Think before you speak

Some aspects of life on planet earth that have been long suppressed from public discussion are being brought out into the light with the idea that to confront these issues people need to be armed with knowledge. For the most part I wholeheartedly agree with this assertion and in many cases I would like to see more of it. Knowledge is power because in ignorance is fear. But at the same time people need to think about what they are saying before they say it. I'm talking to you Janet Jackson.

I recently read a story on Canoe in which Ms. Jackson talked about the food issues that have plagued her life since childhood and while her goal was admirable in that she wanted to warn people about the dangers associated with eating disorders and body image one part of the article really gave me pause.

I won't repeat her error in mentioning what she said but essentially it was an idea that I'd never considered but sounded really unhealthy. So I got to wondering how many young people who do have food issues read this article? And how many of them thought, "what a great idea I never thought of doing that to lose weight!" Not helping matter is that she attributed this idea to nameless "celebrities".

So its a good thing to talk about these sensitive subjects but think about what you are saying first.

Speak Mindfully.