Thrifting

As I took my 18 year old and her friend to a couple of thrift stores then to a vintage shop, I suddenly realized that they both had actually learned the ‘art’ of a more diverse sense of self.  As someone who has lived a lifestyle of having to ‘prioritize’ and/or ‘stretch’ what income available to provide for my family, it meant that the luxury of Brand names, and specialty super stores were just not an option at times. The experience of easier choices (according to what the season, colour and size available) was not a ‘regular’ thing to do.

My children have always been provided for, but their popularity was never based on having the latest, biggest or best of any ‘thing’ that they owned throughout their childhood, or their youth.

As I watched them pick up items according to the fabric, style, and colours of the items, laughing along the way as they imagined the various places that some of the people and places they could have been worn before, then blend in where they would be wearing them,  I appreciated their depth, and diversity of thought.

My daughter has mentioned that there would be some kids that would ‘snub’ this possibility from their own lifestyle. I asked her how she felt about that? She voiced a concern for the environment, and has hope that one day, other people will see the benefits of recycling and repurposing . I like the richness in her thoughts, sometimes they can be priceless …

Heather Ann Jarman 2017

 

 

 

 

Many have seen the Aghori Tribe as a one to be feared. I have thought that (for one reason or another), almost every religion has found a reason to kill other humans. Perhaps the blatant honesty of what practices they are willing to share are what seems to have shock value to some.  The images that have been shared on social media (perhaps) could also be viewed similar to the effects of what the ‘bare bones’ of various types of personal tragedy and/or trauma could ‘look’ like to those who have suffered through the emotional integrity of a human grief, then left to ‘cope’ with the most basic human functions of urination and deification.

There are some that could agree that the professional practices of some institutions would view emotional treatment plans as a similar technique as these participants in human enlightenment. “Breaking down” the human psyche is an established role, then the individual abandoned, and left with or without a means of survival. Either way, coping with what is left, comes down to the resources available. The practice of some spiritual and/or religious packages  can be an appealing ideal, for the sake of gathering the courage to face the fears of existing through another day. The dependency could be based on the approval/support systems of any belief.

There are the invisible scars that are often left unsaid (with emotional distress) because if described, the fear of what others may or may not offer as ‘actual’ support is valid. It is proven, that the ‘act’ of cannibalism is not a way of life for the majority of the earth’s population, however the ‘act’ of judgement of another person’s dismay over an unfortunate life circumstance, could be viewed as a similar (safe) emotional experience. A common example is when a person is simply ‘used’ for a purpose of some sort of gain for another.  A financial agenda is the most often source of the need to expose the vulnerabilities of another. Professional employment ladders another.

The details of today’s life experiences in most societies have (of course) been more refined, and there is hope in knowing that (although at times) to ‘sugar coated’, acknowledging that if ‘difference’ can be embraced, (rather than denied or discarded) the human potential of emotional growth beyond the origins of which the Aghori practice are possible. However, there are still existing theories that could prove that if the mental wellness practices are left at today’s standards, the possibility of ‘like’ sects of religion (especially with the ethics of social media) could grow at a rapid pace. It’s all a matter of perspective, and the actions that follow. What are your beliefs and practices?

Heather Ann Jarman 2017