloody criminals. I’m glad he didn’t ask me to breathe into his breatherliser though. I’m not sure if I would have been over the limit or not.”
These two simple incidents got me thinking about how easily we can judge a group of dedicated and caring people by the antics of a few. It is something our society is very good at doing. Police, doctors and nurses, politicians, teachers…we judge without thought for the human factor in these people; without thought for the training they have been through and the long and often arduous work they do. We label entire groups according to how we have been affected by one or two from that group. To say that all cops are bastards is actually not true. Neither is it true to say all doctors are unfeeling or incompetent. As a society we have taken away from these people their right to be a human being; the right to tiredness, to stress, to be affected by the people they are dealing with every day of their working life; their right to feel pain and anger and love.
When I got home I decided to sit in my lounge chair for a moment, close my eyes and put myself into a police uniform, step into their shoes and imagine what it must be like for them. I imagined myself facing drivers who have broken the law, their sullenness, their anger and their fear. I imagined myself with a gun in my hand facing a man who has lost all reason and only wants to knife or shoot me. I imagined myself having to walk into violent domestic situations, walking down dark lanes and pulling up to car accidents not knowing what to expect.
It was an interesting experiment…. feeling the tension in my body and the deep gut feeling of apprehension that penetrated to my mind and heart. It is not a job I would want to do and it brought me into a place of gratitude for all the wonderful things that the different groups within our society do for us.
After doing this little exercise I then went on to explore in my mind what the word judgement is all about and the difference between assessment and judgement. Judgement also has a positive side, such as I judge you to be a very responsible and good worker…or is that assessment?
I think perhaps what works for me is this….judgement is about making something or someone right or wrong and assessment is more about an evaluation of a situation or person.
We all have the right to make a decision about remaining in contact with certain people or staying involved in a particular situation. It is not always beneficial for us, for our ongoing happiness and health, to stay in contact with another or to remain a participant in a group and given situation. To come to any conclusion an assessment needs to be made. But to judge that person or that situation or that group of people to be wrong is not beneficial to anyone.
In truth, when we judge another in a negative way we are placing ourselves on a pedestal….I am better than you. It actually comes from a vulnerable place within us of needing to feel better than the other so that we feel okay as a person….if I put you down I can build me up. We are all capable of judging others. The time has come for our society to learn to be more appreciative of the services given to us, to be less judgemental of those who provide those services, and for us to develop a greater understanding of the pressures and tensions with which these people are living.
The man in the taxi was a great example of that which you believe you create. He believes that all members of the police force are bastards…and that is what comes back to him. A few simple words spoken with care and understanding brought to a policeman’s face a smile and a blush. That which you put out comes back to you. That which you believe you create.
To change society’s way of thinking towards these groups of people begins with the individual. As each individual develops understanding and compassion towards others then that is what will come back to the individual. Once that understanding grows then, like a joy germ, it will spread throughout our society.
Hi Folks,
Recently I had reason to visit the local police station to have documents signed. When the process was completed I looked at the officer, a man in his mid to late fifties, and said, “You blokes must get sick of having to do this all the time. How many of your signatures have you put onto pieces of paper throughout your time in the police force?” He broke out into a big and delightful smile and blushed.
They were simple words but they had a powerful impact. His response was not what I had expected from someone who has been trained in how to be tough. I walked to my car and sat for a few moments pondering on what just took place. I realised that day after day these people perform these tasks and probably rarely get acknowledged for what they do. He was not expecting someone to thank him and to acknowledge what he does. It caught him off guard.
Coming home from Melbourne last night, I shared a taxi with a man taking the same route as me. The conversation between the taxi driver and the male passenger was the kind I often hear. “Any cops about mate? They’re all bastards. You’d think they’d have enough to do without collecting revenue for the state. I got caught the other night. Jezz, I was only doing 5 over the 60. I asked him why he wasn’t out chasing bloody criminals. I’m glad he didn’t ask me to breathe into his breatherliser though. I’m not sure if I would have been over the limit or not.”
These two simple incidents got me thinking about how easily we can judge a group of dedicated and caring people by the antics of a few. It is something our society is very good at doing. Police, doctors and nurses, politicians, teachers…we judge without thought for the human factor in these people; without thought for the training they have been through and the long and often arduous work they do. We label entire groups according to how we have been affected by one or two from that group. To say that all cops are bastards is actually not true. Neither is it true to say all doctors are unfeeling or incompetent. As a society we have taken away from these people their right to be a human being; the right to tiredness, to stress, to be affected by the people they are dealing with every day of their working life; their right to feel pain and anger and love.
When I got home I decided to sit in my lounge chair for a moment, close my eyes and put myself into a police uniform, step into their shoes and imagine what it must be like for them. I imagined myself facing drivers who have broken the law, their sullenness, their anger and their fear. I imagined myself with a gun in my hand facing a man who has lost all reason and only wants to knife or shoot me. I imagined myself having to walk into violent domestic situations, walking down dark lanes and pulling up to car accidents not knowing what to expect.
It was an interesting experiment…. feeling the tension in my body and the deep gut feeling of apprehension that penetrated to my mind and heart. It is not a job I would want to do and it brought me into a place of gratitude for all the wonderful things that the different groups within our society do for us.
After doing this little exercise I then went on to explore in my mind what the word judgement is all about and the difference between assessment and judgement. Judgement also has a positive side, such as I judge you to be a very responsible and good worker…or is that assessment?
I think perhaps what works for me is this….judgement is about making something or someone right or wrong and assessment is more about an evaluation of a situation or person.
We all have the right to make a decision about remaining in contact with certain people or staying involved in a particular situation. It is not always beneficial for us, for our ongoing happiness and health, to stay in contact with another or to remain a participant in a group and given situation. To come to any conclusion an assessment needs to be made. But to judge that person or that situation or that group of people to be wrong is not beneficial to anyone.
In truth, when we judge another in a negative way we are placing ourselves on a pedestal….I am better than you. It actually comes from a vulnerable place within us of needing to feel better than the other so that we feel okay as a person….if I put you down I can build me up. We are all capable of judging others. The time has come for our society to learn to be more appreciative of the services given to us, to be less judgemental of those who provide those services, and for us to develop a greater understanding of the pressures and tensions with which these people are living.
The man in the taxi was a great example of that which you believe you create. He believes that all members of the police force are bastards…and that is what comes back to him. A few simple words spoken with care and understanding brought to a policeman’s face a smile and a blush. That which you put out comes back to you. That which you believe you create.
To change society’s way of thinking towards these groups of people begins with the individual. As each individual develops understanding and compassion towards others then that is what will come back to the individual. Once that understanding grows then, like a joy germ, it will spread throughout our society.