Boundaries
etch lines into our psyche like a potter etches design through the waxy ground
on a goblet. Or like ocean sand grinds and polishes glass lost to the waves.
Some of our
boundaries are intentional but many dig in unnoticed through our experiences,
observations, mistakes. Only when we walk into a similar situation do we
realize we hold an opinion. Only when that opinion is challenged do we realize
how important it has become, how deeply rooted.
Boundaries maintained
by fear paralyze us, disassociate us from ability to analyze and evaluate possible
benefits of changing our position. Fear causes reactions to erupt from our *brain
stem, emotional and irrational as we carve community into pieces irretrievable when
we decide we desperately need to recreate a productive whole.
We may
consider ourselves safe within such boundaries. In fact, we are isolated.
Dementia
builds walls with fear as it slowly strangles rational past behavior. The
challenge of caregiving is to learn the new boundaries as they appear, and
adjust our behavior to accommodate. The challenge of leadership is to listen to
community members explore the formation and defense of their boundaries.
*The human brain is
divided into three parts: the Neocortex analyzes, observes, creates; the
Mammalian loves, hates, bonds and plays; the brain stem or Reptilian controls
automatic functions, survival, and unconscious acts like breathing.
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