35 - Stand Up
With September upon us and school starting back up for kids and families, we think to an important lesson that we should all be reminded of. Let's start by recalling the Third Keystone - Uphold the rights and autonomy of others as you would your own. There is a corollary here that is easy to overlook: protecting your own autonomy and rights.
Our Faith tells us to protect others and ensure their safety in all meanings of the word. But the Paraclete does not want us to forget - sometimes we may need to be mindful of protecting ourselves. We will not always have others to watch over us (as we are called to do for them), but rather have to protect ourselves in a rare moment of need.
This should be as natural as the rest of the Keystones and the Temple's teachings. Each of us is sacred and important. Your friends, family and community need you as you need them; they need you to be whole and unmolested. This is why we strive to better ourselves, and a part of that includes lessons and skills which help each of us protect ourselves.
It is unreasonable to think this is something that can be done automatically in a complete manner. Our brains are already programmed to protect ourselves, but whether we are fully aware of how to do it, and are doing it to the best of our ability, that is the question. Let’s look at just a few examples of the myriad ways we can achieve this:
Take care of your health!
Diet and exercise are important, and an obvious way to start.
Avoid risks via relevant masking practices and basics like hand washing and vaccinations.
Use sunscreen - as annoying as it is, the long term protections are worthwhile.
Take care of your mental health, nothing is as damaging as self sabotage.
Cybersecurity is a word we hear often, but practice seldom.
Stand up for your worth - including salary negotiations at work!
Do not let others run roughshod over your rights and property.
Strive to know the law or rules in anything important to you.
Know when to consult a lawyer.
Awareness of surroundings are paramount; avoid questionable situations.
Train your body and mind.
React quickly to danger.
Ask for help when overwhelmed - your community is here to support you.
Some of us will surely note that these items are obvious. What is interesting is that different items will be ‘obvious’ to different people. We all have our own blind spots, and we have to remember the Fourth Keystone - Endeavor to learn new things and be educated by others. Here, if something does not seem immediately obvious, that can signal that perhaps there is some work that could be done.
It is also easy to overlook these items, or to think “oh, health? Sure, I am healthy, that box is checked”. Far easier to subscribe to that idea, than to truly look inside and recall the Second Keystone as a reminder that you are fallible like everyone else.
Take the above ideas to heart, and double your efforts to adhere to them. This is The Way.
