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Quote by Ocean Vuong

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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

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Ocean Vuong

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“As a society, we denounce "delinquents," "hoodlums" and "hooligans," but the truth is that we routinely fail troubled kids before they fail us. More children die each year in the United States from abuse and neglect than from cancer. For every child who dies, thousands are injured, raped or brutally abused. We shrug as millions of children undergo trauma in ways that harm them and unravel our social fabric--and then we blame the kids when things go wrong.”

“Young children. Where are they looking when their eyes focus above our heads, or when they talk to “invisible friends”? The child senses things most adults have lost, and in the innocence of expression might describe what s/he perceives. More often than not, the parent or teacher of that child might pat him condescendingly on the head and tell him what a fun imagination he has, or things could become more severe and that child will be scolded for making things up. Soon the child will learn to ignore such nonsense, or at least not bother sharing it for fear of ridicule. And so we forget.”

“Hypnosis is a fascinating subject, and more common than we realize. How does it work? Essentially, when we relax our inner powers of discrimination, associated with our personal wills, and passively allow ideas and input into our subconscious mind, we are open to suggestions, which over time can be directed in specific ways that we call conditioning. The discriminating part of the mind is sometimes called the Gateway to the Unconscious. This gateway opens naturally and is most apparent, and useful, in the way children can quickly learn and adapt to their surroundings. This is an automatic occurrence and part of the learning process. This dynamic of “taking in” our surroundings is natural. It is fast and fluid and probably vital for the survival of our species to “learn” things rapidly. Our cultures, languages and civilizations are, to a great extent, passed on this way. Children are like sponges, we are told. We are delighted by this open and vital acceptance and curiosity of the world displayed by children. Interestingly enough, adults who maintain this open sense of wonder are labeled naive and gullible. I take delight in children, and encourage my clients to nurture their inner children.”