Simple Awareness Exercise

By Patricia Lefave, Labelled, D.D. (P)

When a group focuses on an individual as ‘different’ or ‘sick’ here is what happens from both points of view.

The point of view of the group is as individuals who comprise that group mind which is focused on an individual outside of that group.
The point of view of the individual outside that group is that of an individual facing a group (or a mob depending upon the emotional attitude of the group) which is defining her by group consensus. This group is not communicating directly or genuinely with the individual forced outside of their group.

To justify the group’s position, external pressure is then placed on the individual being defined by the group to accept the definition and to agree to become what the group wants.
At the same time, internal pressure for the members of the group is released by the external focus and invalidation of the individual kept outside. This also gives the group validation.
This is what happens when you reduce a person to the level of ‘subject’ being observed. It simultaneously elevates the group members to the higher status of ‘observers.’

A premise of ‘superiors’ to an ‘inferior’ rather than a relationship of equals has been created by this attitude.
It is a shift in reality that the group loves and the individual being observed of course hates. The individual’s reality though is treated as if it were irrelevant and can be legitimately defined by way of a pseudo democratic vote, and so it is.
The individual’s perspective, her personhood, is eliminated in the process but the group members really don’t notice that at all. Their collective feeling is that the individual is not as ‘real’ a person as each of them is.

By doing this, the group NEVER has to see itself as a group and the individual members of the group never have to question their own behaviour or their beliefs.

Your exercise? Think about it from both sides of the same experience. The only really difference is which side of the line you happening to be standing on.


on cp