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[NQV] SF visit: 8/31/96 (9)
Saturday 8/31/96
(continued)
The second part of the workshop was a listening exercise in which
people were paired off and took turn to respond/listen to a list
of 5 incomplete statements relating to AIDS/HIV. I've misplaced
my copy of the list (or maybe Phuc had taken it when I didn't get
a chance to sort out all the papers/handouts we picked up during
those days), so this is but a vague recollection:
- When I think about AIDS/HIV I feel ....
- The most difficult thing when I think about AIDS/HIV is ...
- What I think about someone I know who has AIDS/HIV ....
- What I think I might want to do about AIDS/HIV ...
- In an ideal world ....
I paired off with XXXX, who was sitting next to me, and rambled on
and on (not surprisingly) about feeling sad/sober toward this issue,
and wishing to show compassion rather than pity toward people with
AIDS, and trying to stay HIV-, and act more responsible toward myself
and others with respect to sex, and wishing to think more positively
about the epidemic even if it would be ideal for it not to happen at
all, the point is to use it as a condition to learn more about oneself
and to act more responsibly rather than to despair at it, and so on ...
Much to my surprise (and indeed awkward disappointment), XXXX seemed
visibly uncomfortable during the whole exercise, both during the time
I spoke (and he was supposed to listen) and in his turn when he cut
short the exercise with a brusque statement of denial along the lines
of "I don't know what to say/think, it doesn't apply to me, and I don't
personally know anyone who has AIDS!" The topic seemed to upset him,
understandably, but what I found disturbing is his attitude of denial,
his unwillingness to face the issues even if there might not be easy
answers, which struck me as rather irresponsibly evasive ...
(to be continued)
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