affirmations = hypocrisy? How to alter that perception?
 

this is really difficult to express....
I've worked with affirmations for almost 30 years, not steadily, but I have found it did help with my deep insecurities and negative attitudes.

I had a very deep conversation with my 19 year old son recently and discovered just how grim his outlook on life is, in general.

He takes the weight of the world and it's fate on his shoulders. He sees the big picture and finds nothing to smile at. Humans are killing the planet. We have messed up Earth and it's too late to reverse it.
Humans are sick, heartless, stupid and cruel.
He isn't in a deep depression or suicidal, he just doesn't like humanity.
I have given him <the four agreements> to read and he did, shrugged it off, basically.

I've tried to explain that he can't do that to himself, he isn't responsible for the entirety of the race, only himself and his own energy.
That he could do some affirmations and a gratitude journal.
He says he feels like it's hypocritical. Lying to himself.
Needless to say, this made me very sad and distraught.

How can I change his perception of these wonderful tools?

My affirmation - I will always love, no matter the circumstances, no matter the way... namaste

Yes, it's difficult in today's nihilistic world. Governments have given young people
very little to look forward to for the future. No more so than in the UK and some parts
of the EU (with 60% youth unemployment in Sicily).

His interest may perk up when there's something he wants (or wants to do)
but can't easily get without effort and money.

You could try pointing to the many successful people in the world who "affirm"
naturally - they focus on their aims then pursue with grit and determination - things that change
their behaviour and approach in subtle ways. But ok, not everyone starts out
with those abilities so they deliberately set up affirmations that they practice every day to
drill into themselves what they're aiming to get. It prompts them to keep
that focus.

But it does take determination. If that's missing there's little hope affirmations
will work - because results won't happen overnight. They may take months.

It also may dawn that he has a long life ahead of him and wants to make something of it -
difficult in his situation but how does he see himself in, say, 20 years' time?

Well, you've done these. Like me, you've had a fair degree of success.
Practicalities come into it. If he wants £1 million, it's best to do it in several stages
and desire a particular thing more within reach - or a better lifestyle. But you know all this.

So it may need abiding your time until that unmet need arises.

About killing the planet? Assure him that humans are just another part of the ecology
- the planet will kill them off first. The planet will be here until the sun goes bang.

Good luck.

♥

It hurts my heart that so many of today's youth seem to be missing out on Hope...Gratitude... JOY.
Now I will admit to get to this "realization" (for lack of a better word) took me decades. This EarthWalk can and will provide us with whatever "nudges" necessary to sort of urge us Forward in whatever way our Soul needs. My personal nudges were pretty horrific (guess I'm a bit more stubborn than I realized :icon_eek: ) I am Grateful I Finally woke up and took notice!!

One thing that your post brought to mind tho. Perhaps you might help your son to realize that these beliefs of his are in fact a form of Affirmations in and of themselves~ as all thoughts and words truly have an Energy of their own...they are Powerful.

There is an exercise I was taught many years ago to help with depression. You plaster a smile on...even one that feels False with no Joy in it. Just placing the muscles into a smile, and hold it for 10 or 15 minutes. It will lighten up the "mood" and feel more genuine even tho the smile began as false or a "lie". Many years later I have come to realize that this simple rearranging the muscles of my face raised my vibration a bit .

Not sure if any of this helps.
Blessings to YOU and Your son!! So wonderful that you are working with him. Sadly much of today's youth are not taught much more than physical life's lessons. And as many of us know the Spiritual lessons we All need to Learn might be gentler with Help/Guides.

My honest advice is to not try to do this. He is relatively quite young, and just like anyone else, he is on a journey and is processing a great many things. It is best to not interfere.

His current approach is actually very likely to yield wonderful results in due time. If he is open to them, which it sounds like he is, he will gather many more experiences throughout his life, which will continue to gently refine his perceptions. He will grow as a person, but it is a process that cannot be forced or rushed, and every stage (even the grim ones) are very valuable in their own ways.

For example, though Step 4 is grim, still it is very valuable, for without it there would be no Step 5, and without Step 5, there would be no Step 6, and Step 6 is most beautiful.

His firm dedication to the truth, as best he can define it for himself, is admirable and wise. When he reaches "Step 6" not only will it be beautiful, but he will have faith in its truth, as the truth applies to himself.

It sounds like at this time he is very open and is waiting to be approached by the universe itself, to be shown things, given experiences and so on. And that will surely happen, gradually over time. It sounds like he does not want to force anything, to force any change or any perceptions. He is open and waiting. That is the current phase of his journey, and it is as valuable as any other phase.

It also sounds like you are in a quite different phase, so naturally affirmations are perceived pretty differently for you, and that is quite well and good. You are already doing the most loving and wonderful thing you can offer to him, which is to be eager and willing to hear his thoughts and feelings, letting him know that he can always come to you to talk and to be loved.

You are both doing really well. :smile:

Let him find the emo or goth crowd and he will eventually find things to laugh at

I found this confusing about 10 years ago,also.

Then a couple of those TV positive, faith healing pastors talked about it...and I 'got it'.

One said, 'Say it and claim it' and quoted something in the New testament about,
'calling things that are not'...or 'Calling into being those things that are not seen.'

Another guy talked about how he hurt his back and he just kept saying
his back was fine...tho, to anyone else it would seem like a lie or hypocrisy. Well, his back healed.

When we look at what is, we get more of what is.
('Oh, how can I pay these bills? Oh no.'
Instead of, "Ok, Lord... take care of these, I know You will."
And smile and be confident, with no more fretting.)

Faith comes with practice...baby steps...ask for something believable...
finding a pin on the ground when you really need one is a simple thing.

Maybe that would help...go for something the mind thinks is small and believable...within reach, like Lorelyen said.

Hello,

I find that you can never change another person's perception on anything. What you can do is respect their point of view and politely state that you disagree with their conclusions.

My understanding is that young people today, like you son, can easily identify the shortcomings in our society. It hurts their heart to realize that as a culture we are as barbaric as we are.

I suspect they are this way because they have more compassion and understanding for others than we have been conditioned to have.

I hope that my thinking on this will be helpful.

John

Just saw this from Abraham-Hicks:

Every time you want something and achieve vibrational harmony with it and
allow it to come to you, you not only gain the satisfaction of having accomplished
your desire — you also gain a whole new perspective from which to desire.

Miss Hepburn,

This makes absolutely perfect sense....

THAT'S how to alter perception!