Helping Humanity, Friends, and Voodoo

“The Book of Questions”, by Gregory Stock, Ph.D — These are questions of a different sort — questions about you. They are about your values, your beliefs, and your life; love, money, sex, integrity, generosity, pride, and death are all here.

Here is an enjoyable way to find out more about yourself and others, and to confront ethical dilemmas in a concrete rather than an abstract form.

To respond to these questions, you will need to examine and interpret your past, project yourself into hypothetical situations, face difficult dilemmas and make painful choices.

These questions can be an avenue for individual growth, a tool for deepening relationships, a quick way to get to know a stranger, or merely a pleasant amusement.

Humanity, friends, and voodoo

Really Gregory, my boo

How do they relate, who knew

anyone would put those together, so

how do you answer those with a no

yes, no, and no way would I go

there ever. You do that and know

that you get old before time and ugly too!

If you knew of a way to use your estate, following your death, to greatly benefit humanity, would you do it and leave only a minimal amount to your family? Gregory Stock, Ph.D

If I had an estate, I could give my family a minimal amount and the rest to humanity. No problem. I don’t have much of an estate and I feel lucky my children don’t need anything from me except my love and prayers. Which is the very best thing I can give them.

Love and prayers are the best I can give humanity too. Doing something for someone else each day is something I learned in my recovery, most of the time without getting found out. That has been my daily goal for 46 years.

Do you prefer being around men or women? Do your closest friends tend to be men or women? Gregory Stock, Ph.D

When I was in my mid-20s, a young man worked for me in a summer program that I was in charge of when working for a community education program. I got to know him and his girlfriend well. I would ask her to babysit for me as I had two small children.

One day, we were talking about racism and he said to me, “You are prejudiced against half of the world.” I was shocked and asked him what he meant after saying, “I’m not prejudiced!”

He then said, “You will never let me babysit, even when she can’t and I can.” After thinking about it, I knew he was right. But I had a reason for that as I had been abused by a male babysitter when I was seven years old. Still, it did seem to translate and I thought of how I had to resolve that.

How could I keep that prejudice when I had a son, brothers, a husband, and cousins, and that was why I was having trouble with God being a little old white man in the clouds that zapped people? (Okay, that was my picture as a child and it is not anymore.)

I have many female friends and they are my closest friends. Four will be there for me anytime. Including those four, many others have become my sisters.

I have male friends. Most male friends are closer to long-term acquaintances. Some that I have known for years and have become good friends with and I know would be there for me if asked.

If you could use a voodoo doll to hurt anyone you choose, would you? Gregory Stock, Ph.D

No way! I have witnessed people who have done bad medicine and they get old fast, die before their time, and become ugly. It has been a good reason for me to forgive as I believe we turn old and ugly hanging on to hate, resentment, anger, and revenge.

I’ve found in praying for the water, at the water ceremony each week, that I am praying for those I don’t agree with too, as we all carry 60–86% water. Or from 45–75% according to medicalnewstoday.com.

My mother told me she was 86% and I believed her. She drank coffee in the morning but because it is dehydrating she said she made up for that by drinking a lot of water every day, all day.

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First published by Mercury Press on medium.com