Breaking the Cycle: How to Stop the Cycle of Abuse and Take Action for Positive Change

Much has been acknowledged about abuse from time began, be it mental, physical, psychological, or emotional abuse in songs, novels, poems, movies, and fairy tales. Presented as comedy or tragedy, though, abuse is abuse. We resonate to these characters as either the abuser or the abused. Good mostly wins. But when it doesn’t what do we as a society take away?

One category of abuse that really is the umbrella of all these forms of harm to individuals is spiritual abuse also known as religious abuse. Spiritual abuse goes beyond the confines of a religious setting if we see the whole world as sacred. When someone in power tries to control, scare, or hurt another person or large groups of people, this could be a form of spiritual abuse that, like a rock thrown in a pond, ripples throughout society.

As an example, why, in today’s news, is the fictional character Hannibal Lector brought up as a moral example? And why is the boorish person using this example touted in some circles as moral? Looking at the commonality, this fictional character and those that admire the one who touts him do have a lot in common.

The mass hypnotism of these ill-mannered and misinformed think that bad is good. Those who have experienced any abuse have become inured to it or have become hyper alert to it. As the ripples in the pond spread this scum, more and more headlines scream the tragic outcome.

Any form of abuse is not new as the following children’s rhyme from Eugene Field (1850 – 1895) attests.

The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat

The gingham dog and the calico cat

Side by side on the table sat;

T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)

Nor one nor other had slept a wink!

      The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate

      Appeared to know as sure as fate

There was going to be a terrible spat.

            (I was there; I simply state

            What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

The gingham dog went Bow-wow-wow!

And the calico cat replied Mee-ow!

The air was littered, an hour or so,

With bits of gingham and calico,

      While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place

      Up with its hands before its face,

For it always dreaded a family row!

            (Now mind: I’m only telling you

            What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)

The Chinese plate looked very blue,

And wailed, Oh, dear! what shall we do!

But the gingham dog and the calico cat

Wallowed this way and tumbled that,

      Employing every tooth and claw

      In the awfullest way you ever saw—

And, oh! how the gingham and calico flew!

            (Don’t fancy I exaggerate—

            I got my news from the Chinese plate!)

Next morning, where the two had sat

They found no trace of dog or cat;

And some folks think unto this day

That burglars stole that pair away!

      But the truth about the cat and pup

      Is this: they ate each other up!

Now what do you really think of that!

            (The old Dutch clock it told me so,

            And that is how I came to know.)

The relatability of this over 100-year-old children’s poem is not lost on our times. But to acknowledge the Chinese plate from the above rhyme, “The Chinese plate looked very blue, And wailed, ‘Oh, dear! what shall we do!’” It’s time. It time to DO SOMETHING! The cycle of abuse must be acknowledged and stopped. It’s time for less drama. Sneers at “woke” won’t cut it. Doing something is paying attention and not staying numb to the eons of horror that have been glorified. It’s time to call out this collective hypnotism of distrust of what is good. One cannot be lazy or complacent. Recognition of this problem is the beginning. People really do want to be and to see people happier and healthier, but it does take work. Good will win if we wake up and do something.