Some of you may know that I am working with the Positive Champions Speakers Bureau in Daytona Beach, Florida. Trying to raise the awareness of HIV/AIDS within the community and trying to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions that surround the disease by working on a play to be performed on World's AIDS Day.
And here are some of the more interesting facts that you should be aware of:
1. HIV/AIDS is not a discerner of persons. Meaning it doesn't give a shit who you are! You could be rich, famous, poor, unknown, male, female, straight, gay, green, purple or blue. It just doesn't care.
2. You do not have to promiscuous to get it. That's right folks, it is possible to get it the first time out. Remember even if you haven't been sexually active it doesn't mean your partner hasn't. You are sleeping not only with them, but everyone they have ever been with.
3. 3 out of 5 people walking around today are infected and don't even know it. Get Tested Often. You owe it to yourself and to your partners
4. You can be infected and never have a symptom or feel sick. Know your Status!
5. Condoms are only 95% effective in stopping the disease. Be smart about who you sleep with!
6. Be aware that there are people out there that are looking to get infected. Bug-Chasers, they are under the misconception that after you get it, you can sleep with whomever, without caution.
7. Bareback is dangerous. If both people are Positive, they can still re-infect each other with different strains and create a super strain that is drug resistant. Understand the risks you take.
8. Positive and Negative couples cannot survive. Wrong educate yourselves, know your limitations, and what can be done safely. You can have a terribly effective relationship if your are honest and know what to expect.
9. HIV/AIDS cannot be spread by causal contact. Hugs, sharing drinking glass, eating off a persons fork, using the toilet after. HIV is a fragile virus that dies when exposed to air, soap and water and bleach.
10. HIV/AIDS cannot be spread by kissing or through saliva, you would have to drink over a gallon and have some kind of ulcer or soar in the mouth. Saliva's acidity kills the virus.
11. HIV/AIDS doesn't have the ability or the strength to penetrate the outer layer of the body. In other words, unless it finds an open wound or other way passed the epidermis, it cannot get inside of you.
12. HIV/AIDS is an epidemic and affects you whether you are aware of it or not. It affects those around you, the health care system, the pharmaceutical structure and a myriad of other things. People you love and who love you may be ill. There is no gulf, anyone you meet or contact may be positive.
13. Remember, you cannot necessarily tell that a person is ill by looking at them. They may have no symptoms.
14. Just because you have been diagnosed with HIV doesn't necessarily mean you are going to die. There are new drugs on the market with more being released all the time that can allow you to live a relatively normal life for 30 years or more now.
15. Undetectable does not mean you are not contagious! You still have the disease at the lowest possible numbers in your blood, but it is still present and can be spread!
16. HIV doesn't mean you have AIDS. Converting to Full AIDS is a process, t-cells must be below 200. Remember it could take an untreated HIV infection 8 to 10 years to become AIDS.
17. It is the fear of ridicule, the shame and guilt that keep us from revealing our status. There are others like you, who are going through what you have. We will be your friends and family if other's abandon you. www.positivechampions.org You don't ever have to feel alone!
18. Is there ever a good time to tell your partner or potential partner you're status? No, you must make the effort, make a moment, be responsible.
19. Rejection hurts, yes it does, but you must be fair and honest with your feelings and status to have a successful union. The other person deserves the right to make the choice! Be understanding. Hope for the best but plan for the worst is my motto.
There are so many more of these that I could write about, but I think you get the picture I am trying to paint. As I said at the beginning of this entry, I am working on a play. This play is about these things and so much more. I have tentatively entitled it "You Just Never Know", it is my dream and goal that once it is performed the first time. That I will be able to publish it, and it will be a program that is put on everywhere to raise awareness and understanding, to quell some of the myths and misconceptions. It will inspire hope, calm the fears, ease the guilt and shame, and finally to put a face on the disease. I want you to identify with the characters, feel the angst and trepidation that they face, their isolation, their fear of discovery, and the persecution that follows by family, friends, co-workers and how hard it is to truly find an accepting and loving partner. No one ever truly wants to be alone, I believe we are all social creatures, we need to feel love, we deserve it. We are still human after all. I want you to love me, hate the disease I have, remember that I am still the same person, I have just had a bad turn.
There are haters out there that once your down, are more than happy to keep kicking holding you and down. They fear you, they don't understand, the are ignorant of the facts. Please understand that you can face them and over come their comments, their pettiness and you deserve, and demand to be treated with dignity and respect. Keep in mind that if we say nothing, do nothing, we are propagating the paranoia, the myths, the misconceptions, we are turning our backs on each other. We are only as strong as our weakest link. Even in the gay community we are outsiders and outcasts, if we do not come together, build our own network, our own advocacy groups, and raise our voices in a chorus of one. We will never truly be accepted, the demands of a cure will never be forced. United we are that much more powerful, our voices can and will be heard. We will not stand to be put on the back burner, we will not let our unfortunate encounter with this disease silence us and put us back in the closet, or hide us in the shadows. We are the past, We are the Future, We are the Hope and We are no longer going to be quite victims. And You know why? Because you can only be a victim if you allow it. You are a champion and you are not ever truly alone. You have strength, courage, and a life to live. So live it to the fullest, acknowledge your limitations, and move into the light! Remember that EVIL lurks in darkness, plays in shadows and causes mischief. LOVE lives in the light, dispels the shadows and brings forgiveness.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Showing posts with label haters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haters. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
What two things can keep you from succeeding at your goals and dreams?
Now I know that you know that there are more things that can keep you from succeeding. But the main two that I think of that can kill them before you even start are Fear and Jealousy. Fear alone can hold you back, limit your reasoning to take risks that may be necessary to even start. Fear can keep you from trying something new and exploring every opportunity and avenue that is presented to you. It can also lock you in place because it causes you to doubt your own abilities. Jealousy, whether yours aimed at others or their's aimed at you is the second thing.
Jealousy of others will keep you from focusing on yourself, your abilities and the opportunities that may be there for you because you continually compare where others are at and where you want to be. You become so absorbed in their achievements and let everything in your own life slide. Whereas the jealousy of others aimed at you can come in many forms. They constantly put your down, nitpick your efforts or there is the discord and dissent that they sow around you. It seems like a constant storm of drama that surrounds you. Your temper flairs and all of your emotions seem to be on edge. Your entire energy field is going to be totally out of whack. It might even begin to seem that for each step forward you end up taking five steps further back, and when someone has it in for you it may seem like you never get a break.
There are ways to deal with these things and get your life back into alignment. So, with that being said, let's tackle these head on and see how we can handle them. The first we discussed was fear. As they say fear is really the the enemy itself. You must face them head on. Confront them, stare them down! You may be wondering how you can do that? Easy!! Just put one foot in front of the other and keep going! Don't give up! Because the ally of fear is surrender, to give in to the hopelessness and depression that surrounds your insecurities. Believe it or not the key to understanding fear is a greater understanding of yourself. Fear is fueled by your insecurities and emotions of helplessness and despair. Take heart in your abilities, do the best you can in every situation, approach new task with the understanding that something new and wonderful is waiting for you. Look at the new challenge not as a daunting insurmountable task but as a new learning experience as an opportunity for growth and understanding. Before you know it, you will have mastered whatever it is and the fear that held you prisoner will be gone forever.
Next let's look at jealousy in it's various forms. The first is so easy to conquer that you are going to wonder why it took you so long to figure it out. But trust and believe once you have mastered it, jealously will never be a problem for you ever again. The very first thing you have to realize is that not everything is as easy as it looks. Just because when someone does something and makes it look easy, doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Further, just because you think the perfect opportunity just fell in their lap, doesn't mean that it actually did. This is probably just your perception of the fact, you can tell that it is jealousy because you find yourself wondering constantly how that opportunity fell into their lap and you continue to struggle just to make ends meet. Keep in mind that the old saying the "Grass is greener on the other side", we all know that isn't true. First off, if something looks easy for someone maybe it is because they have different skills and experiences that prepared them for it. Maybe, just maybe you didn't see all the hard work that they put into it. You didn't see their sweat or tears you just caught the end result. Keep in mind that each of us is different, our experiences are all different and so is our skill set. When you finally take your eyes off of what you wish you had and where you hoped to be and focus on the things you have and where you are at.
You might just find you aren't in such a bad place. As a matter of fact if you really look hard enough you are going to realize that you are exactly where you need to be! I know you have heard me say it before, but let me repeat myself here. In order for you to truly be prosperous, you must be content with what you have and be happy with where you are at in each stage of your life. Look inside yourself, give yourself praise and credit for the accomplishments and achievements you have made. Turn your focus from the outer to the inner and find your peace. Not only will this eliminate the jealousy you feel for others, it will stop you from feeling like you aren't where you should be. It will also go a long way at defeating your fears.
The second form of jealousy that I talked about, we will just classify them as "Haters". These are those that are jealous of you. A friend of mine shared a picture with me on Facebook today that summed up this perfectly. It said "Haters don't really hate you, they hate themselves because you're a reflection of what they wish to be." They see all of your strengths and accomplishments and it sharpens their realization and attention on their own weaknesses and faults. The best thing to do with these types of people are to keep them at arms length or cut them from your life totally. Sooner or later you are going to realize that they really aren't your friend at all. A friend would want you to succeed and be successful, they build you up and don't tear you down. Anyone that is not building up your confidence and self-esteem or helping you reach the next level in your life really isn't your friend. They are what I call "Frienemies".
For more on what a "Frienemy" is check out my blog entry http://bryanzepp.blogspot.com/2012/07/frienemies-you-know-who-you-are.html
I would appreciate your comments and feedback on this and any other blog entries. You can contact me directly at bryanzepp@gmail.com or via Facebook www.facebook.com/bryan.zepp2 or find me on Google +.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
Jealousy of others will keep you from focusing on yourself, your abilities and the opportunities that may be there for you because you continually compare where others are at and where you want to be. You become so absorbed in their achievements and let everything in your own life slide. Whereas the jealousy of others aimed at you can come in many forms. They constantly put your down, nitpick your efforts or there is the discord and dissent that they sow around you. It seems like a constant storm of drama that surrounds you. Your temper flairs and all of your emotions seem to be on edge. Your entire energy field is going to be totally out of whack. It might even begin to seem that for each step forward you end up taking five steps further back, and when someone has it in for you it may seem like you never get a break.
There are ways to deal with these things and get your life back into alignment. So, with that being said, let's tackle these head on and see how we can handle them. The first we discussed was fear. As they say fear is really the the enemy itself. You must face them head on. Confront them, stare them down! You may be wondering how you can do that? Easy!! Just put one foot in front of the other and keep going! Don't give up! Because the ally of fear is surrender, to give in to the hopelessness and depression that surrounds your insecurities. Believe it or not the key to understanding fear is a greater understanding of yourself. Fear is fueled by your insecurities and emotions of helplessness and despair. Take heart in your abilities, do the best you can in every situation, approach new task with the understanding that something new and wonderful is waiting for you. Look at the new challenge not as a daunting insurmountable task but as a new learning experience as an opportunity for growth and understanding. Before you know it, you will have mastered whatever it is and the fear that held you prisoner will be gone forever.
Next let's look at jealousy in it's various forms. The first is so easy to conquer that you are going to wonder why it took you so long to figure it out. But trust and believe once you have mastered it, jealously will never be a problem for you ever again. The very first thing you have to realize is that not everything is as easy as it looks. Just because when someone does something and makes it look easy, doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Further, just because you think the perfect opportunity just fell in their lap, doesn't mean that it actually did. This is probably just your perception of the fact, you can tell that it is jealousy because you find yourself wondering constantly how that opportunity fell into their lap and you continue to struggle just to make ends meet. Keep in mind that the old saying the "Grass is greener on the other side", we all know that isn't true. First off, if something looks easy for someone maybe it is because they have different skills and experiences that prepared them for it. Maybe, just maybe you didn't see all the hard work that they put into it. You didn't see their sweat or tears you just caught the end result. Keep in mind that each of us is different, our experiences are all different and so is our skill set. When you finally take your eyes off of what you wish you had and where you hoped to be and focus on the things you have and where you are at.
You might just find you aren't in such a bad place. As a matter of fact if you really look hard enough you are going to realize that you are exactly where you need to be! I know you have heard me say it before, but let me repeat myself here. In order for you to truly be prosperous, you must be content with what you have and be happy with where you are at in each stage of your life. Look inside yourself, give yourself praise and credit for the accomplishments and achievements you have made. Turn your focus from the outer to the inner and find your peace. Not only will this eliminate the jealousy you feel for others, it will stop you from feeling like you aren't where you should be. It will also go a long way at defeating your fears.
The second form of jealousy that I talked about, we will just classify them as "Haters". These are those that are jealous of you. A friend of mine shared a picture with me on Facebook today that summed up this perfectly. It said "Haters don't really hate you, they hate themselves because you're a reflection of what they wish to be." They see all of your strengths and accomplishments and it sharpens their realization and attention on their own weaknesses and faults. The best thing to do with these types of people are to keep them at arms length or cut them from your life totally. Sooner or later you are going to realize that they really aren't your friend at all. A friend would want you to succeed and be successful, they build you up and don't tear you down. Anyone that is not building up your confidence and self-esteem or helping you reach the next level in your life really isn't your friend. They are what I call "Frienemies".
For more on what a "Frienemy" is check out my blog entry http://bryanzepp.blogspot.com/2012/07/frienemies-you-know-who-you-are.html
I would appreciate your comments and feedback on this and any other blog entries. You can contact me directly at bryanzepp@gmail.com or via Facebook www.facebook.com/bryan.zepp2 or find me on Google +.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
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