posted on May, 14 2003 @ 08:17 AM
I�ve purposely avoided the Brian controversy from the start. But your thread about assisting Ycon in changing her belief about Brian is different,
and I�ll contribute because she is a fellow member of this community.
Firstly, in my opinion, for anyone to �help� Ycon�s perceptions / beliefs about Brian, that person would need Ycon�s permission, agreement and
co-operation. To arbitrarily rush past her boundary and impose opposing views (even though well intended) is a violation of her space and would most
likely cause her to raise defensive barriers � making further interaction more difficult.
It�s been my experience that if a person�s perception of anything differs from mine, or even objective reality, then for that person � it IS their
reality. If a person says to me, �My� the red walls in this room are lovely�, and I look around and see white walls � I�m left to ponder how our
perception could be so different. If Ycon honestly perceives Brian to be Jesus Christ come back in the flesh and God, then may I suggest that IS her
right and reality. She is perfectly entitled to her beliefs about her perceptions and right to choose for herself what she wants in life. I
completely understand and relate to members adverse reactions to Brian and his claims, but that�s my opinion. The central figure here is Ycon, and
she must be open and willing to re-evaluate her perception of Brian and re-align her value system. Unless she is willing to co-operate continuing
confrontation may only make her more determined to keep up barriers and remain even more faithful and supportive of Brian. Remember the old saying:
�You can lead a horse to water, but cannot make them drink�. As a counsellor, I can say that there�s no more difficult client to work with than a
reluctant one that�s been forced into therapy.
Secondly, what makes you think that Ycon has no other source of support and understanding than ATS? If she�s ever stated that, I apologise for not
having read it. I would suggest that Ycon is a 42 year old woman and could easily ask for help or support, if she felt the need to do so. It�s
belittling of her to assume that she�s some weak-minded individual who has absolutely no power in her life. Regardless of her perceptions about
Brian, she�s a human being with value and rights and should be respected for who she is (I�m not implying that you don�t respect her Arc). If she
chooses to invest her beliefs, thoughts, time & energy into following Brian, that�s her choice and she has every right to do so - regardless of
whether we agree with that or not.
Food for Thought,
Deep