Divestment

I promised you a few posts ago that we'd discuss divestment and what it means, but got a little hung up on other things and forgot, so here we go...

Divestment means to draw away from or stop adhering to a specific course.  To divest from the government we simply pay more attention to where we spend our money.  Those of you on severely limited incomes might find this more difficult and that is what they want.

Companies like WalMart provide items at significant discounts, but they also promote slave labour, sweat shops and child labour.  They carry knock-off products that fool you into thinking you are buying name brand and they push other business out of the market.  The products they carry are sub-standard even when they carry name brands - they actually pressure companies like Levis to reduce their prices to insane levels forcing the company to use cheaper methods of production and lowering quality.

If you have a choice of spending your money at a big-name store (think multi-national) or a small independent merchant/craftsman or tailor opt for the personal touch of the local business.  If you can't afford the price-tag associated with those little boutiques then opt instead to go to a thrift store or consignment shop instead.  At the very least do a bit of research into the business conducted by the companies you spend your money with, ensure that you condone the way that they do business.  If you are vegetarian, stop using Clairol since many of their products are tested on or use animal products.  If you love kids then stop buying Reebok whose shoes are made in sweatshops.

Divestment is voting with your dollar, and if all you care about is getting the cheapest deal then you'll get it by the least ethical methods.  If you don't like Monsanto, stop buying McCain and Kraft, if you don't like the way cosmetics companies advertise to little girls then stop buying make-up.  It isn't easy, it is hard to tell your kid that you can't buy them the shoes they want because the company is corrupt, they don't understand anything beyond being "cool", but you will have taught them a valuable lesson and when they grow up and see it for themselves they will thank you.

Millions of dollars a year is spent telling you what you should want, need, eat or wear.  The companies that provide these things to you don't care about your health unless you do, they don't care about value unless you do and the only way you will ever get them to stand up and pay attention is to stop giving them the profits the seek unless they conduct business in a way that makes you happy.  If adding chemicals to your food so it lasts longer and which cause addiction-symptoms to make you come back for more is all they have to do to keep you paying them then what motivation do they have to make a better product?

Think about it.

Self Esteem vs Self Confidence

Self Esteem

Self Confidence

Are they the same?  No.

Are they equal?  No.

Okay smarty-pants...what's the difference?

Self Esteem = To esteem oneself
Esteem = To hold as best, to think highly of
Therefore self-esteem = to hold oneself as best or higher than others.

Self Confidence = To have confidence in oneself
Confidence = certitude, assurance
Therefore self-confidence = To have certitude in who you are

It may already be clear to you what the differences are between the two concepts, but many people still often confuse one for the other.

Self esteem is unjustified.  Since we all agree that "all men are created equal" then it is unreasonable to even begin to consider self esteem a worthy subject of conversation at all.  I have met lots of people throughout my life that display amazing examples of self esteem and I am sure you have as well.  From the pointy-haired boss in Dilbert cartoons that can't admit he hasn't a clue what he is doing to the Chinese couple running an Italian restaurant, there are some things that self esteem makes ridiculous.

If you spend your life "earning" prizes for showing up or get good grades because your teacher isn't allowed to fail you then I am sure you'll have a tonne of self esteem, but when I ask you what you can do you haven't a clue.

Being told "you suck" might be bad for your self image, but it can go a long way to encouraging the development of self confidence.  As a child I was the pariah, teased by everyone on the playground because I was emotionally sensitive and gave them the reactions they were looking for.  I was also clumsy, terrible at public speaking and multiplication.  I was enthusiastic in gym but my results were laughable.  I spent a lot of time being told "I suck" in various different terms.  As an adult I find that I now amaze people with the wide variety of talents I possess.  It isn't just that we all grew up, it is that I spent a lot of energy in becoming the person I am today.  I worked hard to achieve a level of confidence in my duties and can claim to be one of the better professionals in my field because of it.

So I have no self esteem, but lots of self confidence.  I do not think I am better than everyone - only most - and that can be backed up by facts and evidence which I'll produce to anyone who asks.  When you can line up a hundred accolades, accomplishments or results you have confidence in your abilities and therefore in who you are as a person.  If you cannot then all the bluster and self esteem in the world won't matter a hill of beans.

This is why I tried hard to give my kids self confidence and crushed any possibility of self esteem.