Class Review of Spirituality and Counseling

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“God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him.” (Genesis 1:27)

In “Spirituality and Counseling” class, first, Dr. Ross taught us this story of Hugh, and then he asked us to discuss these two questions together. After we finished the discussion, he wanted each group to write down the answers, so he could check the answers one by one. He told us there is no any perfect answer. But every answer would be a great idea to enlighten Hugh’s life. Dr. Ross just encouraged everyone and let everyone to try their best to help Hugh.

Next, Dr. Ross taught us about the “Creation”. He showed us the famous picture in “Sistine Chapel” when God created the world, the connection between God’s finger and Adam’s. Dr. Ross wanted us to think, in our culture, who or what creates this world. But somehow everyone felt embarrassed. At that moment, no one wanted to answer the question. After a long silence, a guy told Dr. Ross that question was too sensitive to answer. I didn’t know why no one wanted to answer either.

So skipped this part the class kept going on. Then, the most inspiring thing to me at that class is about the Michael Angelo’s sculptor of “David”. Dr. Ross said: before Michael Angelo sculpted this rock, it was abandoned by another sculptor. That means this rock was not a completed stone. It might be broken in the shape somewhere. But Michael Angelo looked inside of the rock, and chiseled the rock, finally, let out the perfect image of “David”.

Meister Echhart said: “When master sculptors make figures out of wood or stone. They do not introduce the figure into the wood or stone. But chisel away the fragments that…concealed the figure. They give nothing to the wood or stone. Rather they take away from it. Letting fall beneath the chisel the outer layers.”

This is a very important lesson for me. I think the most important thing for a helper is just like the sculptor master. We need to look inside our clients’ nature as the master look inside the wood or stone. We cannot introduce the figure by ourselves. We just help the true child appear and let out the true child. If we can look inside to Hugh, and help him to release the true self just like the sculptor master did to the rock. Then maybe Hugh would know how precious, unrepeatable, incomparable he was, and was just like a trillion-dollar diamond in the rough. So he would not been gnawed by the sense of emptiness-a deep void, and dead never knowing who he was.

The second part is about “i” and “ Self”. Bob Briskey said “The closest psychology comes to spirituality is Jungian psychology.” Therefore, Dr. Ross taught us about “I” RECOVERY --Carl Jung. There is a famous sentence” I am not wise.” was said by Jung, when he was 70 years old.

Jung thought everyone has “i” which is just one’s thinking mind. It is located in the middle of our conscious which is just a small part of our psychi. For everyone, there is a “Self” is located in the center of our psychi. This “Self” is between conscious and unconscious which means we are more than our thinking mind.

Jung thought “he was not wise.” because he knew everything is connected to the “Self” which is “Imago Dei” means “Image of God”. We must help the “i” be aware of “Self” is both within our mind. By the way, ‘Self’ is a connection between our psychi and spirituality. “Self” knows more than our awareness. We should respect this part of God’s creation and pay attention on it even sometimes we don’t know every well.

Dr. Ross said: “i” is the boat. “Self” is the river. If we help people to trust the river will take the boat to come home. The home means to find your ‘Self”. We can know the “Self” by listen to the “quiet voice” in the dark night. The more we listen to our inner voice, more we practice to honor our feeling, player and trust and release our thoughts to help them to know “Self” and trust it. The more we would connect to the spirituality. So we will learn each of us is “Diamond in the rough”. Your life is more valuable and meaningful. You are unique in the world.

女性主義及後現代－社會研究的特徵

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女性主義社會研究的特徵

1. 對女性主義價值立場和觀點的擁護
2. 反對在假設、概念和研究問題的性別主義（性別偏見）
3. 重視在研究者和研究對象間同理聯結的建立
4. 敏銳地關注性別關係和權力如何滲透在社會中的各層面
5. 重視把研究者私人感受和經驗融入研究歷程中
6. 在選擇研究技術和銜接不同學術領域上具有彈性
7. 確認人類經驗的情緒和互相依賴的層面
8. 是行動取向的研究，企圖促進個人和社會改變

後現代社會研究的特徵

1. 拒絕所有的意識型態和有組織的信念系統，包括所有的社會理論。
2. 強烈地仰賴直觀、想像、個人經驗和情緒。
3. 無意義感和悲觀主義，相信世界永遠不會改變。
4. 極端的主體性，在其中心智和外在世界無從區分。
5. 狂熱的相對主義，在其中存在著無數的詮釋，但無一特別優越。
6. 擁護歧異、渾沌、與持續變化的複雜性。
7. 拒絕研究過去或別處，因為只有此時此地是切身相關的。
8. 認為因果是不可能研究的，因為生命太過複雜、瞬息萬變。
9. 篤信研究永遠無法真實重現社會世界所發生的事。

女性主義及後現代主義，都是屬於非主流的價值觀，甚至有些人在剛始的時候，會認為它們是叛道離經的。但是，我愈來愈覺得接納不同的聲音，對於我們的世界是很需要的，並且它們具有特別的意義，例如：在家庭暴力的研究中，就非常需要女性主義的觀點，來看待所發生的一切及事件的脈絡，否則，以社會中所謂主流價值，將會令受害的婦女無處可容身。

舉例來說，今天，我坐公車經過廣慈博愛院，圍牆後面的建築物已經拆除，取而代之的只有高高的鷹架，只見工程的標誌寫著「捷運系統工程預定地」，只聽到公車司機跟乘客，閒聊中關心著何時才會完工。我心中一驚，那些老人呢？他們都搬到那裡去了呢？希望他們都已經好好的被安置了。眼看著，社會福利政策設施一直被公共政策所擠壓，弱勢族群們要自求多福了！

車子一轉，到了廣慈博愛院另一面，司機指著一棟較新的建築物說：「你看這間就是那『賺食查某』被抓到了都關在這裡。」映入眼中～我想那是專門為收容雛妓所設的庇護所，～「哇咧！！原來這些才是他們一般人的想法嗎！」可是，跟我們在社會工作上，千辛萬苦為了拯救雛妓所努力的想法，差別這麼的大！就短短的幾秒，我的經驗告訴我，在一般社會人士的價值中．性別偏見，意識型態、組織信念，很多的忽略漠視，可見這些都是很常見的。

另一面來說，這些因為信念及價值觀的東東，其來有自，亟需用「後現代主義」的價值觀給予解構，才能再造新的平衡及信念，這也是另一種對主流的挑戰，我個人認為是在一個僵化的社會所必需的，只有解構再建構，才能讓社會更進步。否則若是訴諸武力，必然會造成傷害。平和的創造新的可能性，改寫生命的故事，是後現代主義很大的功勞。

不論如何，女性主義及後現代主義的非主流價值觀，雖然它們也有它們的盲點，以及很多需要改進的地方，但配合時代的需要，是很實用及有效率的主義及價值觀。

The Tragedy of Tragedy－The Story of Hugh

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A Parable of "Spirituality and Counseling"
－－Robert A. Ross

Once upon a time a Royal person was born. His name was Hugh. Although I’ll refer to Hugh as “he”, no one actually knew what his sex really was and it didn’t really matter. Hugh was unlike anyone who had ever lived before or who would ever live again. Hugh was precious, unrepeatable, incomparable, a trillion-dollar diamond in the rough.

For the first 15 months of life, Hugh only knew himself from the reflections he saw in the eyes of his caretakers. Hugh was terribly unfortunate. His caretakers, although not blind, had glasses over their eyes. Each set of glasses already had a image on it. So each caretaker only saw Hugh according to the image on his glasses. Thus, even though Hugh’s caretakers were physically present, not one of them ever actually saw him. By the time Hugh was grown, he was mosaic of other people’s images of him, none of which was who he really was.

No one had ever seen him, so no one had ever mirrored back to him what he really looked like. Consequently, Hugh thought he was the mosaic of images. He really did not know who he was.

Sometimes in the dark of the night when he was all alone, Hugh knew that something of profound importance was missing. He experienced this as a gnawing sense of emptiness- a deep void.

Hugh tried to fill the emptiness and void with many things: power, worldly fame, money, possessions, chemical highs, food, sex, excitement, entertainment, relationships, children, work-even exercise. But no matter what he did, he never felt the gnawing emptiness go away. In the quiet of the night when all the distractions were gone, he heard a still quiet voice that said:” Don’t forget, please don’t forget me!” But alas! Hugh did forget and went to his death never knowing who he was.

** “For grammatical consistency and clarity, the pronouns “he”, “his” and “him” have been used throughout instead of “she or he”, “his or her” and “ her and him”. No sexual bias or insensitivity is meant.

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We read this story in Dr. Ross’s class. After we read it, Dr. Ross asked us two questions.

1. What was Hugh’s problem?
2. What could save him?

You are more than welcome to join the discussion. If you have any idea please don’t hesitate to share with me.

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悲劇的悲劇 - 休的故事

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“靈性與輔導的比喻” -羅伯特羅斯

從前，有一貴族誕生了。他的名字叫休。雖然我將把休視為“他”，但沒有人真正知道他的性別，不過這也沒有關係。休不像任何曾經活過的人，或永遠活著的人。休是珍貴的，不可重複的，無與倫比的，有如一萬億美元的鑽石的原石。

前15個月的生活，休只在他的照顧者眼裡的反射看到了自己。休是可怕的不幸。他的照顧者，雖然不是盲目，但都有自己眼鏡。每套眼鏡已經有一個形象。因此，每個照顧者只根據他眼鏡看到的圖像對待休。因此，儘管休的照顧者都親臨現場，但他們沒有一個真正見過他。

到休長成的時候，他鑲嵌其他人的形象，沒有一個確實是他。沒有人見過他，所以從來沒有人向他反映他真正的樣子。因此，休以為他是鑲嵌圖像。他真的不知道他是誰。

有時在黑暗的夜晚，當他是獨自一人，休知道有些深刻重要的東西不見了。他一個人經歷過這種空虛感覺的痛苦，深刻而無助。

休試圖用許多無效的東西填補空虛：權力，世俗的名利，金錢，財產，化工高位，食品，性別，興奮，娛樂，人際關係，兒童，工作，甚至工作。但無論他做了什麼，他從來沒有覺得內心空虛的啃嚙消失。在安靜的夜晚，當所有的雜念都消失了，他聽到一個聲音仍然平靜說：“不要忘了，請不要忘記我！”休沒有忘記，但很不幸直到他死亡，他還是不知道他是誰。

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我們在羅斯博士的課讀到這個故事。當我們讀時，羅斯博士問我們兩個問題：

1。休的問題是什麼？

2。怎麼樣才能救他？

很歡迎你加入討論。如果你有什麼想法，請不要猶豫與我分享。

北極熊－－冷笑話

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春天到了，有一隻北極熊到小河邊散步，牠到了河邊很無聊就開始拔自己的毛，

拔著拔著，一不小心就拔光了所有的毛，這時，牠就說了一句話：


好～～　冷～～　喔～～！

PS.哈哈，一定要笑一下，因為這是一個我們二年級的小朋友，

有一天看到我很無聊，特別說給我聽的．鼓勵鼓勵啦！

（也要感謝Lukas提供美美的照片！）

暴力失樂園 (Violence--by James Gilligan)

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暴力失樂園　(Violence--by James Gilligan)

　逝去的靈魂　極度羞恥而心死　

愛有兩種來源，一是來自他人的愛，一是自愛。無法從他人身上得到足夠愛的孩子也無法愛自己，或建立自愛的能力。自愛的能力，讓他們有能力忍受連最幸運的人都無法避免的拒絕和羞辱。這種沒有愛的內在感覺，對一切事務都覺得麻木、空虛和了無生趣。


　解釋暴力

我們活在一個過度信任理論的時代。

Carol Smart：
後現代主義者對現代主義思想的挑戰，並不需要加以否定貧窮、不平等、壓制、種族主義、性暴力等現象。相反地，這種挑戰否定的是，知識份子能夠藉著更科學的方法和更精準的理論來找出事物的答案。最令後現代主義者反感的是，現代主義認為人們可以建立一套因果關係的解釋方法，以此為解釋問題事件提供客觀的方法。


結語　文明及其反抗者

──馬修的事件──

因為父母離婚事件，牧師父親的離開讓母親蒙羞，後來青少年時期的兒子親手用槍射殺父親。經過法院審判，兒子由精神科醫生證明他是無行為能力的（孩子似乎在不知不覺中想完成，傳統社會中──也就是父權社會中──父母賦予家庭年輕未婚男性，捍衛家庭榮譽的責任），他被改送至精神醫院治療。但是，隨著治療的過程，兒子愈來愈發現自己對父親又愛、悔恨、悲傷、罪惡，以及後悔的感覺。他愈來愈感到無法在人群中生活，他也把治療他的精神科醫師當做父親一般的尊敬。最後，他在醫師辭職一個月之後，在醫院地下室的工作場上吊自殺了。

──感想──

在這麼悲慘的事件中，我感受到做為一個基督徒有些的迷思，當你愈去強調「完整的家庭」，「完全的道德」的重要性時（並且因為感到重要，不斷強迫自己或他人必須身體力行──這也是一種暴力），是否意味著你離開真實就愈遠。我認為在神的面前，有沒有完整的家庭，有沒有完全的道德，其實並沒有「罪」。因為我們都不完美，關於這點神也知道，也赦免。但是在自己裡面的不真實，或是不肯去面對真實的自己，硬是要成為那個完整或完全的，對神來說，是否更接近「罪」呢？我真的很猶疑。