Card of the Month:
Bronze God (May 2013) Key Idea, Responsibility "Apply yourself to the task at hand. That's what you always told me," Chantal reminded him. "You need to do for others to get your self-esteem back," Lashan suggested,” (Tori Hartman) When things aren’t working the way you want, what do you do? When you have an obligation to someone that you resent, how do you handle the situation? There are of course no easy answers to these difficult questions, and it can be pretty tough to balance the needs of people around you with what you yourself really want. The fable of bronze god highlights a character, Darnel, who, when faced with increased family obligations, put his own needs on the back burner. He forgot his inner child’s need to play, and he lost touch with his authentic self. Darnel may have gone too far in putting the needs of others first, but his story serves as a reminder that responsibilities and obligations really do matter and shouldn’t be dismissed simply because they might seem a momentary inconveniences. As the fable continues, Darnel himself loses his job, and his sisters throw back at him the suggestions for discipline he had earlier demanded of them. “Apply yourself to the task at hand.” "You need to do for others to get your self-esteem back.” Taken to the extreme, these responses certainly demonstrate a hard edge. To just go on as if nothing unusual had happened isn’t exactly an indicator of psychological health. But at the same time, there’s some advice here that might be worth taking seriously. “Apply yourself to the task at hand.” In the context of staying disciplined in the face of adversity or simply not giving up to wallow for long in self pity, it’s not such a bad idea to keep on keeping on. When you lose a job, consistently sending out new resumays makes a lot of sense. When you lose a relationship, beginning the dating process earlier than you might think you’re ready may have some benefit. "You need to do for others to get your self-esteem back.” So maybe there are some unanticipated benefits in helping out others or in meeting obligations? In the fable, Darnel, the bronze god, may have been too rigid about following through on his bligations and responsibilities, but at the same time, his story provides an unexpected reminder that in turn those obligations and responsibilities dd matter and following through on them may indeed enhance our self esteem.
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