The Company We Keep - Gaining Support and Inspiration to Support Us on Our Journey

A popular saying is "you are the company you keep." Like most "sayings," we should be careful. The people and objects in our surroundings may influence us, but we are not them. If we are authentic, if we are independent, then we are who we are regardless of the company we keep; we know and define ourselves through our internal not external references. As independent people we do get to choose the company we keep, and the issues in this choice should be considered. If we are climbing a mountain and choosing a path, how do we decide who should accompany us?

First of all, our perceived distinctions among people are more fabricated than real. Through our training in perceiving duality, we are trained to look for distinctions, for differences; we know ourselves and components of the world through people and objects that are dissimilar or opposite. We are not trained to look for commonality, for similarities.

We can confirm this for ourselves by noting our internal and external dialogue, particularly about people; we would observe we are often making distinctions about other people.

I am trying to eliminate this tendency in myself. It is not an easy thing to do. I find myself noting people's weight, dress, hairstyle, hair color, and manner of walking and talking. And this is before I even start evaluating what they have to say!

What I don't often see, and most of us often don't see, is that these same people are just like you and me: they have two eyes, arms and legs, one heart, dreams, aspirations, pain, sadness, desire to love and be loved, innate intelligence, abilities and talents - in various stages of expression - and imagination. If we stop, look, and suspend our habit of making distinctions we will find more qualities that we have in common, that bond and connect us, than are dissimilar, that separate and disconnect us.

When we suspend our habit of making distinctions, we discover there are many more people we could include on our journey than we would normally allow ourselves. Besides being a habit, another reason we may make distinctions is to satisfy our ego and the need to feel comfortable. We may make distinctions so we can surround ourselves with people who we feel are similar to us on the outside, in external references rather than internal ones. They validate our definitions of who we think we are, what we feel is right and wrong. There are many ways to climb mountains with many different types of people; we should be open to exploring all of our options. When we seek the common connection of our humanity, many more doors and options are available to us; we empower ourselves to find the people who can help us on our journey.

Anyone who has participated in a support group, or group therapy has probably had the experience of connecting to a sense or perception of our common humanity. In support groups and group therapy, people from different "walks of life" come together to learn and gain insights, share and express their feelings, heal certain wounds, and benefit from the support of others. Their experiences and backgrounds may be very different. But these diverse people share a desire and willingness to overcome obstacles and challenges that are causing them pain and difficulty in their lives. Sharing a common desire and willingness to act on that desire, they are brought together in a group setting and encouraged to be authentic and loving. They are encouraged to acknowledge and express their feelings, to be honest and human, and to be allowing and nurturing towards themselves and other members in the group. Through being authentic and loving, these diverse members of the group are connected in their humanity.

If the top of a mountain represents a desire, a priority we may have, then a primary part of the path to the top is our seeking to be authentic and loving. When we associate ourselves with others who have the same desire or similar priority and are also seeking to be authentic and truly loving, then we have the shared capacity for inspiration through the developed interconnection and awareness of our humanity and the synergy created by our sharing a common priority. We are individually and collectively enabled by the shared capacity to be loving, to allow and nurture, and through a sense of shared connection of feelings, challenges, fears, hopes, and dreams. When we become human, open, and honest, and others we associate with are this way too, we begin to trust ourselves and others, realizing we are not in this alone and together we can enable each other to achieve great things.

So, when choosing people to accompany us on our journey it is not so important that they come from the same backgrounds, share the same beliefs about the nature of reality, dress, look, and speak the same, are rich or poor, or have the same type of education. In fact, diversity often provides an opportunity for alternative perspectives that can challenge and educate us, expanding our awareness and understanding. We are empowered individually and collectively, however, when we share a common desire and a willingness to achieve that desire in an authentic and loving way.

If we are trying to move away from judgment and blame while also incorporating honesty in our lives, and others we are associating with are into put downs, playing the victim, and/or lying, we may feel that we are paddling upstream rather than down; our efforts will be met with a steady counter-force rather than an enabling flow. If we are trying to scale a mountain, the forces of nature and our conditioning - such as gravity and inertia and our own fears - on their own can make the journey difficult enough; there is no need for us to make it more difficult. As self-responsible people we can make choices that make our life flow more easily. If we are choosing to align ourselves with the laws of nature, principles and ways of acting in the world that are empowering, then certainly it would help us if we surround ourselves with people who are doing the same. When we align ourselves with others going "downstream" - aligning ourselves with the laws of nature - our collective journey encounters much less friction and conflict. When we align ourselves with others who are going upstream, we weigh each other down, making the journey more arduous and collectively adding to our difficulties and creating greater hardship.

Through our example and sharing of ourselves, we can help our children to look for our common humanity rather than our superficial dissimilarities. We can help them to achieve this perspective despite the influence outside of our homes that may discourage it. Through our decisions of who we decide to associate with, our children will come to model our behavior as long as we don't try to impose our beliefs and will on them.

As we can not insulate ourselves from difficult people - those who are traveling upstream - we also can not insulate our children. As we and our children make our way in the world, we will meet and associate with difficult people. We empower our children and ourselves when we both understand we also learn from difficult people. They are often there to challenge our abilities and our capacity to act in an authentic and loving way. When we are challenged in this way, it is an opportunity to learn, grow, and further develop ourselves. We may not be able to avoid difficult people, and we may not want to. The difficult people we attract into our lives will soon no longer bother and upset us, as we alter our response and learn the lesson inherent in altering that response.

In the corporate world, as in other parts of the world, there are plenty of difficult people. One reason I knew it was probably time for me to leave was that the difficult people there no longer seemed to bother me. The irony was, I had struggled with difficult people in the corporate environment for so many years, I thought that perhaps I should stay just so I could enjoy the rewards of my own efforts. On another level, I realized I was free to go because I had learned the lessons, and no longer reacted emotionally to difficult people in that arena of my life.

People who I found particularly difficult in the corporate world were those who were arrogant, condescending, rude, and disrespectful. In response I would become angry, defensive, aloof, and vengeful. However, over time I came to see their behavior as their issue, not mine. I stopped personalizing their behavior and realized that they would be acting the same to almost anyone else, which they often validated through further demonstration. I realized they had significant insecurities and emotional imbalances that caused them to behave in such ways. I began to see their behavior as childlike and immature, acting out their own childhood problems as adults.

I began to respond to them in a detached, unemotional way. In fact, I began to see their behavior as silly and would sometimes smile. Sometimes the smile would disarm these difficult people, sometimes they would be oblivious and continue their ranting and raving, and sometimes they would be confused because this was not their expected or desired response. However, as I continued to respond in a respectful and peaceful way, confrontations were avoided and discussions were better directed towards solutions rather than the promotion of ongoing conflicts.

We can share this perspective regarding difficult people with our children. Viewing difficult people as an opportunity for growth is much more empowering than seeing them as the universe's way of making our lives impossible. When we see it as an opportunity, we are inspired and willing to look for solutions and continue to move on in our lives. Certainly this perspective would be a great gift for our children, and save them a lot of aggravation and unhappiness in their lives. We help them gain this perspective by sharing ours with them and by presenting positive examples of how to act in the world when we respond to difficult people in this more empowering way.

A popular saying is "you are the company you keep." Like most "sayings," we should be careful. The people and objects in our surroundings may influence us, but we are not them. If we are authentic, if we are independent, then we are who we are regardless of the company we keep; we know and define ourselves through our internal not external references. As independent people we do get to choose the company we keep, and the issues in this choice should be considered. If we are climbing a mountain and choosing a path, how do we decide who should accompany us?
First of all, our perceived distinctions among people are more fabricated than real. Through our training in perceiving duality, we are trained to look for distinctions, for differences; we know ourselves and components of the world through people and objects that are dissimilar or opposite. We are not trained to look for commonality, for similarities.
We can confirm this for ourselves by noting our internal and external dialogue, particularly about people; we would observe we are often making distinctions about other people.
I am trying to eliminate this tendency in myself. It is not an easy thing to do. I find myself noting people's weight, dress, hairstyle, hair color, and manner of walking and talking. And this is before I even start evaluating what they have to say!
What I don't often see, and most of us often don't see, is that these same people are just like you and me: they have two eyes, arms and legs, one heart, dreams, aspirations, pain, sadness, desire to love and be loved, innate intelligence, abilities and talents - in various stages of expression - and imagination. If we stop, look, and suspend our habit of making distinctions we will find more qualities that we have in common, that bond and connect us, than are dissimilar, that separate and disconnect us.
When we suspend our habit of making distinctions, we discover there are many more people we could include on our journey than we would normally allow ourselves. Besides being a habit, another reason we may make distinctions is to satisfy our ego and the need to feel comfortable. We may make distinctions so we can surround ourselves with people who we feel are similar to us on the outside, in external references rather than internal ones. They validate our definitions of who we think we are, what we feel is right and wrong. There are many ways to climb mountains with many different types of people; we should be open to exploring all of our options. When we seek the common connection of our humanity, many more doors and options are available to us; we empower ourselves to find the people who can help us on our journey.
Anyone who has participated in a support group, or group therapy has probably had the experience of connecting to a sense or perception of our common humanity. In support groups and group therapy, people from different "walks of life" come together to learn and gain insights, share and express their feelings, heal certain wounds, and benefit from the support of others. Their experiences and backgrounds may be very different. But these diverse people share a desire and willingness to overcome obstacles and challenges that are causing them pain and difficulty in their lives. Sharing a common desire and willingness to act on that desire, they are brought together in a group setting and encouraged to be authentic and loving. They are encouraged to acknowledge and express their feelings, to be honest and human, and to be allowing and nurturing towards themselves and other members in the group. Through being authentic and loving, these diverse members of the group are connected in their humanity.
If the top of a mountain represents a desire, a priority we may have, then a primary part of the path to the top is our seeking to be authentic and loving. When we associate ourselves with others who have the same desire or similar priority and are also seeking to be authentic and truly loving, then we have the shared capacity for inspiration through the developed interconnection and awareness of our humanity and the synergy created by our sharing a common priority. We are individually and collectively enabled by the shared capacity to be loving, to allow and nurture, and through a sense of shared connection of feelings, challenges, fears, hopes, and dreams. When we become human, open, and honest, and others we associate with are this way too, we begin to trust ourselves and others, realizing we are not in this alone and together we can enable each other to achieve great things.
So, when choosing people to accompany us on our journey it is not so important that they come from the same backgrounds, share the same beliefs about the nature of reality, dress, look, and speak the same, are rich or poor, or have the same type of education. In fact, diversity often provides an opportunity for alternative perspectives that can challenge and educate us, expanding our awareness and understanding. We are empowered individually and collectively, however, when we share a common desire and a willingness to achieve that desire in an authentic and loving way.
If we are trying to move away from judgment and blame while also incorporating honesty in our lives, and others we are associating with are into put downs, playing the victim, and/or lying, we may feel that we are paddling upstream rather than down; our efforts will be met with a steady counter-force rather than an enabling flow. If we are trying to scale a mountain, the forces of nature and our conditioning - such as gravity and inertia and our own fears - on their own can make the journey difficult enough; there is no need for us to make it more difficult. As self-responsible people we can make choices that make our life flow more easily. If we are choosing to align ourselves with the laws of nature, principles and ways of acting in the world that are empowering, then certainly it would help us if we surround ourselves with people who are doing the same. When we align ourselves with others going "downstream" - aligning ourselves with the laws of nature - our collective journey encounters much less friction and conflict. When we align ourselves with others who are going upstream, we weigh each other down, making the journey more arduous and collectively adding to our difficulties and creating greater hardship.
Through our example and sharing of ourselves, we can help our children to look for our common humanity rather than our superficial dissimilarities. We can help them to achieve this perspective despite the influence outside of our homes that may discourage it. Through our decisions of who we decide to associate with, our children will come to model our behavior as long as we don't try to impose our beliefs and will on them.
As we can not insulate ourselves from difficult people - those who are traveling upstream - we also can not insulate our children. As we and our children make our way in the world, we will meet and associate with difficult people. We empower our children and ourselves when we both understand we also learn from difficult people. They are often there to challenge our abilities and our capacity to act in an authentic and loving way. When we are challenged in this way, it is an opportunity to learn, grow, and further develop ourselves. We may not be able to avoid difficult people, and we may not want to. The difficult people we attract into our lives will soon no longer bother and upset us, as we alter our response and learn the lesson inherent in altering that response.
In the corporate world, as in other parts of the world, there are plenty of difficult people. One reason I knew it was probably time for me to leave was that the difficult people there no longer seemed to bother me. The irony was, I had struggled with difficult people in the corporate environment for so many years, I thought that perhaps I should stay just so I could enjoy the rewards of my own efforts. On another level, I realized I was free to go because I had learned the lessons, and no longer reacted emotionally to difficult people in that arena of my life.
People who I found particularly difficult in the corporate world were those who were arrogant, condescending, rude, and disrespectful. In response I would become angry, defensive, aloof, and vengeful. However, over time I came to see their behavior as their issue, not mine. I stopped personalizing their behavior and realized that they would be acting the same to almost anyone else, which they often validated through further demonstration. I realized they had significant insecurities and emotional imbalances that caused them to behave in such ways. I began to see their behavior as childlike and immature, acting out their own childhood problems as adults.
I began to respond to them in a detached, unemotional way. In fact, I began to see their behavior as silly and would sometimes smile. Sometimes the smile would disarm these difficult people, sometimes they would be oblivious and continue their ranting and raving, and sometimes they would be confused because this was not their expected or desired response. However, as I continued to respond in a respectful and peaceful way, confrontations were avoided and discussions were better directed towards solutions rather than the promotion of ongoing conflicts.
We can share this perspective regarding difficult people with our children. Viewing difficult people as an opportunity for growth is much more empowering than seeing them as the universe's way of making our lives impossible. When we see it as an opportunity, we are inspired and willing to look for solutions and continue to move on in our lives. Certainly this perspective would be a great gift for our children, and save them a lot of aggravation and unhappiness in their lives. We help them gain this perspective by sharing ours with them and by presenting positive examples of how to act in the world when we respond to difficult people in this more empowering way.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5387835

A Model for Advancing Policy in Cultural Competency and Health Disparity

As The US emerges from a long recession, managing the growing cost of healthcare remains an ongoing concern. The Affordable Health Act will eventually assure the availability of healthcare insurance coverage to over 30 million more Americans. This landmark legislation will improve access to a previously uninsured or underinsured group of Americans.

Health and Healthcare disparities is broadly defined as worse baseline states of health and relatively worse clinical outcomes associated with certain diseases in certain population groups. The affected groups may be distinguished by race, ethnicity, culture, gender, religion and age. The costs to treat the diseases which result from Health and Healthcare disparities represent one of the recognized areas of unnecessary and arguably avoidable healthcare delivery costs. Specifically, in certain instances both prevention and more cost efficient management of chronic disease states can significantly reduce healthcare costs. A chronic disease is defined as a long lasting or recurrent medical condition.

Some common examples include diabetes, hypertension, asthma and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, our current healthcare system may be better equipped to manage intermittent and episodic disease occurrences and not the demands of chronic medical conditions In a study published by Weidman et al from The Urban Institute,the authors estimated that in 2009, disparities among African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites will cost the health care system $23.9 billion dollars. Medicare alone will spend an extra $15.6 billion while private insurers will incur $5.1 billion in additional costs due to elevated rates of chronic illness among these groups of Americans. Over the 10-year period from 2009 through 2018, the authors estimated that the total cost of these disparities to be approximately $337 billion, including $220 billion for Medicare.

In the same study, the authors estimated the total healthcare costs secondary to racial and ethnic health disparities in chronic disease treatment (diabetes, hypertension, stroke, renal disease, poor general health) in African Americans and Latino Americans residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be $700 million. The Urban Institute. A study entitled The Economic Burden of Health inequalities in the United States by LaVeist et almeasured the economic burden of health disparities in the US using three measures: (1) direct medical costs of health inequalities (2) Indirect costs of health inequalities (3) Costs of premature death Their findings revealed:

    The combined costs of health inequalities and premature death in the US among African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans were $1.24 trillion
    Eliminating health disparities for minorities would have reduced direct medical expenditures by $229.4 billion for the years 2003-2006
    Between 2003 and 2006, 30.6% of direct medical expenditures for African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics were excess costs due to health inequalities.

Cultural competence (CC) refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. CC comprises four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (d) cross-cultural skills. Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. CC has been increasingly recognized as an important, overlooked and underappreciated factor in delivering healthcare to an increasingly diverse America. US census estimations project that by 2050, over 50% of Americans will be non-white. Over 50% of children will be nonwhite by 2025. It seems intuitive to that the interface between patient, healthcare system and healthcare provider is a critical point in the delivery of healthcare. To this end, The Office of Minority Health in the Department of Health and Human Services has issued mandates and recommendations to inform, guide and facilitate the creation of cultural and language appropriate services. (CLAS Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services). Implementation of these guidelines within systems and agencies and among individuals can enhance CC and ultimately improve clinical outcomes.. The Center for Health Improvement and Economic Development was one of several parties which advocated for statewide guidelines regarding the cultural competency CME (continuing medical education) requirements for initial licensure and relicensing of physicians in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To accomplish this goal, we set forth to educate and inform the various stakeholders regarding the intrinsic value of CC as a critical determinant of improving healthcare outcomes and a direct result of a utilitarian argument of social justice in the United States. The Center also recognized the importance of making a compelling business case in the current economic climate Partnering with the Gateway Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Legislative Black Caucus (PSLBC) under the leadership of State Representative Ronald G. Waters and the Center for Health Improvement and Economic Development-a townhall format meeting was organized and planned in Pittsburgh. Local legislators including State Representatives Jake Wheatley, Tom Preston and Daniel Frankel were in attendance.

The townhall program: Working To Eliminate Healthcare Disparities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was held in Pittsburgh. Attendees and participants included state policy makers, legislators, healthcare providers, healthcare administrators, social activists, business leaders and members of the general public. Robust debate occurred throughout the day and the exchange between audience members, legislators, policy makers and thought leaders underscored the recognized importance of the critical issue of Health Disparity and Cultural Competency. It is important to recognize the backdrop of the day's events. The meeting took place two days after the initial steps of The Affordable Care Act were initiated with critical new consumer protections in the Patient's Bill of Rights, including no pre-existing diseases for children, outlawing rescission and creating a path to allow adult children to remain on their parent's insurance until age 26. The enthusiasm of the day culminated with a pledge from State Representative Ronald G Waters to support a resolution on CC to be submitted to the National Black Caucus of State Legislators- ultimately a path to introducing the legislation to all states and ultimately to the Congressional Black Caucus. The meeting emphasized the necessity and the benefit of identifying stakeholders, recognizing mutual agendas and seeking consensus in the path to generating support for public policy. Addressing CC in the healthcare environment through requirements for healthcare provider continuing education is one small step. Certainly, this requirement should be considered for other healthcare professionals, administrators and ancillary staff members. Greater awareness of the emerging diversity of America and understanding how to manage that diversity will significantly enhance the delivery of healthcare. The Pennsylvania State Legislative Black Caucus, The Center for Health Improvement and Economic Development and The Gateway Medical Society call upon other groups to join in our collaborative model to reduce Health Disparity and enhance healthcare delivery in The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond.

The Legislative Black Caucus of Pennsylvania The PLBC was organized by House Majority Leader K. Leroy Irvis during the 1973-74 legislative session. K. Leroy Irvis saw the need for the caucus because he felt that legislators representing minority districts needed to speak with a united voice regarding the issues and concerns of their constituents. State Representative Ronald G. Waters was first elected to the House of Representatives in a special election in May 1999. He is chairman of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Health and serves on the Children and Youth, Health and Human Services, Judiciary, Liquor Control and Professional Licensure committees. He is also a member of the Philadelphia and the Southeast Pennsylvania delegations. Waters is also the chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, and chairman of Region 2 (which includes Pennsylvania and New York) of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. About the Authors: Lee Kirksey MD is co-founder of The Center for Health Improvement and Economic Development, a public policy think tank. The organization is focused on the impact of social determinants on community health utilizing public private partnerships. His current research efforts include cultural competency and it impact on health disparities within surgery. He is author of The Wellness Revolution: Eliminating Disparities and Promoting Prevention...For All. Dr Kirksey is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Michele Jones, MSW, MHA serves as Manager of Partnership Development and Community Relations at Fox Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Having over 15 years management experience in health disparities, health education, public relations and development, Ms. Jones oversees prevention practices and partnership development. Through the years, she has worked in similar capacities at companies covering San Diego, New York as well as Pennsylvania. Through her work, she has become known as an innovator in the areas of health access, prevention and education, acquiring City Citations and Awards for both Community Outreach and Health Education. Jones is the founder of Jones Health Care Management Solutions and is currently a second-year Bioethics Student attending the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine.

The Gateway Medical Society The Gateway Medical Society is a component of the National Medical Association. The National Medical Association objectives are to promote the science and art of medicine and the betterment of public health. Organized in 1895, the NMA Limits memberships to physicians licensed to practice medicine in any state or territory of the United States and the District of Columbia. Election of Membership may be obtained through Constituent Associations, through affiliation with societies consisting organized women physicians, Haitian physicians, and other minority physicians. The Gateway Medical Society is therefore a component society of its constituent association the Keystone State Medical Society of Pennsylvania.