Mindfulness For Everyday Peace; How meditation, prayer and contemplation are shaping our world
Mindfulness is a psychological state of heightened moment-to-moment awareness through specific practices and disciplines such as meditation and contemplative prayer. It is about achieving a state of mind that is centered in the present and devoid of judgment (the past) and worry (the future).
by Robert Kenneth Jones
The practice of Mindfulness is moving the nation along a path to gentle revolution. I recently watched the 2017 documentary ‘Mindfulness Goes Mainstream’ from PBS and learned that the transformative influence of mindfulness along with Centering Prayer, yoga and other disciplined practices is spreading throughout our country. This has been brewing for a long time but is now emerging as a proven way for relieving stress, offering tools for pain management and providing techniques for increasing focus while improving productivity.Mindfulness has been embraced by America’s biggest corporations, the Armed Services, police departments, and our school systems. Evidence-based studies conclude that it is having a positive effect on personal health. It should be no surprise that these methods once limited to Eastern religions and old hippies are now being embraced by millions of ordinary people who are trying to survive an increasingly complex and hectic world.
So what is mindfulness anyway?
My personal experiences with it have led me to the following explanation; Mindfulness is a psychological state of heightened moment-to-moment awareness through specific practices and disciplines such as meditation and contemplative prayer. It is about achieving a state of mind that is centered in the present and devoid of judgment (the past) and worry (the future).Most of us begin to feel like we are spending our whole lives trying to get by. This realization seeps into consciousness somewhere around age 40. You start to develop uneasiness about the secret desperation that you have been hiding for so long. The things that were so important yesterday seem shallow and meaningless today. You look fine on the outside but are crumbling on the inside. You just know there has to be a better way to live more fully. This is when turning to mindfulness is so useful. Andy Puddicombe, the co-founder of Headspace, a digital health platform, describes the transformative power of doing just that by devoting only ten minutes a day simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment.
Mindfulness in the Workplace
Corporations such as General Mills, Aetna, Target and Google are using mindfulness to improve innovative thinking, communication skills and more appropriate reactions to stress. They have built extensive programs to foster mindful practices among employees and have seen benefits and improvements in employee health, productivity and job satisfaction. Leadership courses have been developed which use mindfulness as the touchstone of success.
Mindfulness in the Military
The United States Marines are embracing mindfulness and report remarkable results. Marines who took an eight-week course in the basics of mindfulness recovered from stress faster following an intense training session that replicated battlefield conditions. Four platoons underwent the standard training regimen to prepare for combat. Members of the other four additionally received eight weeks of mindfulness-based mind fitness training. This consisted of 20 hours of classroom time plus homework: Participants were asked to complete “at least 30 minutes of daily mindfulness and self-regulation exercises.”The Marines were assessed at the beginning and end of the eight-week program, and again a week or so later after they completed a highly stressful, day-long training exercise at a special facility designed to replicate combat conditions. This training required them to respond to an enemy ambush.Afterward, 54 Marines who had undergone mindfulness training and 53 who did not undergo a series of medical tests. They revealed that the heart and breathing rates of the mindful Marines returned to normal faster than those of the control group members. Brain scans on a subset of 40 Marines also found differences between the two groups. Focusing on several parts of the brain implicated in cognitive control and emotion regulation, the researchers found exposure to emotional faces produced less activation. There is a reason to believe that this method of strengthening mental and emotional resilience will even reduce to incidence of PTSD for veterans.
Mindfulness in the Law Enforcement
Law enforcement officers and first responders have been engaging in mindfulness programs and practices for about ten years. In a pilot study conducted by Oregon police officer Richard Goerling and Michael Christopher of Pacific University, officers who learned mindfulness skills reported “significant improvement in self-reported mindfulness, resilience, police and perceived stress, burnout, emotional intelligence, difficulties with emotion regulation, mental health, physical health, anger, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.” This echoes some of the research from an earlier study, which found that police officers who went through mindfulness training experienced less depression in their first year of service. This approach is certainly preparing LEO’s and first responders with better ways to handle their emotional stressors in an era where they face increasing violence every day.
Mindfulness in the Classroom
Our public and private schools are using mindfulness practices to help students deal with stress, the threat of gun violence, bullying, and classroom restlessness. Two different studies were done by Cheryl Desmond, Ph.D., and Laurie Hanich, Ph.D., of middle school children who had taken the “Wellness Works in Schools” mindfulness-based course showed significant gains in self-regulation and executive function.Discipline problems become teachable moments for kids who have learned how to use mindfulness. Dennie Doran, head of the Upper School at the Nantucket New School and a teacher there has been at the school for nine years. She definitely sees a “before” and “after” effect since they began teaching mindfulness. “We have a common language from the 3-year-olds to the 14-year-olds. ‘Was that a mindful decision?’ ‘Did you think about your choice?’ ‘Stop and take a breath.’ So that by the time the lower school gets to the upper school we’re dealing with teachable moments instead of discipline problems. They’re learning self-awareness and then making choices based on that self-awareness.”Perhaps we are entering a new age in schools not rooted in hardening or softening them but in helping students and teachers to find deeper and more meaningful connections with self and others.
A few of the many benefits of Mindfulness:
Provides key elements to dealing with and fighting stress
Provides a great tool for breaking bad habits
Helps us build compassion through personal spiritual or religious experiences
Allows us to be more strategic in terms of our goals
Pope Francis relates to mindfulness and Centering Prayer as “serene attentiveness” which approaches life by being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. He reminds Christians that “Jesus taught this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, he looked at him with love. He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way; he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.”
Mindfulness at Home
I have found that mindfulness enables me to experience every moment. There is an ever-present opportunity to step into a moment and find peace. I have grown in deeper, loving awareness of the wonders of creation and in my connectedness with other people. I don’t live in the past or worry about the future (for the most part…I’m working on it). Gradually, I have come to believe in the truth of The Serenity Prayer and that we are all here, on earth, in the peaceful presence of the Creator. Thanks at least in part to mindfulness. So, get quiet, sit up straight, close your eyes...now take a deep breath in and let it out. There. You are on your way to practicing mindfulness.Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash
Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.
In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.
His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
The Beloved Community
God wants a humanity that is characterized by this sort of fearless love which neutralizes the power of evil and transforms it to good.
“The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of nonviolence is redemption. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation. The aftermath of violence is emptiness and bitterness.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King worked for the establishment of a Beloved Community. The Beloved Community in which love of enemies, non-violent resolution of conflicts, human dignity, peace, and freedom will overcome hatred, division, and selfishness. What a magnificent dream. His message of love stirred up controversy and he was called a rabble-rouser. His message of love made lots of enemies but he was undeterred. God wants a humanity that is characterized by this sort of fearless love which neutralizes the power of evil and transforms it into good.
Fifty years ago, Dr. King was taken from us at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. It was such a tragic day. Violence, fear, and hatred seemed to rob us of his beloved community dream. But of course, in reality, violence never wins.
One of the most amazing peacemakers I have known rose from the ashes of that dark day in Tennessee. Clare Hanrahan, began her battle for justice and mercy when she was 18 in her home town of Memphis after the assassination of Dr. King in 1968. From then on her work has been tireless.
Though many of our generation put aside work for non-violence and the beloved community after the War in Vietnam, Clare did not stop. She has been a protester at the gates of bomb factories, has been jailed in federal prison for protesting at the School of The Americas and has stood in silent, non-violent vigils for immigrants, women and the marginalized. At age 62 she started an organization called New South Network of War Resisters. Clare recently said in an interview at her Asheville, North Carolina home, “I think we've all got to live in the light of what we feel is right action and just do that.”
One of her books, The Half-Life of a Free Radical: Growing Up Irish Catholic in Jim Crow Memphis, tells the story of her work and struggles. She has been a light for us all to follow exemplifying Dr. King’s dream and stressing alternatives to violence. Like Clare Hanrahan, we always have the option to be kind and gentle. We always have the option to let go of personal bias in favor of cooperation. We always have the option to love instead of hate. We have the chance, here and now, to exercise these options and become co-creators of Dr. King’s beloved community.
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About the Author
In a career spanning over four decades, Robert Kenneth Jones has been an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Guided by Another Easter
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell
Easter shakes us up.
It asks us to let go and let God. Easter reminds us that our lives are not our own. We clearly discover that we are not in charge. God seems to have another idea for us. It is an idea which has little to do with our own plans.Couldn’t most all of us confirm that we never planned to be exactly who we are and where we are today?Our passions and dreams are only diminished by the alluring attraction of wealth, power or even by the need for security. When we compromise, put off or set aside the fire in our bellies, the chances are good that it might be reduced to a flickering memory of what-might-have-been.
And so, we trudge ahead, doing what we are expected to do. The terrible consequence is a life lived only on the surface. We arrive at our destination and find there is nobody there to cheer for us. We take nothing with us and finish as a weary traveler. Then we simply disappear into the background.This is God's better idea. As Gods exceptional and beloved child, each of us is given special gifts and special powers unique unto ourselves. Every gift and power ignite that little fire which burns as our passion. When we pay attention to this fire it becomes bliss. We are directed by its light through darkness, rain and life storms.When true to our course, following our bliss and honoring God’s gifts we become enabled to live fully. We become instruments of God’s dream. We arrive at our destination in the embrace of a loving community. We bring all of the accumulated love with us. We are never forgotten.Easter is a time for renewal and new beginnings. We have a chance to affirm our gifts and to re-ignite our special powers. Easter sets us free. Easter renews us. Easter brings us home.“When I look through God's eyes at my lost self and discover God's joy at my coming home, then my life may become less anguished and more trusting." ~ Henri Nouwen
The Good of Good Friday
"Christmas and Easter can be subjects for poetry, but Good Friday, like Auschwitz, cannot. The reality is so horrible it is not surprising that people should have found it a stumbling block to faith."~ W.H. Auden"
"Christmas and Easter can be subjects for poetry, but Good Friday, like Auschwitz, cannot. The reality is so horrible it is not surprising that people should have found it a stumbling block to faith." ~ W.H. Auden"
Archbishop Fulton Sheen answered W.H. Auden’s view on Good Friday with the simple statement that without Good Friday in our lives, there can be no Easter Sunday. It is a painful truth that most of us would like to avoid. It’s horrific to think about the heart-wrenching events of Good Friday. Yet, despite them, followers of Christ have held the day sacred and holy for two millennia. Somehow, goodness comes from evil. Salvation comes from obliteration.
The most terrible things that have happened always yield to something transforming. I think about The Holocaust with its ghastly images and unimaginable misery. The devastation cannot be undone. But from the ashes of horror came a homeland for Israel, a bond of friendship among nations. There have been the awakening gifts of inhumanity from Elie Wiesel, Anne Frank, Viktor Frankl, and so many others.
We have been challenged to change. I also think about the people who have terminal diseases that could suffer in silence, but rather, rise up to give a voice to cures and better treatment. They give us hope when we would be hopeless.Good Friday is only good when it carries us to an empty tomb.
"This is a day of reflection and acceptance. Let me be open to goodness."
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About the Author
In a career spanning over four decades, Robert Kenneth Jones has been an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration, and meditation.
Links
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
Servant Leadership: Developing Powerful Co-reliant Communities
Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.
Twenty-seven years ago I was trying to figure out where my faith journey was going and what I would do about living differently.
Brevard, NC was the place I was calling home at the time. As a faith formation coordinator in my church, I was coming into contact with several other middle-aged folks from different religions that were hungry for some kind of renewal. A group of us began gathering on a regular basis in each other’s homes for study, prayer, and conversation. We soon discovered that people were meeting in nearby Hendersonville under the direction of Bennett J Sims, a retired Episcopal Bishop. Bennett and his wife Mary had moved their Institute for Servant Leadership from Atlanta in 1988. We joined with the Hendersonville group and began classes to prepare ourselves for servant leadership.Robert K. Greenleaf began the modern day Servant leadership movement in a 1970 essay The Servant as Leader. It has become “a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.” His concepts, ideas, and writings were seen as controversial, lofty and unrealistic at first. But soon, the religious and secular worlds began to embrace these principals. Many have found that Servant Leadership has the power to transform human experience. Greenleaf’s work and Bennett Sims direction led the twelve of us from Brevard to attend two resident workshops at The School of Servant Leadership at the Festival Center in Washington, DC, and ministries of The Church of The Savior. The teaching and experiential group processes under the gentle mentorship of Gordon Cosby changed each of us in profound ways.The Wisdom of Gordon CosbyI will never forget Gordon’s words to us when we first met. We had filed into a room where he was reclining in a chair. When we were seated he met each one of us in an intentional loving gaze. In a few minutes he said; “Welcome to the Festival Center and to your Nation’s Capital. We have been waiting for you…for a long, long time. All of eternity has conspired to bring you here right now.”Gordon Cosby’s greeting sums up the message of Servant Leadership for me. Though it is certainly a philosophy which has generally prescribed practices, the welcoming of this well known, great man expressed its essence in the language of unconditional love. He shared his vision of Christ who serves the poor in community while empowering each other. He taught that power comes from the bottom up rather than top down. He proposed that each of us find a passion which might lead to conquering and healing poverty, racism, addiction, and disease.Servant Leadership Goes MainstreamServant Leadership is the future of our future according to Anthony Perez. It has been expressed in many ways and applied in many contexts. Some of the most well-known advocates include Joyce Hollyday, William C. Pollard, Jim Wallis, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Senge, M. Scott Peck, Ian Fuhr, Margaret Wheatley, Ann McGee-Cooper, Larry Spears, and Kent Keith. Servant Leadership Institutes have been established across the entire country in community-based programs from Greensboro, NC to Austin, TX to Carlsbad, CA and are attended by thousands of people from all walks of life. The bottom line is that satisfaction and great results come with the applications of servant leadership.Larry Spears 10 Core Characteristics of Servant Leadership
- Listening ~ Servant leadership requires leaders to listen to other people, not just be good at communication and decision-making. Listening is about focusing on what is being said and using this information for guiding the group towards objectives. An effective leader should also identify the things that are left unsaid, as well as the inner voices.
- Empathy ~ Listening increases the ability to empathize. Since the focus of servant leadership is to serve others it necessitates an ability to accept and recognize the individual values and feelings people have. A servant leader should be able to love and understand others without prejudice.
- Healing ~ Servant leadership emphasizes the emotional health of an individual, together with mental and physical wellbeing. A servant leader should focus on his or her potential to heal one’s own self and others creating a greater possibility of achieving wholeness.
- Awareness ~ Servant leadership requires awareness, both in terms of general awareness and self-awareness. Self-awareness, in particular, requires the leader to see their emotions and behaviors in the context of how it affects the rest of the community or group. Through self-awareness, you become better at noticing what the people around you are doing and fix problems quicker.
- Persuasion ~ Servant leadership doesn’t rely on authority to get things done. Instead, the concept uses persuasion in order to make a decision. The servant leader seeks for consensus rather than compliance, which is perhaps the biggest difference to traditional authoritarian models. Personal relationships are developed rather than exerting positions of power.
- Conceptualization ~ A servant leader is able to conceive solutions to problems, which are not presently there. This kind of conceptualization, therefore, requires the leader to look beyond simple day-to-day realities. In a traditional leadership model, the leader’s focus is often on short-term operational objectives. But a servant leader must look beyond these and conceptualize issues that might not even be on the horizon.
- Foresight ~ Another relating point to conceptualization is the concept of foresight. Servant leadership requires the ability to foresee likely outcomes through the understanding of the past. There are three key points to foresight in leadership:
- The ability to learn from past experiences
- The ability to identify what is currently happening
- The ability to understand the consequences of specific decisions
- Stewardship ~ Stewardship in servant leadership relates to taking responsibility for your actions and those of the community, group or team. The main assumption is to commit to serving the needs of others first. Not only is the organization holding its trust in the leader, but the whole organization is also to serve the wider community. It’s not about controlling the actions, but to rather allow yourself to be accountable.
- Commitment to the growth of people ~ Servant leadership model focuses on the intrinsic value people offer. Therefore, the aim of a servant leader is to help people realize their potential beyond just the ability to perform well. Servant leadership requires the commitment to help people realize their potential, as well as to support it.
- Building community ~ Servant leadership relies on the creation of a community and a sense of togetherness within the organization. Greenleaf wrote in his essay, the best way to achieve community might stem from smaller groups. He said, “Achieving many small-scale communities, under the shelter that is best given by bigness, may be the secret of synergy in large institutions”.
Chaplain Programs Embrace Servant LeadershipIn January of 2018, The Annual Law Enforcement Management Conference included a session called The Positive Power of Servant Leadership. It was recognized that the Chaplain program is an example of Servant Leadership in action. Those who serve, often without monetary compensation, offer comfort and counsel in the most painful of circumstances. Their acts of mercy and kindness relieve LEO’s of dealing with crisis intervention, death notices, and hospital or home visitations (to mention only a few of their duties). They provide the human face of police departments. That humanity allows the Chaplain to build trusting relationships which nobody else can do. When Chaplains are given the opportunity to receive Servant Leadership training, their empowering work takes on deeper dimensions of humility and vulnerability. They become more comfortable in making mistakes and more easily accept setbacks. The qualities of a good servant leader are the ones most often applied to Chaplains. They are as follow;
- Open-mindedness
- Trustworthiness
- Helpfulness
- Selflessness
- Awareness
- Accountability
Chaplain Harold Elliott’s long-standing Servant Leadership program has been widely acclaimed as a model for other departments. The Greenleaf Center has an ongoing program for Chaplain training in Atlanta.Servant Leaders One and AllWhether we are chaplains, LEO’s, human service providers, educators, corporate executives or anyone else for that matter, we are called to some kind of leadership in our families, workplaces, and communities. When we recognize our role of service in that context, incredible changes take place. Lives are enriched through the building of relationships with both those being served and those who are serving. I have come to believe that servant leadership is a powerful movement which humbly embraces powerlessness. This is an epiphany which can shape and transform every relationship in our lives.
The Wisdom of Tigger
"Tiggers never go on being Sad," explained Rabbit.” ~ A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner
I have always been a Tigger person. His bounce and exuberance can be both wonderful and annoying. But more than anything, Tigger continually revels in his uniqueness. “The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I’m the only one!” He thoroughly knows his character assets (cuddly, awfully sweet, a wonderful chap, loaded with vim and vigor and of course…fun).He constantly explores the things that others do well and always fails in his attempts to emulate or duplicate. Then, Tigger does the most wonderful thing, he accepts and then embraces who he is. Finally, he continues to celebrate.There is a happy philosopher and mystic in our Tigger. The Persian poet Hafez tells us that God only knows four words; “Come dance with me.” Tigger only knows four words; “Come bounce with me.” He embodies the wisdom of ‘thisness’ as described by Duns Scotus who said the absolute freedom of God allows God to create, or not to create, each creature.Its existence means God has positively chosen that creature, precisely as it is. In other words, each and every one of God’s creation is unique, one of a kind and specifically chosen to exist. The mold was broken at your birth as demonstrated by your DNA. There has never been and will never be another one who is just like you…and me…and Tigger.As Holy Week comes, pointing our way to Easter perhaps we might hope, dance and bounce our way along. I believe that God has a dream for us to live life fully with an ever-expanding joy. God loves for us to be wonderful (wonder-filled) things…Tiggers one and all.“Human beings are most fully human when they realize that they are creatures and give joyful response to the Creator. All that we are and all that we have comes from God; we are part of God's dream for a good creation using our freedom to do God's will.” ~ Verna Dozier
Photo by Dimitar Belchev on Unsplash
The Coming of Spring
Though some cold, snow and ice may show up in the next few days and weeks, the end of their reign is done. Only a few months ago we welcomed the first falling flakes in anticipation of holidays with gatherings of friends and family. Then, after being homebound, scooping too many driveways, being stuck at the side of the road, we moaned at the thought of more winter. When would it ever end!? Well, now is the time.
“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!” ~ Chief Sitting Bull
The Vernal Equinox 2018 in Northern Hemisphere arrived at 11:15 AM Central time yesterday, Tuesday, March 20. Spring has sprung and the weather-people are already predicting what the season will bring and what kind of summer will follow.What we know is that the long winter is over. Though some cold, snow and ice may show up in the next few days and weeks, the end of their reign is done. Only a few months ago we welcomed the first falling flakes in anticipation of holidays with gatherings of friends and family. Then, after being homebound, scooping too many driveways, being stuck at the side of the road, we moaned at the thought of more winter. When would it ever end!? Well, now is the time.
We have been blessed by spring’s arrival and turned the wintry corner onto the path of new beginnings. Even in the midst of long-suffering there appear daffodils, crocus and tulips. Even when we are ready to cash in and give up, there the reminder that though hard times may come, they will also leave.Springtime is all about renewal of life, renewal of joy and renewal of faith. The season reminds us that we are not condemned to death. Indeed, life is both good and filled with wonder. Happy, Happy Spring!
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature…the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter." ~ Rachel Carson
Enjoy The Ride
“Life can be great…but not when you can't see it. So, open your eyes to life: to see it in the vivid colors that God gave us as a precious gift to His children, to enjoy life to the fullest, and to make it count. Say yes to your life.” ~ Nancy Reagan
I propose that the best option we have is to enjoy life with every fiber of our being. The alternatives are bleak really, but the choice is ours to make. My personal credo for the past decade has been this; Life is a celebration. You just have to decide whether you are coming to the party or not.
There is nothing in the past that can sneak back into the present and drag you into its’ distant murky caves. There is nothing in the future that can lift you to its’ sunny shores either. Say ‘Yes’ to this morning. Say ‘Yes’ to this afternoon. Say ‘Yes’ to this evening. Say ‘Yes’ to Life. Then loosen your tight grip and let go. It’s your chance to embrace the moment. What are you waiting for?
“Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquet and most of you suckers are starving to death” ~ From the movie Aunie Mame
This is how I learned about loosening my grip on life. Several years ago I was asked to go with my best friend Steve and his nephew Greg to an old, rather run down amusement park in the Smokey Mountains. It was not what I had in mind, but the kid really wanted to ride the rides. One of them was an ancient wooden roller-coaster. It reeked of danger. But, like a good sport, I got in the seat and was buckled in. I was holding on to the safety bar with all my might before the thing ever took flight. When Greg saw my grip he asked why I was so freaked out while just sitting there. I was embarrassed and let go. He said that his Uncle Steve always told him to hold his hands up in the air during the ride and that I should try it. Not wanting to appear a chicken, I took his suggestion. It turned out to be the best roller coaster experience of my life.
So let’s all hop in…let go…and enjoy the ride! Why not? Life is Good.
Suicide Prevention (1-800-273-8255): A Way to Prevent, Understand and React to Suicide Death
This is the truth. We are experiencing a dramatic rise in suicide in The United States.
While other causes of death are on the decline, suicide is climbing…and it's doing so for every age group under 75. Suicide is the second-highest cause of death for 15 to 34 year-olds with the phenomenon of ‘suicide contagion’ or copycat suicide ever-increasing among teens. The suicide rate in the United States has grown by 24 percent over the last 15 years. Don’t you wish this was fake news? But it’s not.Music and Youth Culture Raise Suicide AwarenessLogic, the American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer has released a track on his most recent and third studio album called Everybody with the title, “1-800-273-8255” featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid in an effort to increase awareness and put a personal face on suicide. The song offers up the 800 number to guide people, especially his young audience, to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The hit song turned out to have an incredible impact in 2017. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) says they received a 50 percent surge in calls last year after the April release of his new track. Logic performed the record at the 2018 Grammys. The NSPL revealed that in the two hours following Logic's performance of the track counselors received three times the number of calls they usually receive in that time period.It Feels Like It's My FaultI am no stranger to suicide. My work as a human services provider has all too often brought me to the broken hearts of those who are contemplating suicide as well as those that have loved a person who ended their own life. It’s hard to find anyone who is untouched by this. My own family has suffered through several. Each one has left us in a state of confusion and self-blame. I can never forget the awful notifications. I can never forget having to then break the news to loved ones. The memories are so vivid. I can never forget.Along with the fact that suicide is devastating and painful, it is also highly stigmatized. Its illusion of shame elicits a code of silence creating an even deeper misery. By ending this code of silence and destigmatizing suicide (and other mental health issues) the desolation they cause will be diminished. John Nieuwenburg is an award-winning business coach who addresses the way that we might move beyond silence and shame. His TEDx Talk is a must-see for those who suffer, family members, friends, human service providers, and Chaplains.New Trends in Suicide Prevention: Brain Science and ACESPrevention is possible. It is important to understand the risk and to know the facts. We are beginning to better understand the suicidal brain through new scanning techniques. Studying differences in the brains of suicide attempters and depressed individuals who never attempt suicide may help in developing better treatments. The incredible work being done with adverse childhood experiences (ACES) is leading us to believe that cumulative trauma in children increases suicide ideation in adults. A whole new treatment protocol is being established in communities like Memphis where schools, parents, hospitals, physicians, and other human service providers are being trained to recognize, screen for, and deal with trauma with its long term consequences. We have learned that 50 percent of lifetime mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, personality disorders, suicide ideation, and PTSD begin by age 14. Do you want to be the one to help? Here is a useful hashtag tool that might lead you in the right direction. #BeThe1ToThe Startling Truth of Blue SuicideThere is an alarming increase in police officer suicide that escapes national attention. ‘Blue Lives Matter’ is more than a slogan. These men and women who bravely serve and protect us face trauma or the threat of trauma every day they go to work. Like veterans of war, they are likely to think about suicide and act on those thoughts much more frequently than the average adult. Dr. David J. Fair, President, and C.E.O. Homeland Crisis Institute Crisis Intervention, Training, Consulting, and Response wrote recently that; “Police officers must deal with Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) daily. With officers being killed on almost a daily basis PTSD is raging. Not just for the officers where the shooting happened but on a national basis with something called Secondary PTSD. You can't work in law enforcement and not be affected by a police officer being injured or killed.” The Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention has created a study guide for Chaplains and other counselors. We are told that more law enforcement officers in The United States die by their own hand than are killed by felons. We must help break the silence and elevate suicide prevention efforts for the sake of our dedicated public servants, their families, and communities.Creating Suicide Programs and Ending the SilenceThere is so much more to be said. Worldwide, 350 million people (that’s 5 percent of the population) struggling with depression every day. They are suffering and sometimes dying in silence because we can’t seem to talk openly about it. We must push the conversation forward. Middle and high school health classes would be a perfect place to begin the dialogue. But precious few programs exist. Instead, remain silent or we continue to put most of our efforts into postvention.Let’s get out of our cycle of denial by admitting openly that these issues are real and lethal. Perhaps then, a Power Greater Than Ourselves can restore us to sanity.
Burned Out: What Happens When Too Much is Too Much?
Certainly, being a human service provider, a pastor, a chaplain, a police officer, healthcare worker, teacher, first responder, parent, caregiver, or some other servant leader can lead to burnout.You Are Not Alone: Hitting the Wall and So Many StressorsYou seem to hit a wall. It is a place of feeling overwhelmed, tired, pressured and crowded. All of the promises made and things that must be done are just too much. To live up to the expectations of others and those that are self-imposed becomes impossible.If you are experiencing (or have ever experienced) burnout, you are not alone. I sure have. It even led me to quit one job. I have also used excessive amounts of alcohol to relieve those pressures. The World Health Organization found that 96% of all mental health care workers experienced some level of burnout while a full half of their other study respondents experienced very high-levels.Am I Burning Out...Or Just Overly Tired?The Mayo Clinic has developed some questions, symptoms, and solutions to help us with ‘burnout syndrome’. I have found them helpful because it is often too late when my denial is finally overcome by exasperation and exhaustion. The consequences are never good. Physical, emotional and spiritual health can become so compromised that simple self-care is not enough. Professional help is all that will do. Not that seeking counseling is bad (it’s what I do for a living), but there are also things we can do and ways to recognize burnout before it gets too serious.Steven Covey described good methods for finding balance before burnout in his classic book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with Habit 7, ‘Sharpening The Saw’. He tells us that there are four areas of “saw-sharpening” (or preserving and enhancing the greatest asset we have which is ourselves). He suggested having a balanced program for self-renewal in physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual areas of our lives.Physical: Beneficial eating, exercising, and restingSocial/Emotional: Making social and meaningful connections with othersMental: Learning, reading, writing, and teachingSpiritual: Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service”Oh by the way, if this book is not in your library you are missing a treasure.It is an absolute necessity that we care for ourselves in these four areas. The choices are rather simple. We can take time for regular renewal or we can burnout by overdoing, We can hit the wall or we can continue to serve. Feeling good doesn't just happen. We must live a life in balance by taking the necessary time to renew and refresh.Blue Burnout for LEO's and ChaplainsPolice officers experience a high rate of burnout syndrome and plateauing as described by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS).These men and women are protectors of justice, civil rights, and of the public who depend upon them. They give us long hours of service which are filled with continual stress. It is no wonder they are highly susceptible to overwhelming fatigue. Their heavy responsibilities often cause them to become hypervigilant and angry. There is far too little time for taking care of themselves. Blue Silence can become the rule of the day resulting in isolation, depression and suicide ideation. There are ways to deal with LEO burnout just as with other professions. One of the most important things to do is to reach out to Chaplains and other trusted people in the department. These are the folks who will understand. Nobody can handle this alone.Chaplains burnout too. Dealing with trauma and loss on a regular basis can lead to a skewed perspective and hypersensitivity. I always think of the verse in Mark 5:24-34 when the woman touches Jesus’ cloak while seeking healing. He is being pressed by the crowd yet feels a draining effect and turns around to see who touched his clothes.Talk about being sensitive! It is critically important for Chaplains to engage in regular mental health days away from their duties. When work is also a ‘calling’ there is an obligation which exceeds other professions. There are specific ways that are somewhat unique to Chaplains in recognizing and dealing with burnout. It is important to remember that little healing or spiritual guidance for others can be offered by a pastor who is chronically overwhelmed. Here is a helpful verse for reflection:The grace of God means something like:Here is your life.You might never have been, but you are,because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you.Here is the world.Beautiful and terrible things will happen.Don’t be afraid.I am with you.~ Frederick BuechnerA Case for Understanding Burnout and Help from The A Familiar NeighborThere is a novel I read a long time ago by Graham Greene called “A Burnt-Out Case.” It is a good resource for all of us. As the incidence of burnout rises it might be essential. The 2016 General Social Survey conducted byThe University of Chicago found that 50 percent of its respondents were consistently exhausted because of work, compared with 18 percent two decades ago. So we are all subject to burnout. There are no exceptions in any work-related field. This major health concern is far too pervasive to ignore or deny.Perhaps we need a bit of Mister Rogers wisdom in our hectic work-a-day world. He reminded us that while no one is perfect, it's our individual imperfections that make each one of us so special. We need to remember his gentle words; "I like you just the way you are" as we take the time to be as good to ourselves as we are to others. The only requirement is that we do the best we can. No more.We are not meant to be in high-stress situations all of the time despite living in an age where stress seems to be glorified…and where giving in is a sign of being a wimp. I have finally come to the conclusion that if being a ‘wimpy kid’ means taking care of myself and avoiding burnout…then let wimpdom be my home. I, for one, intend to live life fully. How about you?
Try A Little Nudge; How to change habits and manage life using simple positive influence
Can we parents, family members, friends, supervisors, teachers, pastors or human service providers get the people in our sphere of influence to do things that are good for them when they seem to be going in the wrong direction or even on a collision course with disaster?Why Do Good People Make Bad Choices?When presented with seemingly good options they choose a path of least resistance, the easy way out…or even pursue repetitious behaviors that fail every single time. It is frustrating to watch as life batters the people we care about. It feels like no matter what we do to force compliance or how much nagging, pleading and threatening is exerted, minimal change occurs. Far too often we end up exasperated with it all and just cut the person loose in the name self-preservation, detachment or tough love. It’s time to take another look. Perhaps all we need to do is provide a little nudge or to ‘catch them being good’.It's hard to change habits, but often a gentle push rather than a big shove can direct us in the right way. My own discovery of this truth happened at The Children’s Home of Vermilion County in Danville, Illinois where I was a child care worker in the early 1970s. There were eight boys, age 6-12 who were placed in my residential unit. My work with The Child Care Institute and with some innovative professors at The University of Illinois led me to believe that disadvantaged, abused and neglected children could achieve at the same level as their societal counterparts who had not experienced the rough edges of life. My boys were poor students who were disruptive at school and at our home. I decided to employ punishment techniques used throughout the institution for several weeks using consistent consequences for negative behavior. Nothing much changed. The boys generally complied but didn’t thrive. When I altered my methods to match discoveries about positive reinforcement or ‘catching them being good’ the change in our living environment was dramatic. The kids began to work harder to achieve goals. They became curious, grades improved and the atmosphere in the cottage became fun, spontaneous and controlled. You might wonder how and why this shift was so successful. It all started with the work of Dr. B. F. Skinner.How To Shape Behavior in Positive WaysSkinner developed and refined his theory of operant conditioning way back in 1948. He wanted to shape behavior in ways that were pleasant rather than punishing. He found by rewarding small behavioral steps toward a goal that responses changed rather easily and desired targets were reached quickly. His research led to enormous changes in classroom teaching developed by Dr. Wesley C. Becker at The University of Illinois. Becker discovered that instead of pairing misbehavior and attention more effective learning occurred when teachers paired desired behavior and attention. Paying positive attention to incremental successes greatly improved and accelerated learning. Becker went on to write a book called Parents Are Teachers which gave tools developed in classrooms to everyday Moms and Dads. Skinner and Becker became my mentors and the Children’s Home became my lab. The great discovery revealed that ‘catching them being good’ worked more effectively than other techniques.So how can we use this information here and now? Well, it’s become all about The Nudge! Richard Thaler won the 2017 Nobel Prize in economics for his Nudge Theory. He co-authored a book called Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness with Cass R. Sunstein which generated a lot of enthusiasm. It is interesting to me that this approach to behavior change comes from Thaler, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and Sunstein, a legal scholar. Their simple wisdom for us all is this; “If you want to encourage people to do things…make it easy.” The theory teaches that “nudges” will help us manage our kids, our co-workers, our health and our aspirations.A nudge makes it more likely that an individual will make a choice, or behave in a particular way so that automatic cognitive processes are triggered to favor the desired outcome. Just like Skinner and Becker, Thaler proposes that positive reinforcement and arranging the work, school or home environment will achieve non-forced compliance to influence the motives, incentives and decision making of groups and individuals. The results have been astounding.Police Departments And A Nudge In The Right DirectionIt has been suggested that police departments use Nudge Theory to reduce repeated criminal behavior. John H. Laub of the University of Maryland and Jim Bueermann of the Police Foundation presented their sweeping plan for the use of Nudge at the 2013 Jerry Lee Symposium and some departments have embraced Nudge Theory successfully.I have become interested in how we might use The Nudge to help LEO’s get support services after trauma at work. Forcing them to be compliant with departmental policies and procedures to attend individual or group therapy sessions have proven to be only marginally effective. Nudge thinking is a stark departure from our traditional “carrots and sticks” approach. It relies on the idea that small changes to the “choice environment” can encourage large changes in people’s actions. Part of the appeal of nudges for both those seeking change and those who are being asked to change is that instead of mandating behavior, nudges offer people the ability to make their own decisions. There is substantial information and data which lead me to believe that a small tweak in the way we frame our internal systems will result in the desirable behaviors we want and healthier outcomes for everyone.Measures such as on-the-clock 20-30 minute didactic support groups every two to four weeks put on by local mental health providers, counselors, and in-house Chaplains would reduce the stigma associated with mandatory ‘head shrinking’. Completion of course work related to the groups could enable merit increases and/or affect chances for promotion. Using nudges to improve program adherence could promote better outcomes while limiting program costs. There are a plethora of possible benefits to utilizing The Nudge for law enforcement. As Richard Thaler tells us, we just need to make it easier.Using A Simple Nudge Toward SuccessThere is a huge opportunity to influence behavior in positive ways by employing nudge thinking. Remember that the beauty lies in its simplicity. From protecting the environment to encouraging kids to succeed and stay in school, from the efficacy of health services to reducing criminal behavior and from an opioid epidemic to new pathways for freedom from addiction, we have a means for change by applying the insights of operant conditioning and behavioral economics. So, why not get started with a small step at home or at work? See what happens when you catch someone being good. We could be at the beginning of a journey with unbelievable outcomes.After all…It just takes a little nudge.
How Blessed Are The Peacemakers
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love,Where there is injury, pardonWhere there is doubt, faith,Where there is despair, hope.”~ Prayer of St. FrancisI was at the Vietnam Wall in our nation’s capital for a lighted monument tour not long ago. Experiencing the memorial at night is even more somber than during the day.The monument was dimly lit to maintain its dignity and in an effort to project the mission of remembrance. Whenever I visit this place I make it a point to stand and reflect beneath the name of Ron Hoffman, my Danville, Illinois childhood friend who was killed in the conflict at age twenty. My sixty-plus-year-old eyes were not doing so well locating his name and place on the wall and I was struggling. Suddenly I was surrounded by a small group of eighth-grade kids who were from Ohio on a school field trip. They asked what I was doing. The vision of my old bent over body with squinting eyes (using an i-phone flashlight for guidance) must have inspired some concern. These good and selfless youngsters spent quite a bit of time helping me look for Ron’s name. They touched my shoulder, asked for my story and listened intently. A boy found him for me and began to shout; “Here he is. I found Specialist Hoffman!” One of them hugged me. Tears were rolling down my cheeks in gratitude and love. They became peacemakers at a war memorial and restored my faith in their generation. They inspired me to set aside my anger and resentment about the conflict which took (and continues to take) so many from my own generation. They helped me escape my fifty-year ‘kingdom of the night’ in about twenty minutes.“No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of the night." ~ Elie WieselNow come the children of Parkland, Florida who are emerging from their own kingdom of the night. Rather than living in resentment while tending their wounds, these young people have raised their voices in protest. They will not tolerate any more cruelty and violence. They are taking action and challenging the adults who make rules and laws. They have an incredible amount of hope and faith. They seem to fully comprehend that becoming instruments of peace can change everything.What does it mean to be an instrument of peace? The challenge and petition of St. Francis is compelling. It is not a sweet sentiment but rather a course setting directive. It is action oriented. If I am to become an instrument of peace, I must be willing to set aside prejudice, judgment, misgivings and long-held beliefs that my way is the right way. I have to become open to conversation and dialogue in uncomfortable situations. I offer myself as a listener and a co-operator. I will refuse to compromise what is right, good and just for what is popular, accepted or convenient. I will stand my ground with compassionate caring rather than with aggressive threats.Today, like these young people, I will have the courage be a peacemaker.Note: Ron’s name appears near the top of the picture in this post. He is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville.
Hard Times
Broken relationships, active hostility in families, among former friends and associates, open wounds from mistreatment, and plain old misunderstandings leave a heavy burden for our hearts to carry.
by Robert Kenneth Jones
Broken relationships, active hostility in families, among former friends and associates, open wounds from mistreatment, and plain old misunderstandings leave a heavy burden for our hearts to carry.
They crush our spirits.
The tendency to hold on to resentments, plan revenge and lash out aggressively seem to be our human default mode. We cry out; ‘I’ll get them back some day…I’ll show them.’ The trouble is that this eye-for-an-eye way of reacting can only result in more trouble, more viciousness, more wounds and more anguish.
An entire lifetime can be controlled by a single incident which sets up the dominoes of recurrent violence. The weight of it is too much to bear and is an unnecessary encumbrance.
The way to a good relationship with God, self and others is to actively engage in healing and redemptive actions which offer reconciliation and forgiveness.
God wants a humanity that is characterized by fearless love. This Love neutralizes the power of evil and transforms it to good. It calls us to change the way we treat each other for the sake of God and community. It calls us to dedicate ourselves to each other.
Let’s take up that standard of inspiring children by teaching and modeling a non-violent, loving alternative.
Jesus teaches us to offer good for bad. He asks for us to pray for those who persecute us. He directs us to walk the extra mile, turn the other cheek and to love our enemy.
Kindness, mercy and compassion are the tools of recovery from woundedness.
When practiced and used with good intentions, they create restoration of a happy heart, healing of a crushed spirit and harmony in all of our relationships. Something new will spring out of what seemed to be spoiled or ruined situations.
Something new will be kindled in our souls. It all starts with simple action…with a kind heart, a touch, a smile, understanding eye contact or even a good joke. The crosses we carry will then become light.
________________________________
About the Author
In a career spanning over four decades, Robert Kenneth Jones has been an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Links
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
Violence and Restoration
by Robert Kenneth Jones
Broken relationships, active hostility in families, among former friends and associates, open wounds from mistreatment, and plain old misunderstandings leave a heavy burden for our hearts to carry.
They crush our spirits.
The tendency to hold on to resentments, plan revenge and lash out aggressively seem to be our human default mode. We cry out; ‘I’ll get them back some day…I’ll show them.’ The trouble is that this eye-for-an-eye way of reacting can only result in more trouble, more viciousness, more wounds and more anguish.
An entire lifetime can be controlled by a single incident which sets up the dominoes of recurrent violence. The weight of it is too much to bear and is an unnecessary encumbrance.
The way to a good relationship with God, self and others is to actively engage in healing and redemptive actions which offer reconciliation and forgiveness.
God wants a humanity that is characterized by fearless love. This Love neutralizes the power of evil and transforms it to good. It calls us to change the way we treat each other for the sake of God and community. It calls us to dedicate ourselves to each other.
Let’s take up that standard of inspiring children by teaching and modeling a non-violent, loving alternative.
Jesus teaches us to offer good for bad. He asks for us to pray for those who persecute us. He directs us to walk the extra mile, turn the other cheek and to love our enemy.
Kindness, mercy and compassion are the tools of recovery from woundedness.
When practiced and used with good intentions, they create restoration of a happy heart, healing of a crushed spirit and harmony in all of our relationships. Something new will spring out of what seemed to be spoiled or ruined situations.
Something new will be kindled in our souls. It all starts with simple action…with a kind heart, a touch, a smile, understanding eye contact or even a good joke. The crosses we carry will then become light.
________________________________
About the Author
In a career spanning over four decades, Robert Kenneth Jones has been an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.
Links
Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin
Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast
Kids for Sale
They were runaways from across the country that fled abusive homes to arrive at even meaner streets. Many of them had been kicked out of home by their parents for a variety of reasons.
by Robert Kenneth Jones
I made the most startling discovery about the world around me when I was 20 years old. My college career took a turn to the left back in 1970. The turbulent times of my generation were in full swing. After the Kent State Shootings on May 4th many college campuses, including mine at Florida Southern, closed to prevent further violence. I went home to Illinois. It was there that I decided to take some time away from my studies in psychology and work with children in trouble.
My mission was to ‘change the world’. Mom cheerfully called me the family do-gooder. The Executive Director at Vermilion County Children’s Home in Danville offered me a job as a residential child care worker. I readily accepted and began to learn far more than any formal education could ever teach. The startling discovery I mentioned occurred one day when two boys, aged 6 and 12 were admitted to the dormitory of which I was in charge. It was revealed to me during intake that the boys were found to be abused by their mother who sold them to men on a regular basis to do with as they may.
How could this be? Who could do such a thing to innocent kids? Nothing in my upbringing or education prepared me to deal with the life that these boys endured. I vowed to myself that I would do something, somehow to help children like them.
Several years later, I found myself in Fort Lauderdale volunteering at Covenant House. The work they were doing to rescue boys in Times Square had spread to other cities. Children (mostly boys who referred to themselves as hustlers or chickens) were being bought and sold for sex by wealthy men called chicken hawks. I spent many hours talking to boys who lived at the Florida center. They sought safe shelter and counseling while continuing to hustle.
They were runaways from across the country that fled abusive homes to arrive at even meaner streets. Many of them had been kicked out of home by their parents for a variety of reasons. The stories they told me were dreadful. The discovery in Danville that awakened me to this tragic situation was becoming a silent nationwide crisis.
One of the kids I got to know was fourteen year old Tony (not his real name of course). He was a charming, handsome, manipulative boy who was the ring leader of the dozen or so others who were being trafficked by the trick or by the hour. He was from Ohio and had been raped by a step-father from the age of nine.
He ran away to warm weather on a bus bound for Fort Lauderdale. It was only a matter of minutes before he was recognized as a viable product by a man who sold boys and girls to tourists. Ultimately, he escaped to Covenant House. Tony told me that over 100 men had abused him in only a few weeks. He had become addicted to cocaine, alcohol and heroin. He believed that he would survive longer ‘running his own show’ earning $40 - $60 a trick making $200 or more a night. He fully understood that the average street kid survived for less than two years succumbing to addiction, STD’s or suicide. When I left Fort Lauderdale there was no doubt in my mind that he would not live long.
I was the director of a Medication Assisted Outpatient Treatment Facility in Anderson, South Carolina back in 2002. My office was just insider the front door and each patient who came to us for help could easily see me and was welcome to stop in. One day, a young man who had just enrolled in the program walked by on his way out, did a double-take, and stuck his head in my door. “Don’t I know you?” He asked. We chatted for a minute trying to figure out the connection when he asked me if I had ever been to Covenant House in Fort Lauderdale. I replied that I had.
He looked at me hard and said, “You are Father Bob!” That was the name the kids had given me so many years before. He cried; “It’s me. Tony.” He had lived and somehow transcended the streets. Tony went on to tell his story of heading back to Ohio, confronting his demons, seeking methadone treatment, and moving on. He had a wife, two children and a thriving EBAY resale business of baseball cards, memorabilia, furniture…anything but himself. What a miracle! We spent quite a bit of time together during his outpatient stay at our center. Then, one day, he moved on to another town. His triumph continues to give me hope even in this new age of increased horrific child and adult human trafficking.
Trafficking is a word that seems sanitized to me. It signifies that those who suffer are ‘the other’…that they are statistics and numbers which happen somewhere else to someone else. But that is a grotesque form of denial. These trafficked young people are OUR children. They are marketed in the worst ways by vile people. We are averting our eyes to the fact that these are kids for SALE. Covenant House, Loyola University New Orleans and The University of Pennsylvania conducted an exhaustive study of the merchandizing of homeless children. If their findings don’t make it real and don’t break your heart there is something terribly wrong.
Things have changed in an insidious way in the 21st Century. Don’t get me wrong. Kids still gather on the streets as a product to be purchased. There are still pimps who organize their activities. But the change comes in cyber world. Online dating sites have advertisements with code words that lure young people and match them with predators according to Tom Manning who I was privileged to interview at Covenant House International. There is a link to about every town in America on these pages.
One infamous site (I will not provide links) has a disclaimer stating “It is to be accessed only by persons who are 18 years of age or older (and is not considered to be a minor in his/her state of residence) and who live in a community or local jurisdiction where nude pictures and explicit adult materials are not prohibited by law. By accessing this website, you are representing to us that you meet the above qualifications. A false representation may be a criminal offense.” I bet that stops people from participating! More and more kids are going to the dark streets of the world wide web than hotel bars, bus stops and other noticeable places.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that they responded to 10,093 cases of possible child sex trafficking in 2017. Can you believe that? 10,093 children! The NCMEC provides hope and help for children, families and human service providers. We, as Chaplains, police officers and human service providers are in a unique position to do something to stop the madness. We chance upon and encounter trafficking frequently. First, we must be informed.
This journal offers hyperlinks to the best data out there. Second, we are called to serve our children by listening and being present without judgement while connecting them to services and phone numbers like Covenant House nines (800-999-9999) Third, we should include them in personal and community prayers.
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About the Author In a career spanning over four decades, Robert Kenneth Jones has been an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse. His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation. Links Contact Bob Jones on Linkedin Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast