These days just getting a new e-mail account comes with reams of terms, which realistically, most of us in our exhaustion, apathy and acceptance of how ridiculous it has become, just sign without reading it all: but recently, I had a different experience. We just got a new insurance company to cover our new-to-us car.
I set up the coverage and paid for six months on the phone. Two weeks later I got the official ’application package’ where I was to put my signature in all the right places – but there was a clause in there which had not been mentioned before I started the policy with the payment.
The Small Print
I was to sign to allow myself to be a target for the worst kind of telemarketing. It said I did not have to sign but “…in order to complete the purchase and ensure the rate and effectiveness of the client’s desired insurance coverage…” they would need permission for the telemarketing… so basically, they were saying that if I did not sign, my premium would increase (as much as they wanted to increase it) and there would be no guarantee that they would take care of me if anything happened which is not a clause I wanted to accept, so I took a moment to consider my choices and feel what to do.
The Choice
I could do the easy thing and choose to compromise my own sense of what is right in order to sign it, keep my cheap rate and go about my life – but in doing so knowing I was allowing another big company to get away with ‘business-as-usual,’ in other words – bullying, blackmail and the oppression and abuse of many people for the profit of a few – or I could just deal with it and say “No.”
I was tired and I had lots of other things that felt important for me to take care of, but I could not sign (agree) to this and let accountability ‘slide’.
In my cancellation letter, I included my reason why. They still wanted to charge a $50 cancellation fee but I explained that when I agreed to the policy, they had not disclosed this stipulation. Six phone calls and over an hour of being on hold later, they waived the fee. The fourth representative was genuinely caring – she got me to an advisor and she made sure the fee was waived.
Throughout those phone calls I kept coming back to who I am by breathing gently and bringing my awareness to my body (so I would not slip into my old patterns of frustration) and I actually felt how lovely it was to be me and to be on the line with other human beings and that was beautiful. I found another company, more expensive, but worth every penny.
The Big Picture
Through the teachings of Universal Medicine, and as a result of being inspired to develop more and more self-care and love for myself and to take responsibility for all my choices, I have realised that everything is an opportunity to learn, understand and connect with myself and others.
Had I not had the role models and the support of people who are walking the talk, I’m sure I would still be missing these beautiful opportunities to deepen this love for myself, others and life on the whole and would still be struggling in an existence that previously made little sense to all that I feel inside. Had I not known people who are truly adhering to the deepest integrity found within us all (living in accordance to our inner most essence), I know I would still be contributing to my own un-wellness and to that which does not feel right to me about how we live in the world.
If we think we are safe or protected because we don’t live under a dictatorship, we need to look around. If we think we can sit back and expect to be treated with respect and fairness, because ‘we have democracy’ or money or a job or whatever… we need to look again and ask ourselves “What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?”
Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.
I am not advocating any mission, agenda or revolt, however I feel a responsibility to not allow abuse that I am aware of (including self abuse) to go un-named. I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.
Coldness, separatism, oppression and harm will continue between people unabated until we claim that there is another way and live to show this other way by not leaving what we truly feel out of the equation in anything we do. In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.
I have drawn immense inspiration and support from Serge Benhayon and my practitioner Bina Pattel, who are living this other way by openly being and expressing from the fullness of who they are.
By Jo Elmer- Concord, CA USA
Further Reading:
The Importance of Expressing Truth
What Happens When We Do Not Speak Up?
Reading this blog again, and the state of this current world, more and more is being exposed to the level of lies and corruption that runs this world. And it is in the finer details and with this movement currently occurring, people will realise that all of this is unacceptable and will not be accepted.
Contracts are purposefully written in protection to protect one or another. They are not written to care about another. Saying no to this will occur more and more, and more and more of this world will change where people will question these finer details or bullying.
It only needs one to inspire, and the movement will ripple, just watch this space.
That’s so true Shushila; as more and more get fed up with us all running things and or putting up with a world where we too often do not truly consider and put people first more and more will not go along with it and we will start to build and see true alternatives which are truly supportive and inclusive.
Since reading this article when it was first published there has been a new standard set in the way I approach paperwork, contracts and signing things. And coming back to it today I am reminded how much I now (mostly 😂) enjoy being attentive to reading things before I sign and checking the details of what I am committing to. It is great to acknowledge the changes, so thank you again Jo.
Absolutely, saying no to any form of abuse.
“everything is an opportunity to learn.” Nothing is too small to pay attention to, like a star in the sky may look like a tiny speck of light.
Mary it just goes to show that nothing is nothing and everything is everything.
Jo, I loved this sharing, as abuse or taking others for granted is another thing that is rife around the world. The finer prints is in everything and everywhere and it only takes one person to say no to it, and as much as it’s awkward at that time, and it feels right for you without causing a scene, the persistence pays off.
I’m beginning to realise that cheap doesn’t mean the best nor does overly expensive either; we can feel the difference when we are being offered a service then just getting a service.
Following a recent purchase of a luxury car, my partner and I have received exemplary service from the dealership. I took the car back to them for an issue I had with not understanding the audio system and during that, I expressed my concerns in taking the young car to the local car wash. Unexpectedly I was offered to have her washed at the dealership and all I needed to do was to sit in their waiting area, it wasn’t something I had experienced before. What I observed was how their customers were taken care of and the company put a value to them – its priceless.
Valuing one another is a two way thing, reflection and reciprocation…
For me the quality of service a company offers is important, and if that means paying more for that quality service then that is still my choice.
It’s true, things will never change if we don’t change or go along with ‘this is how it’s always been done’ mentality.
It only takes one person to be the lead in something that stands for the truth and the rest can either follow their own truth with this resonance.
Yes, it is only because we go along with it that corruption, greed, manipulation, blackmail and so on do exist. Imagine everyone being so dedicated as you were… the insurance company would not have any clients and for sure would change its policies in no time.
Corrupt companies need to be called out as Jo did, and then take our service to a company that have values that are more honouring.
Corruption in every area of life needs to exposed especially when greed is the underlying tone and so much of what is happening in todays society is set up to disguise the truth. Lets get rid of the camouflage and be open and transparent in all we bring and do.
Yes Greg, I love it. I don’t find the answer to be in literally fighting injustice and corruption but in being inspirational by holding to my own standards.
Corruption is endemic in our world, it is up to us to live truth and love, to live and reflect our values.
It is only when one starts taking responsibility for ones own life that we can say that we truly start to live.
When we say no, set standards and maintain them we have no idea how far the ripples spread outwards to support others. The other day after a long flight from the UK, my husband and I landed at LA airport. The queue to get through customs was incredibly long. At one point my husband went to speak to an official to see how matters could be expedited more efficiently. In the process, the unacceptable wait (it took us 2 hours to get through) was speeded up for many, many more people as the officials took some appropriate action.
There are various ways that conditions and traps are placed upon us. And though we live in a ‘perceived’ world of “freedom’ in many western cultures (which is certainly not the case in many other countries) there are impositions that energetically are not allowing us to be free. In countries where physical oppression can be seen more obviously, it is easy to call this for the oppression that it is. However, when the oppression is more subtle and not so obvious to the naked eye, it can get brushed off. However, this form of oppression is no less damaging on an energetic level and is what feeds the other too. To say no to the subtler form of oppression takes a strong stance against all oppression in the world and begins to tackle the problem at its core.
Telemarketing might seem like the simple annoyance, however, there is a drain to our energy and hence the body if it is something we do not agree to or if it is imposing in some way.
Jo this is a gorgeous sharing of how easily we can be fooled both on a contract level with the fine print but also in terms of what we are actually signing up to on an energetic level.
Jo thank you for reiterating the teachings of Universal Medicine
“Through the teachings of Universal Medicine, and as a result of being inspired to develop more and more self-care and love for myself and to take responsibility for all my choices, I have realised that everything is an opportunity to learn, understand and connect with myself and others.”
All we are being asked is to take more care of ourselves and in doing so the knock on effect is that we naturally care for others. To me this is a very beautiful and responsible way to live.
The inspiration offered by those who live consistently with love and integrity is untold. It is always there to come back to and is always there as a support and guidance in the daily choices we make. We need to recognise and appreciate not just those who do this for us but also that we do this in turn for others.
Yes, my appreciation for Serge Benhayon and his family for living and reflecting love, integrity, truth, and so much more is beyond words. The world needs reflections of a way of living that is about love first and foremost.
Thankyou for sharing how you stood up for what felt true for you, and your persistence through to the end. If enough people do this then systems will change as without a demand there is no supply.
Nailed it Sue – little by little as we all speak up then this will support with bringing back more truth to our systems. And as you have shared, the real change will only occur once there is no longer demand for such falsity.
What we consider small can be huge in the whole scheme of things so it is very wise not to ignore the small things in life. We just have to think of a small stone in our shoe to feel the effect of little things.
Something very little can wear us down hence why we cannot ignore the details and the small print. I love your example of the smallest stone in shoe and how much that can affect us. Thank you Elizabeth!
What is so beautifully highlighted here is how we use control in all our relationships especially in business. So level of self responsibility do we take in all our relationships and transactions?
Great question, “What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?” Attending to the detail in life affects the greater whole from the inside out.
This is a great question to have out on the table and review often. To be honest with ourselves about how much of our lives is or isn’t guided by the responsibility we have for the impact we have on the greater whole.
It is wise to read the ‘small print’ so as to be fully aware of what we are ‘investing in’. I have been caught out before, and it was a great lesson in accepting my responsibility in the situation while not backing down on voicing the truth in the lack of transparency in this instance.
Good save there Jo! How many of us would blindly sign ‘in good faith’ or apparent apathy and unwittingly feed the corruption at play here? That you were able to pick this up and hold steady to what felt true for you while remaining in connection with yourself and others during the process is such a simple but huge step for us all because it shows us that we do not need to accept abuse in any form and that by saying no to it we in fact say yes to love and greater levels of it.
This blog has raised my awareness about the need to take time to look into the finer details of things so thank you.
In the world as it is, full of corruption in every area, this blog demonstrates how important it is to read the small print, as at the end of the day, the consequences can be very big indeed. Unfortunately, though, sometimes the small print can be full of company or legal jargon, hard to understand and so easy to give up on, but as you have made quite clear it’s worth taking the time to fully understand it.
Perhaps it is a difficult thing, to see that there is corruption in the many different layers of life. Because I reckon that many of us, us people who live daily regular lives, do want everything to be simple and clear. To not have hidden untruths or malice anywhere, and to be able to see all that there is happening without having re-interpretations of the facts given through a glamourised veil of hidden agendas.
This is a lesson for me to hold true to what I value and make that the importance. It also asks me to re-visit what do I value? Something for me to ponder on.
When we increase our care and love of self, so too do we in crease our values, ‘being inspired to develop more and more self-care and love for myself and to take responsibility for all my choices’.
What we do with the small print determines how we handle the bigger picture. If the small print is not attended to then neither will anything else be attended too either.
When we stay steady and do not sway, with no reaction or need, the ‘small print’ can be exposed of what it is.
Each and every one of us has the responsibility to not allow abuse… Most of all we don’t allow ourselves to be abused by thoughts that are not our own, that leads into a deep abuse of this body that belongs to God.
Wowzers. That is really saying it. And actually makes it very clear and simple. In the realisation that this body belongs to God there is no place for abuse.
This shows responsibility of us reading the fine print and wanting to know what people are asking us to consent to and why. This is a great example of us allowing the space to actually read consent forms.
When we say no to something we are in fact say yes to so much more.
Yes we cannot afford to be nice.. what we are saying yes or no to is an energy….healing or harming.
Saying no to what is not true, and so saying yes to truth.
When we say No to something we are actually saying Yes to something else. Our Yes means so much more when we can say No because we can then be trusted.
Very inspiring to feel how an opportunity for us to say ‘No’ to something, is an opportunity for us to confirm and offer what we are saying ‘Yes’ to.
The more we all stand up to what we know is wrong, and don’t accept the bullying tactics of companies the sooner these companies will realise that it pays to be honest upfront and transparent.
Absolutely, or we give them permission to continue in a manner that is totally unacceptable.
I am learning to say no to ‘my own small print’. The things I allow that do not support me and that keep me capped. The more I can lovingly say no to myself, the easier it is to say no to corruption, abuse and disregard from others.
If we feel something is not true then we have every right to look at the detail. When we don’t people think they can get away with things. This is a great example of claiming ourselves back.
Saying no to the detail that trips us up is saying yes to the detail that does not.
The small print, as in every little choice we make, has a cumulative effect on the whole.
Sometimes things can seem so perfect, they can tick all the boxes and look and feel just right. It is important to listen to what we feel in these scenarios because it is not about how well something looks, or how many boxes it ticks. If there’s a little part in our stomach that contracts and says “no, please don’t go there” just listen to it, we never know what that little voice can save us from.
How do we act in the face of abuse is a very relevant matter. We all hate to be abused. But not all of us are willing to say no to it. Self worth issues may be part of the equation. Excuses such as ‘I have other more important things to do’ allow us to get comfortable when we submit to abuse. The main problem is how much we have been abused and have abused. Abuse is a daily experience and it is normalized. In spite of it, abuse hurts and we can feel it every time it happens to us. In that our being says clearly to us that this does not belong. It is up to us what to do about it afterwards.
Saying no to any abuse is setting a standard that may not have been expressed before. To get the ball rolling is an offering of nothing less but respect and decency.
We cannot just sign up to somethign without getting the whole of it. Just because we may like, want or need something is not an accuse to ignore certain aspects that I see and do not agree with. It does not mean we cannot do things or sign up to organisations but does mean when we do we need to go in open to seeing everything and not being closed off simply because we want something from it, as in my experience when I put need 1st I become blind to truth.
The many little no’s we say to the myriad of abuses we suffer from in our everyday life, is a giant YES to the love we accept in place of this.
And the more we say YES to love the more the no’s are there without question, rather than being a focus. So far from feeling a no means missing it, it pales into insignificance when we embrace and say yes to the love we are.
Attending to the finer print is vital if we are ever going to be able to master the bigger things in life.
I like this article because it states how simple it can be to initiate real change.
One of the reasons I reckon we don’t like confronting or calling out corruption in the world is that deep down we know the level of corruption we are living with in our own daily lives. Corruption in terms of twisting or contorting the truth to suit our own agendas. So really stamping out corruption in the world has to start with us cleaning up our own backyards so to speak.
Yes, I so agree with you Andrew, the more honest we get we will start to see how very much we contribute to the exact things we do not like in the world, and the more we allow ourselves to reflect upon our own doings and intentions the clearer we will see the steps that are to be taken for ourselves.
I agree corruption and abuse prosper not because they are stronger or more powerful than us but because we allow them to dominate through apathy and collusion.
What’s really important is to read the small print of life itself… Attention to detail 🙂
Yes and to stretch the analogy further…reading all the terms and conditions (to the finest detail) we have placed on life that get in the way of us living vital, loving and joyful lives!
Your commitment to the truth of your body is inspiring. Despite the corporate bullying, you honoured what you felt as kept honouring what was true. This in the end is the only way we are going to make any true change.
It is so responsible of us to read what we are signing up for. Many people don’t consider the small print, and then we are stuck in a pattern that everyone else is in rather than feeling the truth of something and honouring our bodies. This is a great example of how we can speak up, and if we don’t, nothing changes.
I love the inspiration you shared of changing patterns as you breathed gently in situations which can easily lead you to frustration and connect with the people instead. Love it!
Wow Jo, reading this I could feel how many moments I have easily given my power away to the small print. It’s designed to make you feel it’s all to hard to stand up to it, so instead chose to bow down and sign the dotted line.
Jo you highlight the importance of standing up for what is not true, to rock the social comfort in society is what is needed as we are continually dropping standards if we don’t.
What if we are here to not be here, and so, if we then look at life what would we do and wouldn’t do?
A great question for us to ponder in our live. As it shows us that there is so much more, so much more than what we can think of.
Thanks Jo, a great reminder of the importance of continuously reading the small print in any relationship we already have or are initiating.
God is in the detail and life is beautiful in how it allows us to continually embrace that fact or not. It’s up to us.
How often do we sign on the dotted line of compromise and suffer the consequences?
There are times when we are faced with seeing the small print and the fact we’ve allowed that to be ignored until suddenly we’re faced with a clause and it’s impact. And we are all responsible here in what we allow, so the example give above is a great one … being honest about what we feel, respecting that and acting accordingly and standing up for the truth we feel.
A beautiful fact is that when we say yes to something that is true – we instantly make way for more truth. And so we expand within our lives by our own choice and willingness to keep truth our highest marker.
Gorgeous Danna, truth begets truth and it’s always there on offer.
The small print can be often overlooked or given the embellishment flavour to sell the product or must have approach. It is interesting to note that when we clock this we are given the opportunity to note that all that shimmers may not be gold and to question this is bringing more transparency for all.
There is an enormous amount of small print just in living in the world… And therein lies the traps for most people… It is the attention to detail that is now so important.
Why do we say yes to the small print? There is so much revealed here in the willingness to go the fine print to feel that we are calling out respect and integrity of all our actions.
“I feel a responsibility to not allow abuse that I am aware of (including self abuse) to go un-named.” In doing so we also return to our natural sensitivity and can feel where something we may have previously taken as normal eg. speaking sharply to our partner, is also abusive.
Opening up to seeing that everything is an opportunity to learn, grow, understand and connect more with ourselves in truth and with that everyone else we meet is truly enriching.
It is inspiring that even though you were tired and had lots of other things to do you did not let this slip and I think this is something that happens all to much in we let things slip because we are busy, tired or stressed etc so take the easier ‘option’ out which includes dropping our integrity or holding others accountable. However though in the end this is not an easy ‘option’ as we compromise ourselves and what is true to us. I feel this is a big lesson for us all to learn.
We have agreed to a world that looks sweet on the surface but underneath comes with huge catches – which we know full well. We prefer to carry on with our nice picture and live with the fact that it’s all a sham. But as you show Jo we don’t have to – we always have the ability to untick the box that says ‘I consent’.
We create a world that doesn’t support, nurture or care, when we really want the equal and exact opposite. What we don’t say no to, we say yes to… and then complain that we don’t like it.
It is true sometimes we make arrangements which don’t truly support us and then it takes a deal of fortitude to back ourselves and hold to what is really true for us.
Such a clause would be difficult to ask for in Europe or Australia but the principle still applies – we are often asked to sign something that is not acceptable and then have to consider whether to give in, negotiate or walk away and that choice can be different each time.
Everything matters and I never would have used of bothered or thought I had time to read any small print but knowing that it is actually really important to not over look these I have started to see that it is like this with everything in life. The attention to the detail and how if this is nurtured then this is what we are then presented with in the bigger things of life.
The way we take up ‘bargain deals’ without examining the catch in the conditions is absolutely reflected in the way that we live. We make choices and speak on a surface level without wanting to truly look at the details of energy that make up our day. Thank you Jo.
To truly see and feel the details that are constantly reflected to us in our life is a true education. Everything we need to work on and understand is right there in front of us.
Life is not about saving money but living in an energetic quality that is of an absolute love. I am always looking at ways to cut cost and while there is nothing wrong with this, this way of being cannot take over and the quality of life jeopardised… lessons I am learning too in my unfolding.
I am embarrassed to say I pretty much never read the small print, reading this is a bit of a wake up call to what this actually means for me energetically and as a whole view of life! Looking around my office I can see that the finer details of life is definitely something I can step it up in!
We can’t have our cake and eat it too, for every choice there are consequences that come back to you. Conditions apply to our every move – it’s about time we admitted this fact and chose to accept the energetic reality of living this life. Thank you Jo.
Compromise in order to save some money saps our vitality and we know exactly when something does not feel right; taking responsibility and looking for an alternative adds to the pool of available energy that says no more, I am not playing that game and I will not be lied to and taken advantage of.
Most of us might not live in a political dictatorship these days however corporations and big business are the new ‘dictators’.
There is this balance between being absolute in what we feel, coupled with an openness to others. Often I get the balance wrong – too much of ‘my way’ and I’m trying to control everything, too much openness and I’m being ‘nice’ with everyone. When I strike the right balance of both then the magic happens.
That is very true and perfection isn’t needed here, which is rather nice I found.
The more we speak up and say no to abuse the more love there is in the world. We all know truth. Truth is sensed in the body well before the event or situation we find ourselves in. Speaking up for what we know is love can be uncomfortable or even in the case of allowing myself to feel the lies and pretence yesterday within a group of people I know that felt quite shocking is in the direction of supporting my body and wellbeing and that of others. We can not deny the fact that everything is sensed and known whether we like or not.
I love what you bring here Caroline, that all the lies and abuse are sensed and we can’t pretend we don’t know. More we need to be more honest about what we are wanting to not feel.
There is so much corruption going on around us that isn’t being called out, it seems it is just how many of the big corporations do business, most people do know this and little is being done about it as it is becoming a normal way of business.
“I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.”- Saying or doing nothing about abuse is as bad as being the perpetrator of the abuse itself and only adds ‘fuel to the fire’, so to speak. I was recently having a conversation with our waiter at a restaurant in which he was telling us of all the corruption he has discovered in his home country of India and how it is a global problem of control and manipulation with a basis of greed. I could not disagree with his observations, but I could feel how he felt helpless in dealing with this corruption on such a massive scale, so I suggested that he could begin by not allowing any abuse in his own life and simply let that spread to others he is in contact with. The timing of reading this blog is great, and I will be sure to share it with my friend from that restaurant.
As we gain more respect for ourselves and value ourselves more it becomes more natural to support ourselves as you did and not allow these marketing strategies to impose upon us. The only way these less ethical companies are going to change is if we stand up for ourselves and refuse to entertain their lowering standards.
And it’s in exercising our right to speak up and call out what is not ok that really propels us forward through life rather than allowing and accepting for the sake of keeping the peace and following the heard, which we all know always results in resentment that inevitably leaves us stuck in past choices.
I am reminded by my wonder of how much we are willing to allow just to save a little bit of money. But is the price we pay for the compromise and the allowing of what is not right to continue and grow not much higher?
I’m reminded here of a recent talk on compromise. Do we? All the time, and particularly with our bodies whether that be staying in an uncomfortable position, just finishing something off rather than going for a wee when we need to, to ‘allowing’ something (a word here, a bump there) when we have the opportunity to reflect something back – something true that we feel and provides a grand reflection to others.
When something doesn’t sit true with me, I take notice even if the opportunity is there to save pennies. The feeling inside me is uncomfortable and I am not settled. It doesn’t go away and is at the forefront for me to pay attention to my body and what it is asking. In my opinion the part to say no is the easy part; it is my movements before eg.the willingness, openess and honesty to be present and sense truth that sometimes I can override and allow – this to me is key – my immediate response in the moment.
Being aware of and feeling the details in life empowers us to observe the whole of the picture.
We cannot accept the status quo when the status quo is abusive and degrading for all.
It can be a jungle out there – consisting of endless red tape, very small and ever smaller small print and a general pursuit of survival and security at the expense of our humanity and the harmony we could otherwise be living.
How we truly capture what does the expression ‘business as usual’ means? The problem lies with the ‘as usual’ part of it, since what we consider usual, normal, even natural it is not. Nothing that exploits or takes advantage of another one in any way in a surreptitious way can be accepted because it feeds abuse in every way.
It is great that we have inspiration and role models from those who live with integrity and truth, ‘Had I not known people who are truly adhering to the deepest integrity found within us all (living in accordance to our inner most essence)’.
It is amazing the bullying tactics that companies will go to get what they want and the underhanded way they will do it as shown in the small print of the contract the insurance company. To have to make 6 phone calls before someone would acknowledge you just shows the arrogance that some companies have, they are not about offering a service to their customers but about trying to make as much money as possible. Jo that was really great that you did not let accountability slide and stayed with what you know to be true.
Reading your blog Jo, you get a feel of how far as a humanity we have dropped, how far our standards have slipped to allow this to be the norm. Corruption and oppression will always be there if the everyday person does not stand true in what they know.
Great that you have shown how abuse and bullying can creep in all over the place, and the importance of saying “no” to it.
It is interesting that when we approach company or a service that we are not happy with or have questions to ask, that there is a difference when we come from a hurt and reaction and when we come with a willingness to listen and understand. Both can offer a healing or a harm in our ways of expressing with one another.
““What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?” A good question. it’s so easy to blame others and not take personal responsibility, but if we all did that (take responsibility seriously) the world would change.
Beautiful Jo – today it’s unmistakably clear to me that the big things in life begin in the small details of how I live.
Instead of trying to work out what is wrong when I’m off, all I need to do is come back to the gorgeousness of how I move, how I put an object down or how I speak. Bringing this attention to me changes everything and brings me back to the true me.
I absolutely agree Jo that we all need to stand firm in our decisions (stand up and be counted) . If not we will continue to have big and small business take advantage of us. I know there are ethical businesses out there too and they need to be appreciated.
It is so important to understand the bigger picture so whenever small things occur (or seemingly small things) we know that when we leave them whilst we do actually not agree or feel well with them, it is effecting the whole (bigger picture is always including humanity). So it is super duper important that we do not step over things when they feel not true — but actually address them immediately.
‘I feel a responsibility to not allow abuse that I am aware of (including self abuse) to go un-named. I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.’ Awesome Jo!
Wow, living in ‘social comfort’, I can so see how not speaking up when something is not right feed this energy to be ‘normal’ and squashes a way of living that means we are more caring of each other and don’t even consider designing an insurance that has those stipulations.
Brilliant Jo, whether we realise it or not we are constantly receiving energetic packages. When something is not true, not right or not even what was agreed, and we just let it slide, then we accept less than love in our life. But when we say ‘hey this isn’t correct’ – in a loving way we open the door to so much more coming our way.
What a great learning Jo. It’s coming to accept that corruption is corruption, no matter how tiny it wants us to believe it is, it all contributes to the greater evil.
It’s a really great sharing this, and one everyone can relate to. We have created systems and businesses that have flourished that put people secondary, and it is our own choice how much we want to say no to this. It seems impossible to take a stand against every little thing, but our intent matters, and particularly how we go about doing things, without reaction and with an understanding that there are ways to be more loving in how we interact with one another at every level.
“…I have realised that everything is an opportunity to learn, understand and connect with myself and others.” – Love this and it’s something that I keep reminding myself of – it brings a beautiful and enriching purpose to life.
“God is in the details “as the saying goes so no wonder we need to look at the small/fine print in everything if we want clarity. It is a way of bringing true care to ourselves.
Thank you Jo – you support me to see that we all have our version of the ‘small print’ in the form of conditions and expectations we place on another – often without disclosing them. This ‘small print’ has a big disconnecting effect and I can see that communicating clearly is hugely important for all relationships.
It is like bullying in the workplace… We must actually say no … Because there is so much re-imprinting that is needed, and we do need to pave the way.
Everything is energy – everything, absolutely so – first and foremost. This is a knowing that we all may connect to if we have the Will to truly see life and all that is at play.
Thank you Jo. You’ve helped me to see how important it is to submit a fraud report to police after somebody stole from me recently. Everything we do counts – even if it may seem pointless it isn’t.
Where we currently stand is the sum total of the movements we have put in place to get there. Therefore it is wise to pay attention to every tiny detail but also remain astute that we can lose ourselves in the seeming complexity of this in order to avoid panning out and seeing how it all fits together in the big picture of life.
I believe that is a very familiar rabbit hole! Panning out to give the situation some perspective is medicine for life.
‘In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort’ Yes it is far too easy to let things slide and before we know it we have a tsunami to deal with..
A beautiful sharing Jo, I love how you were open to the situation being an opportunity to connect to people rather than allowing emotions like frustration to get the better of you. In this way the situation didn’t ‘own’ you which otherwise would have brought you down…
“I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone”. We are all so connected, and much more than we can possibly comprehend with the human mind. What effects one, effects us all. (or is that affects, I always get confused 🙂 ).
Very true – we can never live life believing we are in a bubble, or that everyone else is. We are all connected and never can be escape this truth and therefore our living way is felt by all others.
The importance of life is about people which the world is made up of and the honouring of this with each other is such an innate natural loving way for us to be yet the world is made up of abuse and disregard of us all and this is something greatly called here to contemplate on and see our role in this with the ripple effect and bigger picture.
I’m experiencing how empowering it is just to say ‘no’ to what doesn’t feel right wherever I go, or lovingly share my observations and reflections in those public services that are not properly offered. I feel that I do it for myself and also for others to come, and this is a service in itself. Maybe I ‘suffer’ an incident, but other people will benefit later with my rectification… and this is huge!
What I also get from what you have shared is that it is a healing for all because those who work in the service who are most likely well aware of the ‘unfairness’ of the product they are selling, fully aware of the fact your details are being sold to another company and that is how they can do the cheaper insurance, can vocalise it for themselves. It is hard to defend something when you know what you are being presented with is the truth. SO the last person Jo spoke to was someone who was equally able to say yes, we have lacked integrity and we have been called out.
This is important to be aware of, because all those documents and policies can often be created without human connection in mind, and so by bringing up this point to the company you are reminding them of their place in the world amongst us all.
I love this. I recently know someone who was going to sign a contract with a large company. The terms in the contract were hideous. They had the choice to walk away or to say something. They said something and what transpired was that the company itself was a bit shocked at how bad the terms were and looked at getting them changed. This person taking the time to read the contract with a fine tooth comb benefited everyone – not just themselves and what they were entering into but also anyone else who had signed the contract, those who would in the future and in my eyes it lifted the integrity of the company itself.
This is a wonderfully inspiring blog because it asks us to go that extra mile and not just accept things at face value. This then takes us to that deeper level of responsibility spoken about in the blog.
I am amazed at the blatant and corrupt way the insurance company bullied their customers into signing such an agreement. In the UK we have a 14 day cooling off period where you can cancel agreement if it does not suit without any cost. The fact that you had to fight not to be charged is crazy but shows the bullying tactics that many fall for and become fearful to get out of. I feel this company should be reported to the ombudsman if you have such a procedure in the US.
Knowing we have compromised always hurts. It may seem like we get away with it initially, but something always happens to remind us of our choices.
The smallest of details is what becomes the pillars of integrity, quality, and consistency.
Saying ‘no’ is equally as loving as saying ‘yes’… and in my opinion, a loving ‘no’ is often the more powerful!
‘I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone’, When we allow ourselves to be treated without respect we are basically allowing abuse and to let this go without calling it out is irresponsible and care-less, a giving up on humanity at large.
Every day we are given the gift of gaining more awareness. We can either brush off the constant awareness we receive to stay in what is familiar or we can challenge ourselves to be the constant explorer, finding nuggets of gold everywhere.
Funny as I was reading the start of your blog it occurred to how many “terms” we sign up and accept without discerning and these are not just written contracts but energetic ones too. In most cases if we really knew what we were getting we would run a mile, and yet if we were more responsible and discerning we would know what we were getting and not sign in the first place.
Most people would brush this off as normal and expected. Standing up and saying no is an immense service not just to yourself but to everyone – it is these ‘normal’ ways of behaving that have no respect or care for people that when called out, pave the way and space for deep respect and care for ourselves and each other.
Respect … is one of the cornerstones of building true relationships
Brilliant Jo – I appreciate the paralells you have drawn between our everyday decisions and the quality of world we live in. It’s like we will do anything to try to ignore the vital part we have to play. If we push away things that don’t feel right it’s only matter of time till we see that small things are big things actually.
The small print is found all over the place and the beauty of our skills of awareness and reading can support us to feel what is true and what is dishonouring of who we are. Standing up for truth in all facets of our lives shows us how far we are willing to go to choose a more loving way to live life and how amazing it is to stand up and be honest with how we feel. An awesome blog thank you.
Our livingness directly affects the life we live and what comes to us. Your example of holding yourself and choosing an insurance that equals the love you have for yourself has shown that it is possible for this to be the way we live. Holding ourselves and deeply respecting ourselves in all transactions means this will be felt by those around us and will confirm what is true.
‘I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.’ True Jo, we need to have at least respect in all our relationships.
If only we realised the true imprisonment and crippling judgement we live with when we let our spirit run the show, we would never ever consider ourselves free, or at liberty – but realise we are simply vehicles of energy and there is only one source of loving energy we can align to and that is Love. Thank you Jo for this beautiful blog.
What has become evident is that there are many terms and conditions sometimes not even scribed that we behave to – like how we can be at work, how we have to be walking in the shops, how we should be with guests over – this small print is everywhere.
The small print, which never truly is that small, is always worth paying close attention to. If not, ift will have to come around again, so it is actually seen.
” I have realised that everything is an opportunity to learn , understanding and connect with myself and others ”
This is a great realisation for once you live this anything life throws at you will never be a stumbling block , thank you Jo
An inner commitment to removal of abuse in all its forms is a daily development. It requires no self-judgement and a path of understanding more and more of what abuse really is. Imagine if even 10% of the world committed to such a path… would that change the world forever?
Thank you Jo. It is invigorating to read a blog like this and to know that there are people in the world who want to stand up for truth. Everything that we do matters and makes a different to the world at large.
This is a great service to humanity Jo to not let abuse go un named, any form, rather than just going with what may seem the easy route. We can all feel and know what feels true and if we were to all to take responsibility and act on it as you have the tides would change on the abuse that is rife in our world.
How often do I compromise a situation because I’m too tired, too busy. It might be just a little, a nudge to the left so to speak. But no matter how small I end up diminished from it rather than supported. In the end that does not serve me, and provides no feedback to the supplier on what is true and not true. So all around a very poor compromise.
This reminds me of that saying that the ‘devil is in the detail’…. but then equally god is in the detail as well. So the important lesson is to pay attention to the detail cause there is alot going on there!
We are very aware beings, and glossing over details is a short cut and a choice that we make.
This is a very necessary message Jo that you are expressing in this blog, one that all of humanity needs to adhere to: say NO to any abuse including self-abuse
It is true that it is we, the users of our systems perpetuate demand for such, in our complicit acceptance of the corruption we are dished out on a daily basis. It is well worth considering what will happen if corruption, greed and bullying is no longer tolerated by the people.
The complacency is what fuels the behaviours.
It is amazing to read that a company thinks it’s ok to slip such imposing conditions in under the fine print. Yet I am sure it is representative of what goes on in business these days. We have been manipulated by advertising for decades but now the manipulation is hitting our pockets, in the form of bribery. I must admit I generally do not read fine print, so I am just the sort of person that companies rely on to not question their terms and allow the abuse to continue.
The article is a great reminder of the fact that we slide things to not rock the boat, be nice and get on with life without taking responsibility. It starts from small and becomes a norm and plays out in our life and others too as we have become part of the norm. Thank you for sharing!
I have come across this blog this morning and interestingly it has been no coincidence as the last few weeks this has been a big part of what I have been learning. It is so easy to brush aside what we know and feel is not true in order to not rock the boat or cause waves but what in the long run does this do to impact how we accept one another and the levels of integrity we bring to the all?
When we allow ourselves to be treated with disrespect we also give ourselves permission to treat others with disrespect. As you say Jo, our choices impact on everyone.
There is too much of this manipulation and bullying going on and if we don’t stand up to it it will just increase. We are selling out if we do not bring attention to these things and refuse to take part in them.
Ignore the details at our own peril!
A beautiful example of the importance of details.
Reading this I am reminded that saying yes to either what is love or what is not, I will get way more than what is seemingly superficially on offer. So saying yes to love the universe is given to me. And saying yes to what is not love brings through all that will destroy and harm who I truly am and those around me.
Thanks Jo… there is a lot of small print going on isn’t there… It’s all around us and we do need to take note… imagine if we knew the small print that came with every politician , with every bank, with every policy, indeed with every so called health food ( lets get lateral!)
hmmm… if we knew the small print behind every politician, policy, product etc.. we may realize that in order to eat and live with a clear conscience we need to change how we are all doing things, change ourselves and rebuild society with the integrity of True love.
We are very sensitive beings and can therefore register abuse very easily in our bodies. If we are living in any way less than the glorious beings that we all are then we are at some level allowing abuse in our lives. The only true way to live without abuse is to live the love that we naturally are.
We are bullied in so many different ways, so much so that we often don’t even realise it. Exposing abuse for what it is asks for something greater than what is currently being offered.
We are bullied in so many ways and it is up to us to call it out, expose it for what it is to stop it from occuring again.
To save a few bob but to lose yourself would be a very sad decision Jo. Not losing ourselves and our values feels the most important thing to learn here, everything is connected.
What you show here Jo is the blatant corruption and abuse of offering a service that is not interested in the people and insuring that they are looked after should something go wrong, all they are interested in themselves and the most they can make out of their customers. This is a new level of marketing bullying I have not heard of before, and the more people that sign to this the more this will then become the acceptable practice. Great that you stood up and said no to their abusive behaviour
Yes Alison, the many heartless policies we complain about exist because we have been complacent consumers accepting the unacceptable.
This will start to change when we start saying no and talking about stuff that does not feel right.
Well said Alison and Jo – life is all about people and it is up to people to claim it so.
Yes I am really learning that we can not let anything go that does not feel true. Many of us have been complacent in allowing things to slip and dismiss things rather than questioning their integrity. When we collectively speak up it really does make a difference and it supports others to see the corruption and lies we are often blind to.
Seeing responsibility beyond the confines of our lives and direct experiences to the bigger picture and humanity as a whole – this is an inspiring and transformative invitation, thank you, Jo.
Looking for the cheapest rates is something we have become used to as a society but there is more to consider, the cheapest is actually often the most costly, especially if we value society, and people and togetherness. Just like the big supermarket that claims to create jobs, yes actually ravages the small businesses around it, it is a false economy as the money ends up in the hands of the few. There are always choices we can make, but it pays to consider what is really going on, and what is on offer for all.
How many of us do not speak up because we are shy or embarrassed to do so. All the while enabling the corruption to continue. Where do our loyalties lie? To ourselves and our little bubble of protection, or to the truth?
So true Rebecca, for the more we ignore or dismiss the corruption the more it is allowed to fester and grow.
There are so many instances in life where we compromise and say yes to the small print because we could not be bothered. But in reality we are only ever delaying the inevitable where we must revisit our choices which were not energetically true.
Long calls to call centres usually include being placed on hold and transferred incorrectly and innumerable times, listening to muzak and corporate messages and instructions, repetitions of our request or complaint and more. All these things can try our patience enormously and lead to frustration if not out and out ‘phone rage’. It truly is an opportunity to deepen our stillnes, look at any frustrations that might be emerging and develop our connection with and appreciation of the people on the end of the line. A modern day opportunity for mastery.
Being aware of the tiny details that can take us unawares is a beautiful way to action the understanding Serge Benhayon has presented on numerous occasions: “Everything is everything, and nothing is nothing”.
And to explore and commit to what may be unfamiliar but has a grander purpose than just the meeting of our needs.
It is amazing how many things can be hidden in the small print that we never bother to read. It is quite symbolic for life how we can so often focus on the big picture we can miss the small details. Everything matters and this just highlights to what level of responsibility are we choosing to live with and by.
When we say no to all of the small ways in which we receive bullying and abuse everyday, we are saying yes to loving ourselves very much.
Such a great reminder that no matter what whatever we say yes to be it small print or on a level of not saying anything but you go along with something then we will be aligning to whatever the energy holds. This is the responsibility that we don’t really want to look at but is essential for a clear and loving way of living.
Sometimes the cheapest or easiest option isn’t the one which will support us most long term, and actually putting in the extra effort and/or money for better quality, less complications and a more trustworthy product/service saves us enormous amounts of stress.
I agree. And we know this but still often get tempted and wooed by apparently ‘great offers’ that don’t have the integrity and service that support us or business models as a whole.
‘…‘business-as-usual,’ in other words – bullying, blackmail and the oppression and abuse of many people for the profit of a few – or I could just deal with it and say “No.” Considering the time it took you in saying ‘no’ it would have beeb understandable had you chosen to ‘give up’, but the fact you persisted is inspiring! If EVERYONE persisted every time there was bullying, blackmail, oppression we would not be inundated by these problems… we would not live in the given-up-ness we currently have.
The world is complicated and requires our undivided attention to avoid its many pitfalls. That however can seem overwhelming. Ironically it is a simple approach to life that often works best, for it creates a platform within oneself that assists to expose the complications.
We can often look away from the ‘fine print’ in our daily life experiences, but it always returns to us in one form or another so we can re-imprint what we have avoided.
Nothing is nothing and everything is everything. Every moment matters, nothing can change this immutable fact.
Not reading the small print is for me the same as not taking note of the smallest details of life. I have found out the hard way what the impact on me and my life can be when I skip the small print or the minutest of life’s details. Taking the time to take in even the smallest of details in anything that we do can save a whole lot of pain and often an unwelcome expense.
I recently wrote a letter to a large company because the way that they are doing business, it was not about service and customer satisfaction, but clearly about making money with a lack of accountability. It will not change the world big scale, but it will change things on a micro level, I was offered some money as compensation, but it really is not about that…I feel it is more to do with if we see something that does not serve humanity we call it out. This can be on a big scale or when it comes to it the small print.
The ‘small print’ can be seen as anything in life that is unsaid and hidden. If we stop to feel we can usually feel when this is the case. Whether or not we choose to expose it or look at it is a different matter.
The small print is important in all we do, even the small print that is not written, which is the energetic quality of what we are choosing to align to is all important.
I would pay more for any service that is run with integrity because that is what we all deserve as human beings–respect. If a business tells me it is cheaper because they have also withheld respect and integrity towards its customers, then this price is not a benefit–because what we are charged always comes with the small print of whether there is care and respect or not. I would not give my energy to those businesses who do not care enough to be caring to their customers, simply because respect and integrity is really just the most basic human relations! So in a world when we purely do business looking at how much something costs, have we really “read” the fine print, and do we accept the lack of care or abuse in other words, that comes normalised with it? Ultimately the question is, how much do we feel we are worth?
As you say Jo, we ca never let accountability ‘slide’ . We are accountable for the vibration we stand in and emanate every moment. It effects everything.
The reality of the importance of the small print exposes the importance of looking at and living by the details in every aspect of our lives and everything not attended to or dismissed comes back to open us in some way or another as the complete whole of what we bring as who we are is needed in the bigger picture of life.
Reading this blog today makes me to consider that everything matters in life, also the small print I tend to not read because of the many details in it but actually are part of life, of our current societies. I can react to that and say that I do not want to live in a world that ruled by the small prints, and that for me is true but the fact is that I do live in that world and have to live with it otherwise I will be caught up in it if I try to ignore its existence. Only through our livingness we can make a change and when we accept to be part of something that is actually not supporting to our societies we can make it more visible by the way we go along with it and in that expose this illness, that it actually is, in our societies.
the detail includes every single aspect of our lives, Serge has presented that ‘everything is everything’ and there is no difference in quality no matter what we are doing. what we bring to the detail is what we bring to the all.
I squirm a bit when I read this article because I know I gloss dismissively over the small print in contracts. My attention to detail is strong in other areas of my life, so what step to responsibility am I avoiding here? I am glad for the opportunity to explore – thank you.
I loved reading that you cancelled your policy and stood up to the truth of what was originally in place, companies making additions like this and hiding it in the small print are not being honest and upfront with their customers and if that is the case what else are they not being honest or upfront about.
It’s very easy to go along with things and say yes for an easier life but none of the underlying abuse in the small print, as you have shared Jo, will change unless we say No and expose it or what it is. A further and deeper step with Responsibility, thank you.
When we are tired we often drop the bundle, and all our best intentions go out the window. I find that if I am super loving with my self when I am tired then I can remain focused and committed on what I know to be true for me.
We think evil are the obvious things but really it is the more hidden and unseen forces that effect us everyday if we do not stop and call it out for what it is. The moment we compromise ourselves in one area we affect all other areas of our lives and truth is never ever worth compromising.
A think I have found too these days is that some companies offer three months free trial, no obligation to pay anything when the there months is up but they take your credit card details. It is true you can cancel any anytime but they make it so hard to find out how to cancel. One I heard of through Amazon was taking seventy pounds a year and it was impossible to trace back how to cancel.
The ‘small print’ can also occur in a verbal conversation such as in a sales transaction in a shop (for example) when the seller speaks super quick and sounds in a hurry glossing over some ‘minor’ points… remembering not to get pulled along by the speed of transaction, but to stay with your own rhythm (body) to pull back and check over the finer detail.
The realisation that we write our own small print in order to be held in a contract that we then complain about – crazy but true.
Often the people who are being asked to implement the small print, such as cancellation fees, understand that it doesn’t apply to everyone in all circumstances, but they feel their hands are tied by the policies and beauracracy in place. By staying with ourselves and not allowing ourselves to get caught in it, we offer them and opportunity to see if there is any room for movement in these policies.
After reading this blog the other day I had the opportunity to read the terms and conditions on an agreement I was getting myself into with my local bank, and could they make them any longer. I had to read them in stages and keep coming back – it’s a far cry from the gentleman’s hand shake, but at the end of the day it is for us to know what we are saying yes to.
A brilliant example of how far away from simplicity and integrity we have come. Through the breakdown of trust and relationship we have complicated life very much.
“In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.” Very beautifully said, it is true that most of the time we do not share what we feel because of not wanting to stand out and be socially accepted. Yet what I remembered is that it is in the end for all of us if we stand up for our own feelings of something not being right like a system that is loveless. Even though we may not be liked at that instance as it challenges, never underestimate the effect that one choice has and how much it can inspire someone when we share how we feel.
It is interesting how life is set up to distract us from ‘reading’ the small print. Yet when we bring our full awareness to life it lights up and magnifies what is true.
There is love in taking care of the detail, yet this is often where we can get caught. If we are prepared to open our eyes and take care to see the truth in and around us, it exposes all those areas where the trickery and abuse lies. It firstly starts with ourselves, what we are saying yes to in our own lives.
Bringing it back to ourselves makes life so simple and responsibility such a great ally. I see my place in the big picture and it is an honour to play my part.
Whilst it may seem easier at times to overlook the details that do not sit right, in the long term we always will come to revisit what we have not dealt with.
Respect and decency should be our minimum standard when it comes to how we treat one another – anything less is and should be seen as abuse.
Question, is there a law about the size of information on a product? There are laws about what must be disclosed like ingredients and hazard information. But, what use is it, when you need a magnifying glass to read them? So, why don’t TVs and mobile phones have a small book of the hazards of the prolonged use of these drugs that cause addiction and long term dependance?
It is never not worth speaking the truth for in holding it back we prevent true loving change, we negate truth and love in favour of all that is false and unsupportive of us all in this world.
Making a stand for integrity, within ourselves is how we instigate change.
Coming to a point in our lives where something like this we would just signed away and not think anything of it, well that would have been years ago. Today I can say that I too have a level of worth that now I won’t accept anything that is less than what I deserve. Down to the very last detail.
It is so easy to slip into frustration in these situations and dealings with corruption in corporations, so good on you for making it about people first and staying connected to that, rather than focusing on the issues of the situation.
It is always interesting to read about what goes on in the small print, and what stands out to me is the fact that a person wrote it, it came from someone who woke up that morning, who has parents, perhaps cousins, maybe children and a partner, friends, people they meet in the coffee shop or at the library. They are a person with a life outside of work and one day they arrived at work and were given the task to write a policy by their boss who also has a life outside of work and who was also told to generate a policy. And so on the chain goes with lots of people arriving at work each day and doing as they are told because it is their job to do so, perhaps so the bills can be paid, perhaps so they can afford that next holiday – special time with their family. This all says to me that we must never make the incongruincies of the big corporations personally or to make them personal, as they can simply be a result of people feeling disengaged with their jobs and perhaps not fully valued for what they can bring in their truest expression to the workplace. So when this kind of policy or corporate behaviour is seen, it is important to highlight the fact in a most loving way, so that everyone has the opportunity to return to their own loving expression in their own loving way.
Saying ‘no’ from truth in small ways enables a greater resilience to say no when bigger issues come along.
‘Had I not known people who are truly adhering to the deepest integrity found within us all (living in accordance to our inner most essence),’ And also what I have found is that these student of the Livingness, also have integrity with the words they use and the energy the words come with, so this means no wool is ever been pulled over your eyes to keep you in the dark and hide the lies.
The responsibility of being ourselves in expressing what is true from the heart is a great healing to everyone, us and the whole world gets this medicine. Every moment of our lives is an opportunity to heal if that is what we choose. True there may be a lot that comes in the way of living who we are naturally, but the simplicity of this is, being ourselves naturally is actually the easiest expression, and a way which does not drain us or harden us–so really it is about how much we are willing to care for and treasure ourselves.
It is empowering to realise that in saying ‘no’ to the seemingly small stuff, what we are actually standing for is Love and truth. We all have the power and as such the responsibility to arrest that which is not of Love through our every choice we make, in every situation we are met with. We all know deep within what feels true and what does not. As such with every choice we have the opportunity to re-claim the space we occupy with Love by standing strong and saying ‘no’ to the corruption, lovelessness, and abuse we feel in our lives.
Many businesses are no longer about serving people, but have become about self-serving agendas.
It is so vitally important we stand up for what is right in these circumstances. It is our collective apathy that has allowed corporate corruption to flourish, and it is only through removing corruption from our lives that we will disallow it from society. I love what you stood for Jo, it is closing the door on something unacceptable.
I must admit to ticking the box saying ‘agree’ when I’ve downloaded a new piece of software for my computer or phone. There is an element of trust, and I assume everything is going to be OK, but I don’t really know what I am agreeing to. Its a shame that some companies take advantage of this and don’t make it clear that people may be signing up to something they would rather not. It also flags up that we must take more responsibility for what we say ‘yes’ to.
I enjoy my innate trust in people whilst also realising that I need to discern when to apply more due diligence and attention.
Accepting deals that compromise truth say it’s ok to live less than love and basically opens the door to bullying, control, manipulation and all kinds of abuse. When we stand up for truth and love we give permission for everyone to do so too.
Living truth in every detail brings a clarity that reflects back to us, and we can ‘see’ so much more.
In society what your article shows is just how much we protect ourselves and how much we try to pull over one another through the use of the small print in things, the transparent and open nature of working together is very rare and it is the hidden detail that we need to be aware of. This though reflects what I’ve come to understand about many things in life, for example we may love the “community” aspect of an institutional religion and be part of it because of that but ignore the “small print” about the abuse, corruption and genocide that is part of that religion. Perhaps our contracts are exposing far more about how life works that we first realise.
Wo Jo, I love this, you have totally inspired me as I have been someone who can just ticks boxes in order to just get it done, but what you are saying is so true and if we all make a stand against this abuse that we know is not true then we will soon find this abusive way of doing things ceases to exit.
“because ‘we have democracy’ or money or a job or whatever… we need to look again and ask ourselves “What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?” Currently in the UK there is an election underway and in our so called democracy which one would ‘assume’ is free from propaganda. However this is not the case, we are being literally bombarded with biased news towards the current government by preciously perceived impartial broadcasters like the BBC. It is quite disheartening to watch and I have struggled to not react to this. But when we feel what is at stake right now, of course every trick in the book is being used to try and get a result that is pro separation. Like you share we need to look at our individual responsibility.
The naming of abuse requires us to be open and willing to fully see that abuse, and as we do there will be more and more abuse that becomes clear including our self-abuse. The naming of it as such, without being on any mission inherently asks us to deepen our own love, and through that more love is available for all.
Good call Jo, often we can’t be bothered to read the small print, and the companies in question know this, and rely on us not wanting to read the small print. How often have we signed up for something and then all of a sudden we are bombarded with phone calls from a call centre wanting to do a survey on our spending habits, so that more companies can target us. Saying no has to start somewhere and this is as good as any place to start.
It does take courage to say ‘no’ and be on the receiving end of reaction in full force being flung back at you…but then on realising the consequences of remaining quiet and taking the path of least resistance taking those steps becomes necessary even if a little scary. I have much appreciation for all those who walk before me prepared to put their neck on the line for truth and not back down.
Whenever we make life about security and fulfilling individual needs we allow tolerances in life and will defend them with everything we have as if we are honest about it, we’d realize the level of abuse that we allow in our lives for the sake of individuality which ultimately has a detriment effect on humanity as a whole.
Corruption plays out in so many disguises we don’t seem to recognise it anymore, it has become part of the norm.
yes, so true, which is why paying attention to the detail supports one to stay with truth
Standing up for ourselves and for truth starts with small things. The small things then comprise the bigger picture and form how we are in life.
It is always our responsibility to express what we know to be true in our bodies.
Detail is super important and reveals much that can be otherwise missed, negated or ignored.
In the detail is the intricacy of understanding, true knowledge, universal intelligence and a call to order, responsibility and clarity.
True Deborah, and with this level of detail comes simplicity.
When we keep saying yes to just a few things that aren’t right eventually we end up a long way off course.
What is it about us that is so un-assured that we cannot take control of a situation as it presents itself even the lies coming from another do not get recognised as abuse? Could it be that we have lived so much in a situation where abuse of every kind is normal so we accept the impositions that are abusive and stand idly by? When true love enters the equation all judgments do not even enter into our thoughts so we are left alone to make loving choices that have no impact on us. The simplicity of saying no to abuse and feeling the loving connection that this brings self-empowerment for everyone equally!
We are so used to accepting a dysfunctional behaviour from service providers and companies in our lives… It does take diligence and tenacity to take a stand… Well done!
Its interesting how one can feel obliged or swept up along in the process of contracts to sign a contract, BUT… the beauty is, you can always say ‘No’ … you are not obliged, it is important to question and ask at any point along the way. One can apply this approach to life as well..
We have all seen the products that have the pull tab on the label to read more information on the back or a recipe. There is a lighter manufacturer that was sued so many times because there was no warning on their product, which now there is a foot long folded, with real small print on both sides of warnings on a pull out warning label. Most of the warnings are common sense like do let children play with them. Are we living in a world where no one trusts anyone anymore, is life now being defined by the small print?
What I am understanding more and more is that its in the detail of what we do and don’t say yes to that really matters, at the same time we can get an instant knowing about a product, brand of what is on offer. Sometimes things may appear in one way but underneath the surface the truth is very different matter.
This article is an ongoing call for me to take responsibility for the details that make up the big picture, and I appreciate the inspiration here, however resistant I might be
The thing with the small print is that we have to take the time to read it, rather than just gloss over it. If we don’t it sets up complication for the future. It is the same with our bodies. If our body is giving us messages and we ignore it by not reading what it is telling us then we lose an opportunity to address things on the spot and avoid them becoming an issue in the future.
The small print is actually the large print in bright neon lights. It is a choice to see it as the small print that allows us to override and ignore it. It is also the part that we are most invested in, which means there is no doubt it was seen to begin with.
A very revealing read, one that makes myself for one feel a little uncomfortable of how much I have not bothered to read the small print. What is coming to awareness is “the small print” is daily life. How much do I let slide in the general living of life? Certainly less since reading this article.
It’s never worth selling out for anything, our principles and our commitment to the truth defines our whole life.
The more and more i live life with the understanding of the importance of true responsibility and the ever deepening of this that is possible the more I see that love is in the detail and anything felt and not acknowledged in this leaves an opening for what is not love to be accepted as ok.
It can be easy to roll over and accept unfair injustices to not make a fuss and not rock the boat. But through personal experience I am finding the devastating effect of what keeping quiet brings…but equally what comes with the power when we do speak up.
“We can and will make a true difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.” When we stand up for truth – and don’t compromise – and everyone else begins to do so too – this will expose the level of abuse we have actually been accepting.
Often we let small details slide due to a ‘this will do attitude, or ‘I don’t have the time for this way of thinking.’ Problem is wether it be immediately or further down the track this has an impact of some sort, either on our self or another. Attention to detail is super important and to not develop this is irresponsible.
Agree one hundred percent here, to not develop our attention to detail is an irresponsibility. As it impacts more than just ourselves. If something comes to us, it is our responsibility to address it in full, with our full attention and awareness, which then brings to the fore the awareness of the detail and what is needed.
Skimming over details in small print is no different from skimming over any details in life – another exposure of irresponsibility.
I wonder how many clauses and hidden small print terms lie in conversations and favours; do we ask of or do things for others out of true love and support all the time, or do we keep it in the back of our mind that they ‘owe us’ in some way or have things THEY knowingly or unknowingly have to do to deserve our support.
When we do things for others out of love and support, are we not planting seeds that may also pass on these actions in others sometimes, just as the natural by-product?
We certainly don’t even see the abuse when we are in the midst of comfort. Which is why when the rug is pulled from under us it can be the best thing to happen for it wakes us up to the truth of what we have been saying yes to and what we have been saying yes to is a lie.
This is an important call to responsibility and one that I am not embracing in full… like ‘really, after all this time, I have got to read all the small print… surely companies have the integrity not to set out to hoodwink us…’ Many do, some don’t and I understand the responsibility we all have to spot and call out the hooks and hidden clauses that undermine trust and service in the world today.
When we are willing to compromise our own selves we are most unlikely to speak what we we truly feel with others, so it begins with not compromising the truth within ourselves first.
Wonderful! Just wonderful. I love the way you have drawn the reader to consider our assumption that we are somehow safe living under democratic process, when in fact these sorts of tyrannies abound. They are highly effective because most of us just cannot be bothered to challenge them. We give up, give in, hand away our power to people who care nothing for the consequences, then we suffer when the consequences land in our laps.
I have started to read the fine print more often before I sign myself away, but you have reminded my to do this with far more care and attention to detail. It is my life the stands behind the signature and is impacted directly by what i have said ‘yes’ to.
“It is my life the stands behind the signature…” boy oh boy! when you put it like this, you can certainly feel the imprint of everything you are on the paper. God is in the detail.
True responsibility is to pay attention to detail.
It’s so easy to override and ignore the small print in any situation. Even a life situation that does not have any text has metaphorical ‘small print’. We can gloss over the details if they feel a little bit too challenging to deal with, and later down the track suffer the consequences of this. It’s definitely worth valuing ourselves enough to consider and deal with the smaller details at the time.
The key is to say yes to love which, as a consequence, means saying no to abuse, including the abuse ubiquitous in fine print.
Love this comment Christophe as it does not dwell on the negative, but instead inspires us on what to say yes to…. and love should always be the first choice.
The opportunity to express truth is in every detail of our lives
it has been said ‘the devil is in the detail’ – or we could choose to bring love to the detail – when we seal the openings where evil otherwise can enter and so pollute, sabotage, corrupt the potential clear expression of truth
It has to be said love brings a simplicity that allows everything to unfold and complete in its true process, this is so simple and I have tended to get caught in complexity, which has opened me up to evil.
It is great that we are not just talking about the act of responding to small print or saying no to abuse in its various forms here, we are talking about “the big picture”. Because no choice or act happens just in the privacy of our personal little circle, even our silence and complacency has an impact on the whole: it gives a green light to what we are staying complacent about.
Yes, it only encourages them …
So true Golnaz, and every situation is so different that on some occasion, silence can be golden!
Good point Golnaz, even staying quiet adds to the rot we now find ourselves in.
There is the bigger picture of saying no to the small print within ourselves also…. when we allow ourselves to get away with a wayward behaviour (and the little voice inside tells us its ok, when truly we know otherwise) then we are also on a slippery slope. For if we can’t say no to ourselves, how can we say no to others?
Very true Rachel. We are always saying yes to something and the question is whether we are saying yes to what evolve’s us or yes to something that delays and distracts us from our evolution.
It seems to me that this was not about “allowing another big company to get away with ‘business-as-usual,’ “, but rather about making a connection with the people who were on the end of the phone and offering them an opportunity to view their policies and thus themselves in a different way.
If we want to know how dictatorships or terrible regimes start, one look at our history will surely show that it’s from the casual, lazy moments we have where we turn a blind eye, accept something that we truly know is not right. Unseen to us, these things add up to truly cancerous situations, leaving us to exclaim with horror ‘how did this happen?’. The answer lives in the small things we let slide. Thank you Jo for this important reminder.
‘Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.’ this is so true – it is our compliance with what such corporations choose to of which makes it possible for them to do so – we have the power to stop it with our own choices individually and collectively.
As others have shared here when we put people first it makes it about love but currently a lot of businesses do not put people first as you have shared it. However, it is great you felt this and expressed this to the company as this … this starts to make that difference saying we no longer accept making life about profit, corruption, greed and abuse.
When we say no and it’s said in truth the come-back can be quite remarkable…what we think is impossible to shift actually can be changed.
Your blog demonstrates how important it is to pay attention to the small detail… not just in contracts but in our everyday life too.
This is something that we do need to realise that every single detail means something and is it something that is supporting us all to be who we are and treat each other with love, care and respect. If not then this is a level of abuse be it small or large it doesn’t matter abuse is abuse.
Many companies count on people not reading the fine print these days as so much paperwork is needed to be read, keeping it complicated is part of putting us off from reading, when it could be basically simple, great for you to honour what you were feeling and speak up and say no to the abuse.
‘We can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’ Well said and very true Jo, often we complain about the systems or the corrupt companies and then turn a blind eye, by taking responsibility such as you did to call this out and say ‘no’ is what’s needed in a world that has often chosen to give up instead of seeing the choices we make that have a ripple effect that impacts on the whole.
This is a beautiful example how we can always start with ourselves, and we often underestimate how these little individual steps affect the greater all.
The investment in connecting to and deepening to who we truly are is priceless and worth every cent.
Simplicity is in the detail. We often think details can bog us down, yet so much more complication can be added to life when we don’t care for the details.
‘In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’ It is not until we instigate change in our lives that we realise how debilitating it is to settle for the status quo, in any way shape or form.
Great point here in that when it got tough you did not fall into blaming the people you were speaking to on the phone. It is our systems that are causing the problems and although these systems have been created by people and condoned by them, it does not mean we cannot connect with and stay respectful to every person we meet, even if they are representing something we do not like or agree with.
‘I am not advocating any mission, agenda or revolt, however I feel a responsibility to not allow abuse that I am aware of (including self-abuse) to go un-named.’ The first step in changing anything is simple, make different choices.
What we accept, by way of tacit agreement, turning a blind eye or chosen ignorance, we perpetuate for everyone else. There is so much in the world that is in need to changing, love the small step you took.
Scary as it is we are constantly agreeing to so much in life simply because we do not say no. At these times, no signature is required but we are effective by the full package at play – all the more reason to constantly express what we feel to.
Saying no to the small print, to what is not true, allows the doors to open wider to what is true.
I chose to terminate my contract with a telephone-provider recently. For years I was not happy with them and the way they choose to abuse our connection/contract, but it was ‘not to bad’ and as you said: I had other things to do…. But I realized how much I allowed abuse in this area of my life and this is an entry point for more abuse from other sides. So now I feel very great to stop it and go for a deeper care for myself. It is as I would say to the world: “I am worth and precious and will not allow to be treated less than that. Every point of abuse will be detected and eradicated. Thats what I am standing for.”
And when we don’t accept abuse we are also setting a strong example.
Thank you for sharing a blog about the importance of looking at the fine print as often this is overridden or in many cases when we do speak up we are met with a lot of reaction. Holding ourselves true to exposing what is no true in the big and small situations is a timely reminder that there is always a moment to offer this to another but it is the quality in which this is done in that will provide the greatest pondering for all.
This is indicative not just of a way of business which has gone astray but fundamentally our way of living. ‘Coldness, separatism, oppression and harm will continue between people unabated until we claim that there is another way and live to show this other way by not leaving what we truly feel out of the equation in anything we do. In other words, we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’
There is a great blinding that occurs when we do not see the microcosm that lives within the macrocosm. That is, when we do not allow ourselves to see both the detail and the broader picture it is a part of. No small print is insignificant. It all comes from bigger energies at play. Thus it pays to be astute as to what energy we are playing ball with – is it all that is the love that we are, or is it all that is not of such love? This blog is a great example of this wisdom and of how we can so simply take responsibility for all that happens to us in life, for it is not by random chance that we suffer misfortune but by the play of our own hand.
We have allowed so much separation, discontent and abuse within the world by our silence, apathy and inaction. In order to arise to the potential that is permanently on offer for us to live in brotherhood with love, harmony and equality, we must firstly transform our own garden -the way in which we move, conduct ourselves and express in every moment to all that we deeply know to be true.
This is a great example of doing business – in fact treating people – with little transparency. Why have we allowed businesses to be run like this? Why do we relate to each other in ways that are roles, not truth. The more people choose to be treated as decent and loving human beings, the less companies would get away with lies, betray and abuse. We get the leaders (CEO’s) that we call for!
When we start saying ‘no’ to abuse, we also start to realise that there may be abuse in different aspects of our life that we may have been tolerating. A deepening awareness of Love and Truth reveals what abuse is and where it lies.
I had a three year battle with an insurance company over a claim for subsidence underneath my house. Eventually, and I’m not proud of this, I lost my cool, went ballistic and threatened legal action. Immediately the insurance company stepped up and settled my claim. I got talking to one of the brokers and he revealed to me that it was official policy of the company to delay, road-block and resist in any way possible, every single claim that came through. Because, a huge number of people eventually give up and the insurance company doesn’t have to pay out. It is only when the customers get really nasty and show their teeth that they accept their responsibility and settle the claim. This was their official policy!!! We are such a long way from a transparent, fair and honest way to treating each other. Is it any wonder that people get so angry and frustrated when meeting these kinds of brick walls?
The people on the other end of these phone lines are so used to getting so much abuse and vitriol form people. It must be brutal for them, when all they are is the messenger – sending a message that is no fault of their own. It is worth considering before we take out our frustration on them and it must have been such a gift for whoever answered your call to not be met by that abuse yet again. I have shouted at these people before and it is so gross and feels so horrible – but nowadays I don’t behave like that and will always try to make a real effort to connect with, and treat, these people with respect – no matter what the message they are passing on!
I love the way this article is reminding me of every ‘small print’ in my life and how easy it is to dismiss or ignore it if we are not stayiing aware and honouring what we innately know is right, even before the situation arises.
I have known that small print is important for a long time, however I have chosen to believe myself a victim of the complexity with which it is presented. On the back of what I have read here I have spotted that the victim and helpless umbrella I have held myself under is simply a sneaky attempt to get out of the responsibility of actually engaging with such matter like you did in this scenario. Thank you for highlighting that by choosing to cower and not engage with such matters we allow the perpetrator to get away with what it wants and are accountable for the overall precedence of such unloving acts throughout society.
Saying No does make a difference even if you are the lone voice at the start sometimes it awakens someone else to say no.
Points of inspiration such as you have found in Serge and Bina are worth cherishing to the core, without inspiration we can easily give in to feeling so so about life as normal.
We often get put in uncomfortable positions by those who would like our business and money! Just recently I have had some really pressurised phone calls. To take back our self responsibility and never feel obliged to do something we know is not right for us.
The lengths companies are now going to to get our information, and sell more to us is extraordinary. We can indicate our choice not to engage it exactly has you have done, by taking your business elsewhere.
“Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.” Thank you Jo, i love what you are sharing here as it exposes how we are living with corruption in our lives on a small scale. Often we only pay attention and comment about the corruption happening on a large scale internationally or in large corporations however it is time to clock that which we are living with and ignoring in our own lives.
I was thinking this morning about how I have ignored the plight of others…simply said to myself ‘that could be me’ ignored it and walked on. What if in the recognising, instead of walking away and thanking my lucky stars it wasn’t me, I stopped, lent a hand or spoke up? What if we all did this to support our fellow brothers…would not our world be a very different place to live?
The ‘bigger picture’ is the key here. We can say no to what does not feel true for the sake of everyone. This depersonalizes it and gives us a responsibility way beyond ourselves. If we feel we are representing a larger whole we are more likely to be able to remove any personal obstacles that are in the way of expressing truth.
A great point in a world that pushes forever for us to think small, individual and isolated. We do not live in a bubble within a sphere and it is wise to remember always that the whole is a total of each of us together.
Freedom of speech is often abused in manipulating people.
For any business today its common to see that communicating and marketing to your “clients” is the way to go, yet I’ve never heard of it being legal let alone obvious that if you don’t agree to marketing you don’t get the same price as everyone else. It shows that the money the company can make from selling your data funds the loss they make competing for your business in the first place. Imagine if we took away that competition, how different those terms and conditions would be? Great to raise this point with them as if we don’t speak up we don’t really consider these little details.
How many times have we stood up for the truth and even when we go up the chain to whatever is the top layer, and offered a one-off concession or the greed answer of ‘it’s the rules’. Until we vote with our feet, there is little change for all!
It would be so amazing if there wasn’t any small print and everyone in the workforce was helpful and honest putting people before profit. But before we get to that point enough of us will have to stand firm and stick to the point and the truth so companies that don’t step up will go down.
It is quite shocking really that we have allowed this type of bullying and control to manifest in our societies and the shame of it is, it is not our true nature. Your decision to challenge this Jo, as tired as you were, is a huge inspiration, showing us that when we make a steadfast commitment to stay connected to the love in our bodies, we can honestly and lovingly address the ills of our world.
We are all tiny tiles in the mosaic of life and there is not a single tile that is more important than another.
To keep returning back to the body using our breath that brings awareness and connection to our quality of space occupy in our body, has to be the most important self caring tool we can ever be told about because it arrests the barrage of emotions that could come up when dealing with a challenging situation…plus it can be used in absolutely any situation.
What I have found the best guide to doing business is to make it face to face where ever possible and get a sense of who you are dealing with. In regards to big companies this is obviously not possible, but where I can I like to make contact with smaller businesses and build a relationship and understand who I am dealing with and what their integrity is.
What is it about us human being that we silently have accepted that this kind of business has become ‘normal’. Where it should be illegal and stopped at its root. Why do we choose to not really bother? Not about ourselves and not about others? Why have we stopped our voice to be heard? Why don’t we appreciate ourselves enough to raise our voice whenever we’re not treated with care and love? To find the answers we are to dig deep into our hearts and become honest about how much we’ve given up on ourselves and how much emptiness we’ve allowed to ‘rule’ our lifes. Only admitting that we haven’t got it true in this world is a great step forward. We won’t change the world in one day as it took a long time for us to accept the level of greed and corruption as there is today.
Most people do not want to know about the strings attached (the small print) on the contract, and so sadly they will just say yes and agree to something that is actually not really part of what they want but because they have given up on the deep care and respect for themselves, so then they just tick the box and go with it anyway. I know I certainly have done my share of this in the past.
Yes, even seemingly small abuse, sometimes it is little things that need to be seen and dealt with.
One of the things I do when I encounter a ‘fine print issue’ is that I check whether my interpretation is correct. If things are more benign than I thought, then I ask for written confirmation as sometimes what I am told verbally need not be correct. This tends to clarify the issue and, at times, makes taking further action unnecessary. At other times, though, it makes it even clearer that something needs to change.
I am understanding more and more how we, the silent onlookers, provide the fertile soils upon which all the unloving aspects of life can grow. Every instance of making a stand for love and truth, however small makes a huge impact and we can not pretend that our choice to shrug our shoulders or avert our gaze makes no difference.
The big picture gives perspective to expose what is not part of it, even the smallest ‘print’ will be detected as not being in harmony with the whole.
This is such a great example of those moments where we can either let it go or choose what is true for us.
Taking shortcuts in life may come with a high price.
Through those that live life in fullness (not excess) there are volumes upon volumes to learn from.
That’s a very pertinent difference you highlight Abby, that a life in fullness is not a life with excess, or lots going on, it is a life that knows the value it brings and lives that in full.
Everything we do matters, and so if we say just leave it and we don’t care on one thing, where does it lead to, the more we stand for what we believe in always, the more opportunity there is to really change the world.
‘I found another company, more expensive, but worth every penny.’ It is not always the case the cheapest option is the best, now is it the case that it won’t be – it is always down to the energetic integrity and responsibility of the organisation which is of prime importance.
I love this, the importance of the details in life and how they have just as much of an impact as ‘big’ decisions we make. That actually no one decision is more important that the other and that we need to look at every aspect, the finer detail and see what it truly entails. This is our responsibility and as we do this it is calling ourselves and others to be more of who we are.
Companies and their terms of agreement when you purchase something need to become more transparent, and legible for all to understand, otherwise we can get tricked into signing up for something we will regret later on. Thanks for your example Jo- you highlight the importance of reading the fine print before signing any contract.
Have you ever had to take a health and safety course for work? Depending on your job it could be simple office safety; covering slips, trips and falls, to working on High Voltage (any thing above 1000v) that mistakes, usually only happen once. At the end of the course, you are required to sign, confirming that you have attended the course and except the responsibility for working safely. The small print makes the company no longer liable for your actions! Your signature is literally their ‘get out of jail free, card!
If we don’t say no….what exactly are we saying yes to?
Ahh, an interesting trap you have highlighted here Rachel. There is no middle neutral ground, it is one thing or the other, yes or no. Awareness of this shakes us from apathy and highlights responsibility for every choice.. yes or no.
“If we think we are safe or protected because we don’t live under a dictatorship, we need to look around.” So true Jo, when we study the ‘small print’ on many aspects of our democratic societies, there is a huge amount of rot that we need to address. Thank you for being another role model to show us how to stand up for the truth with integrity and a strong adherence to the love within you.
Reading your sharing I wonder how often I overlook the small print and, symbolically speaking, how often I choose comfort and do not read what kind of consequences are coming with it.
The smallest of things we allow to go unnoticed will affect us in one way or another and the small print is a great example of that.
I love the analogy of the jigsaw puzzle. I often also use it when I describe the importance of everyone playing their exact designed part for the whole to be whole.
‘Bingo’ to this –
‘If we think we are safe or protected because we don’t live under a dictatorship, we need to look around.’ This is very true and just because we live in such a beautiful place and have things and are part of a seemingly normal society it is actually more of a deeper illusion because we think we are more sophisticated or advanced from those places where the atrocities are very obvious in people’s daily lives. The difference is we have many under hidden atrocities that we don’t even call out or see as atrocities because we think we’re better off – this is the illusion that doesn’t let you know you are part of it and keeps you in it by not speaking up. But the fact is if we do open our eyes and see the level of hiding, corruption, supremacy, competition etcetc that are all ‘acceptable parts’ of this society then we will understand that we are under a dictatorship that we cant see but can absolutely feel if we stop being blind in our lives and consider the all and the detail of everything.
We can find ourselves in a ‘chicken and egg’ situation with details like these. Are we tired because we have worked hard to pay the bills, or are we tired because we have allowed the small print to stack up and quietly but steadily drain our life force. If we take this principle into all those dark and dingy areas of our lives, what a different quality we can bring to our everyday world by making the effort to care for the details and ensure they meet a level of integrity and dignity fit for a king, and then fully appreciate the energetic benefit.
To forgo checking the small print because we haven’t the time to read what is being presented can be an easy trap to fall into but then at what expense? Thank-you Jo for making a stand for all for by not giving your power away, holding your authority and staying true to your values you are exposing that this form of exploitation is abusive and unacceptable On the other hand if we remain silent we are saying yes to these practices continuing.
What you experienced here Jo, was indeed a form of bullying and it’s great how you persisted and called it out with love not emotion.
‘When I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone’. It’s lovely what you say here Jo, as it is a reminder that we do not live in isolation but that everything we do affects everyone else. I also enjoyed how you turned what could have been a very frustrating situation into a time to be with yourself and connect to others. WE have that choice in every moment to go into our selfish behaviours or see the Big Picture.
Ignoring the small print is rather like ignoring the details of true life, like the small signals our bodies give us, or the fact that more and more people are getting physically sick or mentally ill
There’s absoluteness in claiming the truth in business deals. There’s a lot of responsibility we hold. The more people stand up for truth, the more businesses will respond to the call. If we keep accepting the bullying and intimidating way of treating us, we will keep the same ways of doing business until we call for change.
This is so beautifully honest, Jo – “Had I not known people who are truly adhering to the deepest integrity found within us all, I know I would still be contributing to my own un-wellness and to that which does not feel right to me about how we live in the world.” Is it not powerful to ask ourselves how we may be contributing to our own un-wellness?
The inability (so to speak) to let accountability slide is the ability and or willingness to stay true to your values and accept a this-worldly price (money) for an other-worldly truth and responsibility to be honored.
I love that you persisted here with what was right. It sounded outrageous and to think there would be many who would feel bullied and have folded by having to justify wanting to pull out to so many people. It is corruption and bullying on a corporate scale and our low sense of self-worth is how companies like that have got away with it for so long.
Especially with those on hold phone calls they are designed to make you give up I’m sure. I’ve started to look at them as yet another space to make use of the time while waiting.
‘In my cancellation letter, I included my reason why.’ – A very responsible thing to do – how often do we go into reaction and just walk away from a challenging deal or situation, missing and dismissing the most important thing, to communicate WHY we do it, understanding that our voice matters.
This is so important as it brings awareness and even though we may not always know the effects of our letters they do have one. Recently I wrote a letter to a big corporation letting them know I was extremely happy with the physical construction of their work and quality of the initial salesman but the communication between contractors and relationships with customers were not so crash hot. I received a letter of thanks for the appreciations and then a follow up letter after I enquired if it was delivered to the owner who it was written to- that there were communication systems in place and also an online forum where customers could track the progress of the job.
‘The fourth representative was genuinely caring – she got me to an advisor and she made sure the fee was waived.’ We have to understand that these institutions and companies are loveless, and hence to be genuine, natural, decent and even respectful in such industries is to go against the principles of such companies itself.. What kind of world have we created where being loving and decent at work is considered taboo or inefficient?
Thousands of people have drawn great inspiration and support from Serge Benhayon who shows there is another way to live. Once we have been blessed by that inspiration it is our responsibility and joy to also inspire others and show them there is another way to live (as you have done Jo) until we all catch fire!!!
I can not express enough the appreciation I have for Serge Benhayon and what he has done for the world.
I agree – there are no words that can express the appreciation – the only way is to live it ourselves.
Great point Shirley-Ann, for every one person who does bring to light a deceptive practice such as this, any number of other people are supported and protected from being caught out.
This is a huge topic, of vast importance, and what I love about this article is that it makes approaching it accessible and really practical. Day by day if we call out the threads of abuse that permeate our lives we can and will change the world – simple.
So simple and also express the appreciations too. Appreciation is something that many have not been brought up to truly do about and for themselves or about others truly – especially in the detail. Appreciation of love and truth makes it easy to see and call out the rot – for it simply doesn’t belong.
Saying no to others can often bring a reaction, which we don’t like and want to avoid, so we avoid bringing truth instead. In this case, we all lose out and begin to live on a slippery slope where we live less of who we are and accept a lesser form of life. Then we all end up with a world and life we don’t want and complain about it…yet, all the while we were the ones responsible for creating it in the first place by not saying no. Compliance and staying silent are destructive things.
Yes – the collective short term gain of comfort in not rocking the boat or inviting reaction compresses and compounds the intensity of life. With no one saying ‘no’, many of us feel that it is acceptable/normal to abuse others (in denial it is as such) as nothing is said or expressed about it. Since we don’t provide each other with boundaries those boundaries as to what is accepted gets increasingly pushed out, until one day we look out and wonder how the world got to where it has got to with its corruption, war, greed, lies, disconnection and so on.
Within the world of education there is so much bullying going on. With recent curriculum changes and assessment changes the government and some LEAs are holding schools, parents and children to ransom. In one school I know the school has been threatened with heavy sanctions and to be labelled as ‘failing’ if the 7 year old children do not sit their SATs tests, since a number of parents were wanting to take their children out and this was made to known to the local authority. Moreover their individual class teacher will be targeted and the school will be under more scrutiny in terms of how they deliver the curriculum, with less autonomy. This is clearly shocking but understandably those at the school are incredibly concerned about the consequences of digging deep and taking it on. This fear is outweighing what is known to be true in saying ‘no’ to the bullying and ‘damn the consequences,’ and indeed is this sensible for them to do? Yet we have arrived at this place because collectively as individuals we have allowed abuse on many levels. Is the answer here to take on the government head on and make life incredibly hard for the teachers and students at the school while we are at it – maybe? Or, is it as individuals to start looking at those areas in our lives where we have allowed abuse to play out and begin to say no to it as you have here Jo?
Good question Michelle, how much of the bigger picture of abuse is as it is because of the smaller level of choosing not to be aware or address it? It seems to me there will always be those who will take advantage of others for personal gain, it is up to each and every one of us to address that within our own lives in order to support those who are less confident to walk the lead. Inspire each other to say no to abuse.
The interesting thing about standing up for the truth is, it is what it is, just truth. Rebelling feels like a force. If you were to look down from above at any crowded place like a train station during the morning commute, if there is just one person standing still, it stands out!
The couple of times I’ve been burned related to IT support. I signed on the dotted line without reading the fine print and because I was rushed and anxious to receive a service I trusted what I was told, rather than checking things more deeply. I ended up paying for a service I didn’t need.. It taught me to always ask questions and get all the information before signing anything. Sometimes it pays to pause.
And when we express what we want clearly, it inspires others to do the same, rather than simply accept what they’re given.
There is no ‘small print’ in life – everything matters equally, every moment, every expression, every movement, every word.
A dedication to the tiniest detail effects the whole. Nothing is irrelevant.
“I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.” This is so true Jo… how can we offer another something we do not live ourselves? If we are not respecting ourselves, or loving ourselves, then how can we truly respect or love another?
I agree – we cannot march in the streets at the obvious abuse and harm in the world and yet be willing to let the smaller things go in our own lives when we do have the power to say no – we cannot underestimate the power of our actions.
And when we stand up and don’t accept abuse this also reflects me paving the way. The question is what way do we want to pave?
We really do need to get up with reading the detail in life and understanding how it affects the big picture. This is exactly (although done to their own advantage) the corporate world has done. They have put the detail in the fine print so that the big picture completely suits themselves. We each need to stand for what we want our whole big picture in society to be therefore get more refined in the detail before we say yes.
Supply and demand is what comes to mind. What I feel you are so beautifully bringing to our attention is that the reason companies can do such things, is because they know they can, they know there is a demand for cheap deals and if that comes with strings, we would rather not know. I really love how you took the time to read the fine print, for in that stand, you were not just standing for you but for all of us, powerful stuff.
Some times we need to pay more money for a service or product but it is well worth it as the quality of service and product is far greater then the cheaper one. Often we only think of the cost at the expense of quality.
Spot on Mary-Louise…the cheapest product or service might not be the quality one. It is about looking at all the options but also doing your homework on the company and feeling what you get for that amount, on all levels. Money and the amount spent (or the least amount spent) is not always the answer – if we seek with the intent to support a true need, we will find the right product, whereas if we seek with the intent to get the cheapest product we will be guaranteed to find it.
It is true that in order for true and lasting change we must not compromise on living the truth we deeply know.
‘I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity’ – well said, Jo, it’s important for us to consider, what are we really agreeing to, in that scenario and to understand that every action has an impact on the whole.
Totally agree Alison – very true.
Alison that is so true, everything we say no to and everything we say yes to has an impact on everyone else, if we stand up and say no to what is not respectful then that inspires others to also be able to stand up for truth. It’s a big thing to consider and something that can be hard for me to get my head around yet the impact we make on the world is far more than we can see with our eyes.
There can be a tendency to just ‘go along with’ such aspects of our way of living currently however our self-worth plays such an important part in this process of not signing up to the small print which can be so detrimental.
‘These days just getting a new e-mail account comes with reams of terms, which realistically, most of us in our exhaustion, apathy and acceptance of how ridiculous it has become, just sign without reading it all’ – this in itself is a very sad reflection of how far society has fragmented with companies wanting to protect themselves against bad debtors or ‘litigation’ and sometimes, use their legal position to bully consumers. This approach brings a lot of complication and it’s easy, as a consumer, to feel it’s too over whelming and just sign, particularly with mobile phone companies, where the terms can be pages and pages of quite formal ‘legal language’ – is it really necessary to have such lengthy complex agreements, or is it a form of control?
It seems that life has become about the desperate need to control one another, even entering into marriage people will draw up contracts. It seems that we no longer trust one another, we are always on guard and looking to protect. That feeling is reinforced by seeing others as separate from ourselves and therefore as a possible threat. Everything will radically change once we return to the living knowledge that we are ultimately one and the same collective energy and then we shall all start pulling together as the One that we truly are.
I agree – we are in a position where security is the main currency at play – the consumer wants their product with the least hassle and the company wants to make the sale whilst protecting their back from all angles and so we have the pages of terms and conditions and the resignation to agree without reading them
I have also found that holding onto the truth when others are doing there best to shut you down and control the situation that when the truth holds firm you eventually get someone within the company who is willing to listen. Most company policy is based on profit and that holding onto this no matter what. Bringing the truth eventually holds true so that someone within the company feels the truth in the situation and becomes detach from the company policy then they let there natural way of being lovingly open up. This is great what you have shared Jo, as to often we just move on because it is easier than standing up to the truth.
So lovely Greg, A beautiful reminder that no matter what company policies may be asking of us, we do still have the choice to feel if that does not align with what we feel and do the true human thing.
Maybe one day all companies will follow the Universal Medicine model and put people first.
Beautifully said Greg, by holding to truth Jo allowed someone within the company to feel that truth and detach from the company policy. What a gift this was Jo offered and was accepted by one who was open to receive.
An inspiration not to shy away from speaking up – making the effort to connect to everyone we interact with on the way.
‘Maybe one day all companies will follow the Universal Medicine model and put people first.’ Worth repeating! This would be a day of celebration since it would mean humanity has opened up to so much more.
So true Judy, as more people hold words in the truth and integrity that is supporting a loving way of existing then the energies will not be as able to control words because words will be know by the truth of what vibration they are said in.
Whenever we have a problem, it is good to bring our awareness back to our body, for therein lies many answers to what is going on for us on a bigger scale as well as in our own micro-world.
Social comfort is a great description for holding back who we truly are, when we do this we are short changing everyone including ourselves. Social comfort means that we change who we are, and I just need to remind myself ‘why would I do that’? What’s in it for me by choosing this? With the people that don’t know us there is nothing in it for them as such – we are free to be who we truly are with strangers, they can take it or leave it. If we are our full loveliness and open heartedness what is not to like? Except if it comes up against another’s comfort,
There certainly is a very big picture to the very small print! And we cannot let ourselves be fooled into thinking that the size of the letters mean than the things they are saying don’t matter. Everything matters! Thank you Jo for this great reminder and also for the inspiration to stick it through and stand by what you feel is needed and ‘right’.
It is quite amazing how often we buy something quite simple and normal like a car insurance in this case but behind the scenes things have changed and they come with surprising new conditions. A common one is that renewal insurance is more expensive than going to a new provider – silly, but it seems it can be more profitable for insurance companies to overcharge their existing customers because only a few notice the price increase and leave. At other times the current insurance is actually well-priced so it is often worth checking, either for the confirmation or because action has to be taken – it is almost as if there is a tug of war and when we fall asleep we get pulled where we don’t want to go.
It makes such a difference when we listen to the seemingly small niggle that tells us all is not ok. Everytime I have ever ignored that I have paid for it not just financially but knowing I have allowed more abuse in the world.
‘No such thing as a free lunch’ springs to mind. If we don’t pay for it in cash, we pay for it in other ways.
I had an interesting discussion with someone recently about a situation in politics – I had been studying a particular area which was relevant to a recent vote in the UK and through my studying I had become aware of the far larger picture of global politics and how this particular situation fitted into the bigger picture and it opened my eyes to another level of responsibility and understanding for the vote that I had cast. And yet in general, we are all too comfortable to stay confined and focused on the smaller, more personal sphere that directly relates to our experience of life and what affect our choices will have on this direct sphere – the big picture might be considered, but not often with the same gravity as we give our own personal situation. And yet we all have a responsibility for the global affect we have, be it in casting a vote or not accepting abusive and hidden clauses in paperwork – when we consider that far bigger picture we see that there might be an affect not felt in your direct circle but felt on a far bigger scale.
Saying no to abuse has a huge affect on our body.
A powerful conversation to be having at this time in the world. Being present is not about knowledge but not ignoring those feelings of it not being right.
It actually is a test of how corrupt we are willing to be. Cheap rate for a crooked deal.
Actually, I have found that often there isn’t even a bribe involved – people who go for cheap rates tend to be more vigilant, so the normal priced deals can be much more corrupt than the cheap deals. It is sometimes hilarious – one example is that these days, smaller package sizes are often cheaper per kg than larger package sizes in supermarkets – catching most of us out unless we actually check.
I rarely read the terms and conditions, it would be rather exposing to do so. I like how this blog really shines a light on the fact that much like not reading the small print in one area of life, this may be connected to all other areas where we are letting things seek through the cracks.
Harry, I too can say that I often do not read the terms and conditions – especially when it comes to the 100 page ones that are marked on the internet for each small purchase you do or for an app I download….But with what Jo has presented here and with what you have shared here too, I am certainly feeling more inclined to look more at all terms and conditions that I agree to. The moment we tick the ‘I agree’ box, it means that we embrace what they are saying and it may not be in line with what we originally signed up for but so it is now a part of our lives whether we like it or not (if we have ticked the ‘i agree’ box)….Something worth pondering on deeply.
Love and truth are a match made in heaven.
Whilst we might like to walk around with these lists of importance in our head, the simple fact is they just are not true. ‘This person is important but not this one, that job is essential but don’t ask me to do that’ – all of this is complete illusion. As you beautifully show here Jo, if everything is energy and is connected then everything counts in an equal way. A profound thought as we embark on our day.
How much of our world is in the mess it is because millions of us have been in a similar position to Jo Elmer in this story and have opted for a good excuse to not play our part?
‘Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.’ – This is so true, it is just another version of demand and supply. We are all responsible.
I love your point about that corruption is everywhere and we cannot sit down so to speak because we live in a democracy and everything is fine. Corruption happens in many places and often in the ones we least expect them to.
A few years ago I had ordered new windows for my house, which meant inviting in a window salesmen. I had done my research and chosen a recommended supplier. Some habits are hard given up, like a poacher turning into the gamekeeper; the salesman still tried a bit of misdirection, being it late it was easier just to sign and be done with it. The next day there was I feeling to look at the contract I had signed the night before. Because of having the 14-day law on contracts to change, alter or cancel I found a problem. They were going to charge me 29% for the two-year loan! I went on-line to my bank and got an instant approval and the money in my account for 2.6% for the same period. When we are distracted from the truth it is easy to get lost!
‘…when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone…’ this is a beautiful call to responsibility and insight into the impact of all of our choices. Thank you, Jo.
Allowing ourselves to raise our awareness is a very responsible thing / job. By acting on the awareness we’re not only allowing for ourselves to have a more loving life, but we also contribute to the collective ‘pool’ of energy that we do matter and that change can come from and through us. We all matter, greatly so. The more we allow and accept that we matter greatly, the more life will reveal itself. In all its delicateness.
Viewing what is the cost of our choices, not in monetary terms but in our choice of accepting abuse or not is another way to determine the truth of what is happening here. It is great that you honoured your feelings and had the awareness Jo despite being busy and having more phone calls to sort it all out. You knew all along what a trick it can be to just tick the box and pretend it doesn’t matter
With compliance, the norm for many, a wish to not rock the boat, or stand up for what is true we have slipped down the slippery slope and then complained life is not how want it to be. We have a responsibility for all, to the all, to speak up. If we drop the ball for ourselves, we affect everyone (and this is very convenient to not see.)
“I have realised that everything is an opportunity to learn, understand and connect with myself and others.” And the more we assume this approach, the more we restore our sense of dignity, worth and value to each other and to ourselves.
“I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.” – and aren’t we doing a good job of this? We sacrifice human decency and basic human rights for cheap products and services for those that have money to buy them.
This really was a great opportunity for you to notice that the small print is everything. A clause like that was actually coming from a threat and implied corporation menance if you did not comply with their wishes. It’s hugely healing to have spoken up and made sure you were heard. Well,done!
It is because of those that have spoken up to truth in the past that either inspires us to do the same, or scares us from doing the same due to possible condemnation. Those that continue to speak truth despite the repercussions are most inspiring to me personally and have helped me to see that nothing will ever change if I and everyone around me keeps quiet, perpetuating the ongoing cycle of abuse and corruption.
Just like small prints can change the entire contract, small choices made in every moment can change societies.
It seems these days that if you may need a few degrees to read and decipher the fine print. I get a sense each and every time that I go to sign or tick the box, of I actually don’t know what I am agreeing to here and that in itself is scary!
‘The devil sometimes is literally in the detail’. To ignore a little ‘devil, ie abuse is’ still abuse but to expose and deal with it we probably need to leave our comfort of wanting to have it the easy way. Compromise is comfortable or so it seems at the time we need to challenge it but the price we pay along the way is not comfortable at all.
Life is about love and people first, money second. From more love, more money arrives. Because so many of us have given up on true love, we’ve ended up with a world that is way too much about money, rather than love and people. Which leaves us as a world in a state that isn’t healthy and where we blame and abuse ourselves and others a lot. We’re worth so much more. There is a way, inside of all of us that teaches us the way back. Regardless of our past choices. Our love is stronger than any other choice and force we’ve allowed previously.
“Small print” is everywhere in our daily lives and it is so easy to dismiss the finer details of it in our busyness. If ignored or glossed over these finer details can become big and unwieldly. Not keeping up with maintenance of ones home or a vehicle or even ourselves are good examples. Excellent blog.
Well said Jeanette: ‘“Small print” is everywhere in our daily lives’. Big Picture living for me, and recently learned, is considering the whole and detail, not just what we want to see.
In an attempt to play down and even hide information the ‘fine print’ is just another example of how far we are away from honest, open and transparent relationships.
True Jane, a hole is a hole no matter how small.
‘I took a moment to consider my choices and feel what to do.’ – This is crucial Jo, how often do we override this inner impulse because it is ‘inconvenient’ in that moment.
I for one am very tired of being pushed around by insurance companies and the like when they are only too happy to take your money but often unwilling or it is very costly if we need help. If more people stuck up to them maybe they would realise that what a lot of them do is just not right.
‘I have realised that everything is an opportunity to learn, understand and connect with myself and others.’ Life is always worth feeling especially the challenging points for this is where we grow and develop humility.
Jo what you shared here was interesting ‘ I actually felt how lovely it was to be me and to be on the line with other human beings’, interesting because as ridiculous as it sounds it’s so easy to lose sight of the fact that everyone in the world is another human being. If I pan back and see our ‘perception of others’ marked out on some sort of line then down one end is where many of us tend to hang out, barely recognising other people as just that, ‘other people’ and then down the other end of the scale is the absolute truth, which is that there is, actually only one of us, we are all one interconnected mass of particles, who in their purest form are all One and the same.
This is akin to us learning to say no to the smallest whif of abuse in our lives, both to ourselves and from others. The fine print is where we really learn the significance of our deepest sensitivity and the importance to everyone in honouring it.
This does raise the fact that I will often assume that the small print is just the legal information that companies have to provide and that they do not add much else in here – how wrong am i in this assumption – will be reading all that I sign and enter into from here on in.
This is such a great summary of what Universal Medicine has also given me over the years, which is absolutely priceless. If it were not for the deep integrity and love for humanity modeled by Serge Benhayon and his beautiful family I too “would still be struggling in an existence that previously made little sense to all that I feel inside.”
‘…we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’ Agreed. So many of us go into a malaise around what we are feeling as we are given up believing that what we say or do won’t make a difference to how things are, rolling over to the disconnection and systems that seem too much to handle. However as you share Jo the more we hold firm with what we know to be true then the more things will change.
Reading your blog Jo, I realise how we mostly skate over the surface of life trying to make things as easy for ourselves as possible, whereas that actually has the opposite effect. So through the self care and attention you gave the contract you also were able to expand into this beautiful connection with others without the frustration that so often occurs in a situation like this, and the outcome saved you much aggravation later, Why would we not want to look after ourselves like this by paying attention to the detail yet embracing all there is to be felt? Usually I feel, because we start to blame the system or the way contracts are written, or anything else we call “red tape” because we can’t be bothered. But taking responsibility that you did brings about a flow and rhythm to life, and the tiredness, which usually comes from the skating over things, disappears as we fully engage.
Thank you for your persistence with pursuing the company and getting them to accept their responsibility for having misled you. These companies count on the fact that most people will give up, mobile phone companies spring to mind here and until we all start holding them to account for their business practices they will continue to try and slip things past us. Details matter and we all feel the impact of not attending to them.
As someone who has frequently just clicked Accept rather than read the Terms and conditions because my eyes tend to glaze over when faced with ‘legalese’ language I am now feeling the way this means I have handed over my power to others and not been willing to take responsibility for myself. Safe to say that I will be paying closer attention to this from now on. Thank you for the inspiration Jo.
I agree, Helen, and although I can feel my reluctance to take this deeper care and responsibility, I know that now I have read this article and some of the comments I am armed and inspired to break through this reticence.
It is so very enormously true that there is always a choice to say no to corruption and greed, and I love how you have done this simply by not ticking the box and by taking the time actually read what you are agreeing to. This shows me how you are living with a quality of spaciousness that allows you to consider what is important and to not just be tumbling your way through life ticking boxes as they appear, too distracted or busy to really find out what they are saying or asking you to do.
A great reminder to pay attention to the small print, ie to the details which is also another way of self-caring.
Is the small print, ever there for our benefit? If not, why don’t we read it? But, a lot of country’s now have large warnings and photos of the consequences of smoking, on a product that is not for our benefit and still, we carry on using it?
An amazing reclaiming of your true worth Jo, especially in a moment of tiredness when we all to easily tick the box for a ‘quiet life’. What I have found is that often our tiredness is compounded when we do, as these types of subtle marketing strategies drain our energy even more without us being so aware of their affect on us.
What a loving choice to read the small print and claim what is true for you, Jo.
Is it possible that companies make these documents so long and complicated just to ensure that we don’t read them? It’s the same with legal speak, For various reasons, I have had a lot of interactions with legal companies and lawyers over the last couple years and am always so astonished by the language that they use. It is such an imposing and separative way of being. When I ask the lawyers to ‘translate’ a sentence or phrase it is all incredibly simple and the whole situation opens up to an opportunity for equality and mutual understanding. But, of course the consciousness of the law industry doesn’t want that because that would reduce the necessity for lawyers and would undermine their appeared importance. It’s all a scam and illusion and it is our responsibility to dig into it, challenge it and bring our all to every moment. If we play less, the world is less.
Companies are obsessed with results and everything now gets tracked, so this whole event will be tracked and logged and analysed, thus not only does it have enormous energetic value it will also have a very real and temporal effect and if a few more people did this then that company would have to change it’s policies. This is our responsibility; we, the consumers have the power to affect change. So many of us are rolling over and just accepting things as the way that it is – and then we complain about banks, companies, governments and the media abusing and corrupting us. This blog perfectly illustrates that we are in fact in the driving seat and it is our responsibility to drive humanity back to brotherhood, harmony and equality.
We need to understand that we are all interconnected and that our behaviour feeds into the behaviour of many others around the world and that even the seemingly small things that we think we can get away with support corruption and misbehaviour to continue in the world.
There is a saying that ‘the devil is in the details’, meaning we can easily trip ourselves up and get into trouble if we don’t allow the time to take care of the details. I love details, they are very small, precise parts of the whole, yet they have the power to completely change the quality of that whole.
‘Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it’ – for when we go along with it, we become a part of it. It’s easy to ‘think’ we can’t make a difference and that the issues are so much bigger than us, but that’s only because we allow them to be. Change starts with each and every one of us choosing to take responsibility and to stand up and say NO to any abuse, no matter how small.
Though, interestingly, the energy behind those ‘small’ details may not be small at all as the small detail can be a wedge for much bigger things to come.
Jo, this is a great description of a try-on, something that cannot be sustained when called out. There are a lot of try-ons in the world, some subtle, some overt and they are a great opportunity for us to be in our full-ness and deal with them properly.
Well delivered Jo and very inspiring. We can no longer glaze over the fine print as if it doesn’t matter as everything matters as it is the little details that make up the whole.
Every time I make a compromise I have to bring in a force to persuade myself that it’s not as harming as I know it is; and to numb out the awareness of the harm I know I have chosen which is adding to the harm . Whatever the rewards I try to convince myself are worth lying to myself about, they are never worth it. Like you say, the other company’s integrity was worth every penny. Investing in truth and our body’s celebrate.
It is very easy to get all huffy and puffy on the phone, and so great when we can keep coming back to ourselves with gentle breaths. On the other end is a person just doing their job, loaded with just as many issues as we have, perhaps totally unaware of the energies at play, but feeling them nevertheless. We can take full responsibility for our part in the conversation and keep everything light, full of light and love.
So, so important to remember that we are speaking to a human being rather than a machine and to treat them with absolute respect, transparency and equality. For many of them, all they get all day is abuse and frustration shouted at them, so if one of us can make the effort to actually meet and connect them, it can completely change their day, week, life.
Jo this is a perfect example of how easy it can be to get fooled and caught in the complexities that we create in life – and at the same time it is a perfect example of how to stop the complexity, to stand firm and say no and not let yourself be worn down by the system which is governed by an energy that we have created to dominate us.
It is so easy to not look deeper into what is being offered in the world particularly by bigger companies and corporations because we just trust they care for us or we think we are ‘time-poor’, or just put it in the too hard basket. Jo, you have brought love and respect to the small detail and the flow on effect although unknown to you will be there. This is a reminder that everything counts.
Taking the time to read the small print in these situations needs focus and attention to detail, but can save a lot of complication, confusion and irritation in the future. We need to know what we are signing up to, and the implications of our actions at all times.
I love this. So often I have just waved things away and allowed things to slide all for the sake of a peaceful life and not being bothered to make the effort to deal with things like this. It feels awful. The times when I have made an effort to speak up there is such a difference in the way I feel. And it’s not just about me, it’s for everyone.
It is a strong reflection of the society we created that we have such tactics, and it will take a type of application of effort to bring us round to more caring ways of doing business, which I am sure one day we will, but it will start with our saying not to anything we deem abuse like Jo has done, removing the pockets of harm we experience now and currently accept as normal.
Taking care of every micro movement as we move from A guarantees the quality we will end up with at B. So it comes down to presence and quality we hold in each moment, and the whole is taken care of.
The quality of a product or service can be read and assessed before reading the stated contract/ terms and conditions – in which case we won’t be surprised by the small print, but confirmed in what we had initially sensed.
Is it is possible that if we are in the habit of skipping over the details (the small print) in a contract that we are also skipping over the details of our life? Both actions can, at times, have dire consequences to us and to others around us.
Great point, Ingrid …. what we allow in one area of our lives is certain to appear in other areas. Thank you for raising this awareness.
Simply reading the title of your blog Jo connected me to the ways in which the ‘small print’ of my thoughts is very valuable. If I’m not reading the small print in the every day life activities then I’m not wiling to read it in my thoughts and movements. These are all small im-prints that set me up for my next choice, if they are loving then I’ll feel the amazingness of this, if anything less something will reflect back to me to let me know. I find the eagerness to take things at surface level is a reflection of not being willing to connect to myself and feel my worth in time and commitment to understanding the detail that might be required.
It is all in the detail – that is what makes up the whole.
It seems like everywhere we turn something comes with small print terms, airlines, banks, car dealers, online purchases etc. etc. – if we go along with these terms without having a clue what we are admitting to, how on earth can we call ourselves free human beings? Aren’t we all owned by the terms?
What this presents is the importance of speaking up. So often I can not say something because it is easier – but then what message am I sending out? That the detail is not important? When really the detail is always the most important because it builds the bigger picture. And what if by me not paying attention to the detail, the next person can feel that when they meet me, and therefore they think it is OK to do the same. one thing I have come to understand is that we are all very closely connected and aware of each others movements, so in this I have a responsibility for every aspect of how I am living.
In order to take a look at the big picture, we must be able, to be honest and take responsibility for the quality of our movements that create the all, as it is in the lack of detail that creates that creates tolerances for abuse in our lives instead of the love we come from.
Transparency isn’t the very normal in business so far. It’s enriching life when we say more and more no to hidden clauses. It will leave us with a world that’s far more loving and about people. So we do have a big say in how our world is. Changing tides starts with you and me.
I once had an encounter where upon entering a shop I was approached by a sale assistant who then proceeded to give me a really hard sales pitch – it was the first time this had every happened and I was totally overwhelmed by the way they acted – both polite and very flattering/complimentary but also very pushy and insistent. I could feel it didn’t feel right and I knew that something was not okay but I followed along and denied that knowing and bought the product. On the way home the feeling of having overridden my inner sense grew and grew and I felt awful – and when i got home and did some research I found the whole company was a scam and many other people had experienced the same hard sales pitch and given in. I realised that I had not just made the choice to buy something, I had willingly put my inner voice on the line and given over to something not true. Safe to say I took the product back and from then on have not side lined myself like that again.
Opening ourselves up to the bigger picture puts our lives, and our place in life, into perspective – realising that everything is an opportunity to understand and learn about the deeper responsibility there for us to take.
What great liberation there is by saying ‘No’ to the small print!
‘In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’ Social comfort is a killer. We all love it when there is someone speaking up for decency and respect, yet how often do we avoid representing that voice to not make a stir, or avoid feeling any backlash that may come our way.
Its the details in life that really matter, we think that the little things like saying no to an abusive company doesn’t make a difference, but in fact it is in our combined attitude that it does matter that we will see the world change. Marry this with the fact we are all from the one same source and it makes even more sense to live with this integrity.
If the life we have chosen is also a contract, then what have we agreed to in the small print with it? Unfolding along the path back to truth reveals just how much we have been living that is not truly in our nature.
We can probably all tell tales of how annoying and pointless we think these forms are. But are they a one-off on their own? Reading your words here Jo I get a sense that when life’s circumstances present we tend to accept them just as they seem, without taking the trouble to read inbetween and feel the underlying meaning and message of what is taking place. Like the fine print you mention here, everything that is truly taking place is there in plain sight. It’s just up to us: are we so lazy and lacking in care that we’ll just recklessly proceed oblivious? Do we think we are ok and get away with ignoring these ‘small’ things? I am starting to see I absolutely do not. I feel it’s time I read life thoroughly without glossing over what is there.
I love how you highlight that the truth is known within us all. So often it is a mind haggle and debate to know what is true when our body already knows deep within it what is true and what is not.
This is so true, Jo. The lovelessness we tolerate for the sake of success and so-called advancement is something we all need to seriously look at.
“I kept coming back to who I am by breathing gently and bringing my awareness to my body.” This is so simple to do yet it is so dynamic to do in stressful situations.
“Throughout those phone calls I kept coming back to who I am by breathing gently and bringing my awareness to my body (so I would not slip into my old patterns of frustration) and I actually felt how lovely it was to be me and to be on the line with other human beings and that was beautiful.” I too have found that by maintaining an awareness of my body and breath while calling a company to deal with an issue has enabled me to connect to the person handling my query in a very light hearted and open way, hence preventing me from dumping my frustration them and so getting a much more harmonious result. The more we connect with the tenderness in our bodies, and respect with one another, the more we demonstrate how to tackle the rot in our societies with honesty and integrity.
This clearly exposes that it is not only about individuals – standing up for truth affects the all.
I never liked going through the small print…but I am realising it is essential, details matter. Sweeping I over things does not work.
Samantha I fully relate to what you are saying, i used to hate the details but the more I embrace them the more I appreciate that is it through details that magic happens, you can see so much and bring such clarity. I used to think detail = complication but in detail their can also be great simplicity.
Jo, I feel how true what you are sharing is, that it is really important to say no to any form of abuse, when I do this feels amazing in my body and the ripple effects seem to be huge, if I do not say no to abuse this feels awful, I feel small and disempowered and the lies and abuse continue.
Saying “no” is a much needed word….if we comply and stay silent then nothing changes.
And we are actually actively adding to the evil of the world when we do not speak up and remain tolerant or complacent. Evil being everything that separates us from our soul.
Choosing th absolute choice of what is needed, and what feels true within always pans out to be a wise choice and sometimes not smart by short term measures.
So true Harry. When we choose from here everything else takes care of itself and falls perfectly into line.
Choosing on behalf of the whole is ultimately where we’re on our way back to.
Life will carry on as normal in its unabated way of; coldness, separatism, oppression and harm until we, choose, to no longer accept this abuse in our daily lives!
The way business in general are geared to make money and profit to the company is resulting in a non caring way for the people that they serve. In their strive to run a profitable and successful business they forget that they always provide a service to people and when you truly connect with your client, thus the people, you will get to understand that another attitude it needed and that is to put people first. When businesses will do that they will naturally prosper, evolve and be successful too.
The big picture is made up of the sum total of our every tiny moment. To overlook the small print it to negate the fullness of who we truly are.
Absolutely Liane and not only is it negating the fullness of who we are but the power that can come through us when that fullness works together. For even the sum total of us being in our fullness does not match the turbo power of when we actually work together with union and fullness. Brotherhood, power of divinity, expansion and what we can bring together really is then what we are negating by overlooking the small print in our lives.
And brings into our lives a very practical way to develop and deepen our respect for and responsibility with the part we all play in life and the impact our choices have.
I often skip over the small print in contracts I am signing that I deem not important enough to read, but after reading your blog I will be checking them before I sign anything.
One company had written in a clause to their terms and conditions about winning a price, knowing that no one ever read them all the way through – that was until someone did and tried to claim the prize! Its always worth reading when its important and companies probably make the terms purposefully long and complicated to put us off reading through them.
A beautiful blog – this kind of corporate behaviour would be less likely to be legal in Europe and Australia but there are other ways we can get caught in these countries with a desire for convenience. Well done, Jo!
I agree Christoph. Someone I know lives in the US and frequently shares his experience of corporate America’s cavalier and unkind treatment of customers. I’m amazed they get away with it. To a lesser degree it happens in the UK as well. Choosing The Way of the Livingness supports me to be more attentive when signing agreements, simply because I am more steady and not in a constant state of rush and drive.
Well done Jo, we can think at times how can just one person make a difference, or we are such a small monetary amount to this large company, bank or service… but, in our truth we can inspire change by calling out and addressing any form of abuse or manipulation being dressed up as ‘business as usual’.
A small step it might seem but it never is when we stand up and say no to this kind of underhanded manipulation, say no to the lies big and small and the many givens that are apparently part of ‘normal’ life. Rot still stinks, no matter how much ‘normal’ we try to douse it with.
It feels like a complete lack of transparency to ask someone to pay for a service before giving them all of the terms and conditions – as though something is being intentionally with held.
Maybe it is time we started noticing the small insidious ways marketing and business are infiltrating our lives and we are making choices not based on truth until we discern more accurately what is going on
Yes, maintaining awareness certainly gives you 20/20 vision to be able to truly make an informed choice
We really can’t complain about how the world is if we have all collectively accepted it. It’s truly up to each individual to take action so we can collectively communicate we won’t accept less than integrity.
The collective is the summation of individuals and so it is by individuals choosing something different that eventually the consciousness of the collective will change.
Melinda i agree, it feels that an important first step towards changing anything, is to first admit that it’s us, as part of the collective, that contributed towards bringing about whatever it is that we now want to change.
I agree with your statement Jo “Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal Levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.” Thank you for sharing your insight and experience with us.
I love everything you share here Jo, for if we are not to stand up to the true values of respect and honouring that we deserve then what we are saying is that it is ok for the abuse to play out. Such a fantastic point how sometimes we are too busy to say no and that it is easier just to role with it. The outcome is detrimental not only to ourselves but for everyone in society. We have to start saying no and that we all deserve to be treated with such respect. We have created a life where this doesn’t matter but it really does.
I like how you bring it down to a very real and practical example here, Jo and show how the little compromises we make in fact contribute to the wider corruption in society, and that it is up to us to feel and see what is there and to act accordingly. Without doing so we dis-respect ourselves and all others and add to the corruption in the world.
I agree. It is also interesting how much work it takes to deal with such a try-on, hence why such behaviour may often succeed.
I’ve been caught out by the small print and got very annoyed I signed up to something that played on people not taking notice of it. A great lesson in responsibility – that nothing is ever small and everything deserves to be attended to.
I’ve done the same thing too Karin, signing up years ago to cheap holiday fares only to find out after that you needed to use them in a particular way that didn’t suit our family at all. It is amazing though how self righteous we can become when we realise we have been tricked… but the thing that upsets us the most is that we ignored the feelings that clearly was telling us otherwise.
When we live in a way, that is from who we really are, the fullness of who we are, we connect to the values of respect and responsibility and we will not accept less. This is a wonderful example of reading the fine print, if we all responded as you have Jo, maybe the corporation would have to reconsider the clause, because no-one would accept this abuse. But if we offer the demand they will supply. The demand being wanting the product at the expense of integrity and that is exactly what we get back.
It is our duty of care to know and discern what we are agreeing to.
Each drop adds to the whole un-till my cup runneth over, so it is important considering our every action till we are blessed by our soul connection, and what better way to evolve because this is when our cup is full of love. Will our life be free of corruption and greed, I feel not, as we all have a lot to learn and this is a great way to start the process of making a loving choices that eventually by reflection and direct action when required will bring about loving changes. It is up to us to feel what is simply a free choice to build love in every situation, so our lives can be full, and when we are full of love there is no reactions just responses. What you have shared Jo is a great way to respond in the situation you were presented with and I have also found that holding my connection on the phone makes a world of difference so that I can respond without reaction.
For more about responding go to;
http://www.unimedliving.com/search?keyword=RESPONDING
Its interesting to apply this to all situation in life as everything comes with a package of energy and although we may make a choice by what we experience on the face of things, it can and will always come with much more and it is for us to discern what we will accept or not.
Awesome that you changed companies on a matter of principle and wrote that letter, rather than just going along with their conditions just because they were the cheapest – bravo!
Clearly great inspiration to have taken a moment to say no to a companies’ lack of integrity in order to get a discount. I have come to that awareness myself over time, how much do I value myself, am I prepared to sell my time or integrity in order to get a discount. The more I value myself the more I say no, I may pay more for a service but I am euqally respecting the people who offer me that service by not expecting them to work for less than they are worth either.
Awesome point Lucy. When companies are able to offer a much cheaper price, its worth considering how they are able to do this? Is it because they have an exemplary business model or is it because the make/save money out of people who fail to read the small print, or by underpaying their staff? A company with integrity will charge what they feel is fair for the quality of service they offer and it’s for us to feel into whether that feels true for us, or not.
Jo, this is a wonderful example of the level of which we can allow our integrity to drop or indeed take a stand and not allow things to fall below a marker that we know is true. It is such a simple and seemingly small things to sign such a clause on a policy, but in taking a stand like you did and saying no to it, it also gives permission to others to do likewise. I find it crazy that it took you so long to break the contract even though you had every right to do so given that you had not been given the information – to me this is proof that they are simply seeking to use a person and that the policy and the insurance is not designed with the true intent to support the person seeking insurance. In business these days the focus tends to be too much on profits and money making rather than connection with people. Thankfully you got someone right at the end that heard you clearly and supported you with it – another beautiful reflection of your choices.
Thanks for bringing this up as it is a thing so often we just a agree on and trust the other party in signing the document. It is our responsibility to know what we sign for and take the deliberate choice to say yes or no. Otherwise we are often faced with the abuse or effect of the unconsiderate choice.
It is so common for people in call centres to have to deal with irate customers who, from behind their phones vent their anger and frustration about the poor service received. What a refreshing experience for the people you spoke with to not have this, and to feel someone stating the facts of what happened without the emotion. And this I feel is what allows them to hear what has happened, and to feel for themselves what this would be like, and to therefore be able to consider a full refund – this may not have happened had you been emotional about it.
A good point- I rarely bother to read the small print as I have just accepted its always there and just too hard to bother with. This is a good reminder that its worth it.
Same – I tend to not read the fine print in lots of cases but this is a great reminder that we might well be signing up for more than what we realise!
The word ‘compromise’ really stood out for me in this piece. How often do we accept compromise simply to take the easy route, not have to bother, or bag ourselves a bargain. But there is always a price to pay at our own or someone else’s expense, and in this price is where the abuse lays.
Every time we choose to stand up for truth, it is healing for humanity. What you’ve shared is a great example of this Jo. You inspire me to take more responsibility to do the same no matter how small or large the opportunity is to express truth. I realise it would be irresponsible and unloving to be selective about when and where to express truth. Not only that if truth is contain or controlled in anyway, it is no longer truth no matter how eloquently expressed.
I appreciate your words and example of oppression Jo. It goes on seemingly under our noses every day unattended to and accepted as normal everyday life. As your message clearly states “I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.” Your right! If we are not dealing with this on personal level it is saying to everyone this is how it is.
“Coldness, separatism, oppression and harm will continue between people unabated until we claim that there is another way and live to show this other way by not leaving what we truly feel out of the equation in anything we do.” Hear hear!
“we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.” This line felt key for me at the moment as I can say I struggle with removing myself from that social comfort…But I only ‘struggle’ because my life doesn’t look like the picture of what breaking free from that social comfort has been boxed/pictured as. When actually I follow my feelings more than I give appreciation to now I sit here and think about it and that is actually bringing true change to the world, thats pretty cool. Thank you Jo.
Yes indeed, Jo. The deepest level of integrity is something that should never be compromised, and Serge Benhayon has modeled this absoluteness for the world to learn and be inspired by.
How often do we stay hidden in the illusion of the fine print to suit our fine lives?
‘In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’ – Social comfort is a plague and so deeply ingrained in our society – we learn at a very early age to blend in with the masses and not stand out with a different opinion. To break free from this pattern does indeed make a true difference.
Paying more attention, taking care and being present to what we say yes to and knowing that we have a choice are behaviors that are so often dismissed as being difficult or problematic, yet they are essential to not normalizing a base of disregard to ourselves and others.
When we understand that expressing truth unbinds ignorance and illusion we can realize what power we have to transform this world to be one which is more in alignment with our true essence.
Bina Patel and Serge Benhayon are two of the most no-nonsense people I have ever met, equally their love of people is palpable.
I’m learning to really understand what is the Big Picture. In fact, there are two pictures, a picture about The All and the picture of individuality, self-gain, selfishness, etc. The Big Picture requires choices that include each and every single human being. In other words, it requires loving choices. Choices that are all-encompassing and supporting everyone to be the grand loving and caring being they are. Every detail counts, so the Big Picture is in every single choice. It’s up to me to adhere to the loving impulses going through me or not…
It is dishonest to not inform customers of the terms and conditions of using a product or service, and to put clauses into the small print. It is similar to medicines having ‘side effects’ which there is no such thing. A drug has an effect – one that may minimise certain symptoms, but may cause others.
Very elucidating sharing – thank you.
The big picture is the most elaborate decoupage imaginable, a picture of unimaginable size that is comprised of billions upon trillions of tiny pictures and that is why our attention to the small print is crucial. If we skate over the small print of life then the big picture will end up as a very random painting indeed.
Resignation and apathy abounds, and so does enormous abuse at every level of the societies we live in. It’s in those choices moment by moment to stop and take the time to consider, to discern, to read what’s actually taking place and then make an informed choice that we begin to heal do much that needs to be healed not just at an individual level but on a planetary one as well.
Thanks for writing this Jo ,I was offered three months free trail, no obligation on a product blah, blah, blah but at the end of the three months I found it so difficult to find out how to cancel, I am now paying for something I don’t particularly want. You have inspired me to take some time out today and sort this thing out once and for all.
You can feel in this blog how everything is energetically and physically working to keep us not bothering, not calling out injustice or calling companies to account. The hoops you have to go through are immense and for most they just don’t have the energy. But so many ugly things have happened throughout history as ‘good men stand by and do nothing’. Just one person (and maybe more now) reading the fine print and cancelling will send a strong message to that company. We are not all asleep and we will not remain silent when corruption rears its head.
Turning a blind eye to all the finer details in our life and the small print is a great example of this, it really highlights how much abuse we are willing to put up with by letting things slide. Also contributing to the corruption and abuse of many others by not speaking up. Thank you Jo for bringing this to our attention.
I agree Julie and it makes me question what are we contributing to when we are not choosing to express truth?
So often in life we think we can make short cuts and my experiences of doing this tell me that I am selling myself short – I need to feel what is true. I am worth the time it takes to be responsible and consistent in the way I approach my life. The more open and loving we can be in the way we deal with life the more we can let go of the complications and leave more space to be.
Standing up for truth in smaller situations enables a greater strength in standing up for bigger situations. It’s empowering. When it comes to the crunch and you suddenly find yourself in hot water, the vocabulary, commitment and stance to take will be there. Live a life of quiet submission, rolling over and accepting untruth means that at crunch time there is no foundation on which to walk and talk…and it’s like flailing around in water. Is this why many of us feel like this in life? The consequences for not speaking up are enormous.
Companies are so used to having their way and hiding information in the small print and then bullying us into submission when we speak up that it is great to hear you standing up to them in a loving but firm way. It is something I am learning too, not to get frustrated but to just hold what I know to be true and not waiver or give up, and accept their bullying tactics as being a normal practice.
Even when there’s no ‘small print’ or written terms and conditions, every choice comes with terms, consequences and has a wide affect on the people around us. This is why we need to consider everyone and the big picture when we’re making decisions, because leaving something undone at work, being short with the shop assistant and exhausting ourselves does create wide ripples. But this responsibility can be very empowering as we have the ability to support and inspire everyone in our lives.
When there are more people like you who choose to make life about energetic integrity and not simply take the cheapest option, the company will start to look at its policies and make some changes. We may choose to take the lower financial value but the greater sell out energetically is not a great choice.
You are showing us the difference.
We have all spent our lives having to sign a box saying we have read the small print! If we are truthful, how often to we read it? Are we just being too trustful or are they attempting to hide something? Years ago there was something I had actually read and disagreed with some items in the small print and crossed out and initialed them and then signed the document. They refused to accept it and I took my business elsewhere. There is always purpose in the detail, no matter how small!
“we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.” This is beautiful, we all can make a difference when we stand up to our truth and not compromise.
I have found that the more I commit to taking care of myself and the quality of my life, the more willing and able I am to tackle the details like these, which are so easy to resign ourselves to when feeling tired and drained. But what is of immense importance here is how we allow these behaviours in the world because we don’t say no to them in the first place. We all have a responsibility to address this kind of subtle bullying and it begins with us respecting who we are and the type of products and service we wish to engage with based on our self-respect.
This is a huge wake-up call showing how through complacency and comfort we slowly but steadily lock ourselves into our own prison, giving our key of freedom to external systems and organisations.
‘when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone’. Powerful words Jo and wise ones too. My first feeling about this ‘tactic’ of hiding such a clause in ‘the small print’ is that it is deceitful and that companies have a duty to present these things in ‘large print’ making consumers aware of what they are signing up to. But yes, we have a duty too, to not accept that which is abusive and disrespectful in our lives, because when we do we accept it for everyone as you share here. Then we wonder how we ‘got into this state’. Well we have created this way of things and now we have the responsibility to clear it up too.
We’re more likely to overlook the fine print and details when we’re rushed and under pressure. I’ve had my fingers burned on more than one occasion and learnt from this.
I dropped off my car for diagnostics at garage I hadn’t used before and wasn’t told at registration this would take days, potentially disrupting travel plans. My request for a ‘courtesy’ car was casually dismissed by one advisor. Not taking No for an answer, I sought resolution elsewhere. By gently expressing with authority what I needed, why and when, I was soon put through to someone who listened and responded. Not only did they provide a courtesy car but arranged to drop off my car at my place of work outside London. It was important for me to record on the company’s feedback form not only what went wrong, but my appreciation that they turned things around
“What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?” A great question and allows us to open up to seeing more of what is really going on in life and bring an awareness and honesty to the evil and corruption around us on a daily basis from the little details and the energy behind what we feel.
“I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.” I love what you have shared in your awesome blog Jo. If we all would take our own responsibility to a deeper level I am sure we all would change the world to be a more loving place.
We may have a lot of gripes with the world, yet if we stop a moment and truly reflect it becomes clear that we have a lot to do with creating what we end up reacting to.
I observe how more and more businesses are sending bonuses in order that peopele choose them to buy the next product or even to buy things which you do not need. It shows me how everything is about survival and controlling and manipulation in order to survive, but not fosters a true way of offering and selling products. On the other hand often people are so keen on getting the cheapest offer that it is easy to manipulate them by a concsiousness that fosters anxiousness, not being enough, not having enough money, needing more than required etc.
Jo I would never have considered to look at such depth at the small print over a car loan, at a time when we as consumers demand the lowest prices, the cheapest products its perhaps the consequence then that companies have to find ways to make up the money, no matter how unpalatable it is for us as customers. What I can see here is in the same way a company needs to have integrity we have to select companies based on the ones that truly care and support us, from insurance to our food, rather than look first and foremost at price as the sole point.
It is so easy to dismiss the small print, however your blog shows us that you sign up to everything, not just a part, so it is important to take notice of the small details as this includes taking notice of the details in life too.
This is a great point you make Joanne, how important it is to read the small. As you share if we ignore the small print with the small details, how details are we missing in our lives. It is the details that support a true foundation.
It feels like putting people on hold for extended periods of time may be a tactic companies use when disputes are involved, in the hope that the ‘plaintiff’ will just ‘give up’ – again, a form of control and, therefore, abuse.
How often do we ‘give in’ and take the easy option, I know I have on numerous occasions, however, it’s always left me feeling deflated, as though I’ve let myself down, which I have. I’ve settled for less, which is dis-honouring of me and everyone else. To consistently say no to anything that is not truth builds a foundation of love so strong that taking the easy option just doesn’t exist.
For ‘conveniences sake’ there is a lot we do in this life. We prefer to ‘turn a blind eye’ just to ‘get the job done’. We could go on with this list of sayings that advocate just saying yes. After all, isn’t this what embracing life is all about? You show us here Jo, that the answer is a resounding ‘no’. For everything we do and that we choose comes with these conditions attached. To think we can have our cake and get away without the natural consequences is just hiding and not being real about the truth of life.
A great perspective. All too often I just say whatever – I feel differently after reading this.
It can be supposedly easy to fall back on feeling that my lone voice won’t make a difference so why bother but that enmeshes us further into the powerlessness trap. I have been that (lack of) voice too in the past. However I know now, having experienced it, that one voice can and does make a difference and if we each took that responsibility to not turn a blind eye the world would be a very different place.
Marketing is becoming more than just supporting sale of products, there is an insidious way of lying that cons us into buying more than we actually need.
It is amazing what we accept through not checking the small print – most of the time without knowing it. Who is at fault here? Surely not only the companies who use these kind of strategies but us for not being aware and allowing the opportunity for others to exploit this.
A great example of “everything matters” when we stand up to something that feels wrong it contributes to closing the gap to abuse that we have brought on our societies through our apathy and self interest over time Every choice we make like this to stand up makes it easier to change our ways and not give the permission for big companies to coerce, bully or abuse.
Great exposé Jo – the price we pay to take ‘the easy way out’ is often way beyond our comprehension.
It can seem so easy and unimportant to simply overlook and sign so as to get what you want – but in that seemingly insignificant choice what have you sacrificed? Your truth, your sense of something not being right, accepting a level of abuse, dishonesty etc. When we let it slide in one area what’s to stop it creeping in slowly in all others.
There is an innate wisdom within each and every one of us that knows truth, a truth that includes everyone equally so.
This reveals just how important it is to follow what we feel ie there was something in you Jo that was impulsing you to read that small print knowing you would have the opportunity to say no to abuse, and then share your story with the world. Following those true impulses really does make life about everyone and not just about us as individuals.
I love that you took the time to read the fine print and stand up for yourself, because in doing this, you become an inspiration to others. You lead the way. Thanks.
I agree, and talking with all sorts of different people within the company, sharing why you were choosing to cancel your policy, also offers them the opportunity to deeply consider what they are also a part of, by virtue of the fact that they are choosing to work there.
Yes and we all need to take responsibility to do this, and not just leave it to another to stand up. We do make a difference.
You are so right when you say it starts with us, e.g. corruption and abuse starts with us and what we have allowed and accepted and it also ends with us when we stand for integrity, truth and decency and no longer tolerate abuse in any shape or form. Awesome what you have not only done here Jo with the company but by then writing about it you have started a discussion where more people have the opportunity to express what they feel and say no to abuse as well.
What a wonderful exposure of bullying and enticement you uncovered that so many would not have. Paying for another company who holds greater integrity is worth every penny. I have short-changed myself and gone for cheaper options to my greater cost and others because I allowed abuse. I now read the small print but this has reminded me again that God is in the detail and to not allow short-cuts in discernment, or discount those feelings that something is off. There always seems to be a certain energy of excitement attached to these deals that are often time limited to entice people out of their awareness and into the panic to get a good deal.
True role models, that show us how to live life with integrity, responsibility (including energetic), respect, self-love, self-care, are so what is needed in our world right now. The Benhayons have started true modelling for us all, and now it is up to us, to be the true role models for others. And I feel that even by you saying no to this insurance company, sharing this blog far and wide, is being a true model, by not giving up on life because we are so tired.
If we accept anything that is less than decency, respect and love we risk leaving ourselves open to abuse and manipulation. Your approach and the way you handled the insurance company is inspiring. Choosing to communicate and expressing from a deep connection with ourselves first and deliver our message with love and truth is a healing for humanity.
This is so incredibly relatable to Jo. Being with myself and not going to frustration is a big part of taking responsibility for the choices I have made. Responsibility is checking out the details, taking the time and space and deepening my appreciation that this choice matters to the whole. If I’m rushing and caught on the back foot to make a spur of the moment decision then it comes back to the quality of my commitment to life.
Such a great blog Jo exposing the ‘social comfort’ so many accept that constantly confirms and turns a blind eye to the abuse and harm that is allowed to play out. This is such an important question for us to ask that will begin to bring the true change we are wanting to see ‘What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?’
Thank you Jo, I have enjoyed reading this and it is true how as a society we just go with whatever is easier or more comfortable without discerning what is the truth, it is only through self-responsibility in the way of how we live our lives that we can bring back integrity and respect for all.
Thank you Jo. You saw this as an opportunity to be yourself and what an inspiration you are.
Thank you for choosing to take care on the detail here! How imposing and actually dominant is this company to ‘tell’ you what to sign for or not. We’re so used to bullying and abuse (when people are not free to choose, it is abuse) that often we accept that this is normal. Standing up for truth is difficult these days as often we’re quite strongly reacted to. This is to learn from, not take it personally and grow stronger and stronger. Honesty, honour, equalness and openness should and could be the norm. If we but choose to express our truth. Regardless of the reactions we (might) get.
What a beautiful reminder, Jo, to never settle for anything less than the magnificence of love we all innately know inside.
You raised some really great observations here Jo concerning the corruption of our everyday business environment. What strikes me is how using the insidious technique of ‘the fine print’ in so many contractural documents inevitably leads to people becoming apathetic and giving up on trying to change things or even merely calling it out for being wrong, as Jo has done here. How many times have we heard the phrase “Well, that’s just the way things are and they’ll never change.” But if we go along believing that, then we are accepting abuse in our lives
Small prints have this connotation of being sneaky and cunning and untrustworthy – manipulating the disclosure of information to one’s own advantage. It just occurred to me – ain’t I doing the same when I hold back my expression and not be open and transparent in my relationships – and my agenda being to avoid feeling hurt?
Thank you Jo, until we stop confirming, we will not bring out our truth in full. Hence letting go is all there is to do, simply by letting go all of the needs of how to be. Inspired by those around who equally choose to no longer conform, but be their awesome selves.
It is here that we change policy and treatment of people, by standing up and speaking the truth in every moment – no matter how small or large.
Hear, hear Michael. Absolutely brilliant and I agree with you from head to toe. When we choose to speak up against abuse for ourselves we are in effect representing humanity. When we understand how our every choice can impact everyone else, it changes everything. This highlights how important it is to take responsibility for all our choices and to express truth consistently.
If we don’t honour what we feel and back our own decency, then who will? This is how we change the world, but making simple changes within ourselves.
I agree Abby – the world changes with every person choosing truth over the ease of a comfortable life.
Love the analogy Arianna. Confetti seems light and little but if everyone at the reception is throwing it then it spins builds up and becomes a mess. This is so relateable to any form of abuse and abuse being anything less than love.
This whole paragraph is pure gold and exposes the underlying rot that is within our so called ‘nice’ society. We do live in a great place but we as a society have absolutely created and continue to feed very uncaring ways of being and intentions.
‘If we think we are safe or protected because we don’t live under a dictatorship, we need to look around. If we think we can sit back and expect to be treated with respect and fairness, because ‘we have democracy’ or money or a job or whatever… we need to look again and ask ourselves “What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?”
A great point to pick up, its the level of responsibility we have equally to all, to stand up for what is not true and honouring and in doing that things will start to change. As many have said about politics it is those that don’t vote that let the policies go through that we don’t want and are unjust.
I loved how you took us through the story aswell as breaking up the different presented moments and choices to you with subtitles. It is a great reflection how there are many opportunities for us to choice and learn just from the one situation and the format of your blog makes these opportunities and points of responsibility stand out.
What a ripper of a blog Jo. Thank you for writing it and exposing this, business as usual’ rot.
Well done Jo, every last pocket where this sort of abuse, coercion and mis-representation exists has to eventually be called out, named and said no to. Not until every last one of us does so, will the world truly change.
It can be quite easy to click the ‘accept terms and conditions ‘ box without reading the small print, and i have to admit to having done that in the past, but we need to consider what we may be agreeing to. My awareness of this has increased recently knowing how everything matters no matter how unimportant it may appear to be at the time.
Just reading this example of abuse of power makes my blood boil, I have a way to go in not reacting where i see perceived manipulation and coercion. I can only imagine that as I accept what it is to be in my true power more I will react less when others do not live from theirs.
This reminds me of all those boxes we tick when we sign up to things online or even download things such as software or games. There is an agreement we are accepting by ticking those boxes and the consequences can be massive if we are not aware of what we are signing. At the end of the day it is our data, and often our personal livelihoods that we are entrusting in this agreement supporting us.
A glorious exposure of the abuse we let run rampant by turning a blind and complacent eye to the many tiny details we let fly, only to then have the arrogance and chosen ignorance to cry ‘foul play’ when we do not like the world we have created for ourselves. Restoring the integrity within ourselves restores the integrity of the whole we are a part of. Thank you for writing this Jo, I very much enjoyed reading it.
A wise woman and friend told me recently that “a life lived blind is one that will be repeated for lifetimes.”
No matter how small or large unpicking this unawareness is what will expose our mass accountability.
This is brilliant Jo and inspiring, making me consider more what it is that I am signing into or agreeing with in all aspects of life…
So true Elizabeth this blog has reset my autopilot button and now when i am signing a lengthy document i will heed Jo’s offering.
Staying with what we know to be true in a world that puts us under constant pressure to align and bend to their ways is a moment by moment awareness. With the Internet everything is instant and easily accessible but it can be easy to let things slip and in this sign up for things we did not know the full story of we were agreeing to. It is great that you stood by what you knew to be true and even though the company was trying at every angle to get you frustrated so that you might give in and accept their demands, you held yourself and learnt from the experience. Being able to observe what is really going on and see the bigger picture and what energies are really at play makes it easier to hold onto what we know to be true.
The ‘small print’ could be anything in life that we prefer to not look at or not attend to fully, yet when I do choose to ‘read the small print’ I can feel the difference it makes within myself, it feels completed, no drag and no opening.
So true Rosanna – there is a spaciousness and freedom I can feel in my body when the detail is complete. Which then makes the next task simpler. So in essence what might seem to take time initially saves time later on.
Absolutely Rosanna, ‘the small print’ is anything in life that we may tend to brush off as inconsequential…
…but we feel these little drops in our completeness instead of living the integrity we carry within and getting to feel that in all we bring to the world.
These little drops add up to overwhelm and disregard that we often claim as our everyday living.
Thank you for you persistently upholding your truth and explaining why you were choosing not to go ahead with the policy. Saying NO to the mis-representation/abuse is saying no to that energy and leads the way for others to do the same. The more people who choose to follow your example will put pressure on the company to look at changing the way it does business.
I agree, corruption is not a case in a far away land or happening elsewhere, it is part of our every day life, it is found everywhere, in fact every move we make away from our inner truth is a corruption to ourselves.
An ‘oops’ moment felt here Esther with the clarity you bring about corruption to ourselves.
“…..in fact every move we make away from our inner truth is a corruption to ourselves”.
I recently rented a car that on the surface looked a good deal, till I returned it and found almost $200 extra, in rental car tax, registration fee, car availably, rental auto facility charge, sales tax and concession recovery fee. The bill was from the handheld receipt you get from the check-in person. Is it a coincident that at airports and car rental firms, have reams of paperwork to sign and initial after a long flight? Is this something we all need to discern!
It is easy to assume that because we do not live under a so called oppressive dictatorship in terms of government compared to some other places in the world (although our governments are increasing looking more like this in disguise too!) that we enjoy a lot of freedom, however big business and corporations these days act in a similar way to any oppressive regime and make it very difficult for anyone to go against their view and take on the world, so how free are we really?
Your blog Jo has highlighted the importance of integrity and not to dismiss anything that doesn’t align with this. As you say it is so easy just to give up and pay the money for an easy life. But life is about more than comfort; it is about living love and truth and supporting others to that love and truth if they are open to it. Sometimes it takes work to say no, especially when it seems like you are the only person saying it. However it only takes one pebble in the pond for the ripples to be felt…
“so basically, they were saying that if I did not sign, my premium would increase (as much as they wanted to increase it) and there would be no guarantee that they would take care of me if anything happened.” This is total abuse and companies should not be allowed to do this – this is one of many where money and greed come first before people. I’m not going to lie I react a lot to what I see and feel in this world as it is very sad. Something I need to learn and be willing to see is how little people care. It hurts me to see this.
“Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.” A very true statement Jo…it can be so easy with busy, pressured lives to let things slip and slide. Yet, we have all done so, all contributing to a world in which we don’t like and have reluctance to do anything about.
And to stop and even reverse this is us each just taking the small but very needed steps in our own lives with situations/people/etc that even have a whiff of corruption to them.
I find long waits on the phone the ultimate test of my patience, I love what you shared about your commitment to follow through and to do this you supported yourself by coming back to your breath and staying with your body rather than going into your head.
And it was great she stayed with the gentleness of her breath rather than choosing to get in a state of stress or frustration as many long waiting phone calls tend to make people feel.
Jo this is a whole new level of not putting up with abuse, to actually have the will and the choice to look at the detail and not accept the picture presented. It’s a great reflection to me on when I look at documents, agreements and ways of working with people as well as basic contracts.
`I remember my father instilling in me the importance of always reading and understanding a document before signing it, even if it means a delay and asking for help, particularly with legal documents. It’s giving our power away not to as we leave ourselves open to being abused. However, there seem to be endless terms and conditions we’re being asked to agree to these days. I have to admit that there are times when I’m trying to access something on the internet and I’ve been asked to agree to pages and pages of terms and I’ve clicked ‘ok’ without reading them all on the basis they can’t take any money from me, without my account details and I’m ‘just trying to access a site, so what could go wrong’! I appreciate the timely reminder to be more vigilant.
“I feel that when I accept less than respect, it is a loss for everyone, as this gives the world the message that we can do business or ‘get by’ at the expense of our humanity.” And therein lies such a powerful way to bring evolution to our societies and hence the world. When we address the quality of respect on a personal level in all aspects of our lives, how we are respected, how we respect ourselves, how we respect other people, then we begin to build a solid foundation of relationship that everyone benefits from. The more we respectfully address the ‘small print’ the greater the role model we are to everyone we engage with, calmly and lovingly correcting the abuse that we have all allowed in the world.
Often saying yes to one thing leads on to us accepting and tolerating other arrangements, abuse, criticism or putting downs, so it’s important that whenever something stops feeling true we speak up about it and not let ourselves fall into the trap of going along with a lie or manipulation.
I am inspired by your phoning around many people and not becoming frustrated, that’s awesome. I have been feeling frustration with the current state of the UK politics and struggling to hold the bigger picture of what we have allowed for our systems to be so corrupt, and for apathy to reign amongst so much obvious bias from the mainstream media. Instead I can see this as a wonderful opportunity to talk about ourselves and our part in the mess rather than seeing it as something to fight against. Accept responsibility and move forward!
Great blog, Jo, highlighting the significance and importance of our own individual responsibility. You pose the question, “What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?”. Life is a school and surely is this not the greatest lesson that this school presents for us to learn and from which everything else follows and expands?
By refusing to be bullied and blackmailed into signing up for a clause in the small print and taking your business elsewhere you have offered the company an opportunity to reflect on their business operation. The cheapest deal can often turn out to be the most expensive if we forget that ‘everything matters’.
If we settle for something that doesn’t feel right or doesn’t have integrity because it gives us a better deal ie. a cheaper premium or some other perk, then we are adding to the corruption in the world. When we sign a contract, we are signing all of it, all its terms and conditions, and not just the parts that we like.
Jo, I love reading this and how you stand up for truth and will not be bullied, I can feel how it is easy to just accept things that don’t feel great rather than speak out and how this allows companies to treat people in a less than loving way,a way that is bullying and unacceptable, this inspires me to stand up for what I feel is true and to say no to any form of abuse, to speak my truth and not remain a silent victim.
I know the feeling of letting things go because I’m tired. The consequences of such choices have taught me that it’s not a great modus operandi. I see it now as being lovingly diligent; taking care of myself and business at all times.
I think we can all relate to this feeling and the irony here is that it is the things we let slide in this way that slowly drain us. Abuse unseen/ignored is abuse that is given the green light to drain us all from expressing the love that we are. Perhaps this explains why we are so exhausted as a humanity – we have given our power away to all that is not of the truth that we are.
Thanks Jo, I rarely read the fine print. Is it me or has the fine print got even finer and a lot more of it, I mean you need a magnifying glass for most of it. Insurance companies are the worst for this type of thing and it was great that you stuck to your guns and got there in the end,
Great points Jo, thank you for sharing this here. It feels to me like there is an energy of greed that supports abuses like these, where fellow human beings are not seen as people but as a potential sale. What I love about your story here is that your persistence paid off and you found a connection with another human being despite these very trying circumstances. Holding each other with love and respect is hard to continuously deny for any length of time.
What you say Jo, we are so used to just skip the small printing just because we need the service for that price but indeed do we even consider where we say yes to and what we do allow to exist in the world. Everything that is not in full support of us human beings but instead is only for the benefit of a few is harming to us and not respectful to who we are and where we are from. Until we all come to understand that it is not about improving anything in human life and our societies but that it is about the quality of our way of being, we will have these wayward behaviors that will continue to bring harm to our societies even while we think we are doing good. It is only about the quality of our livingness and when lived in full we will naturally not allow any abuse in any way shape or form to exist in the societies we are part of.
“…Throughout those phone calls I kept coming back to who I am by breathing gently and bringing my awareness to my body…” This is key… to keep coming back to your body… with your breath brings an unwavering feeling of settlement in the body. Anytime, anywhere!
Isn’t tiredness the perfect alibi for not committing to life and taking on all the responsibilities including the fine print. Thank you Ariana for sharing one of the most common reasons why companies abuse and market this way. A perfect method of making profits that has been set up not be challenged. How often do we stop to read each bank statement? I have had examples of late fees being charged even though my payments were made at regular intervals. After several phone calls I was given an honest answer where the person shared that most people don’t check their statements – a perfect entry point to abuse.
It’s true I am one who tends not to read the many pages of conditions which I anyway do not understand and as such tend to give up. Good call to not take for guaranteed that those conditions are in the favour of us as human beings but sometimes are manipulative and solely in the favour of the company.
It can be easy to slide onto reaction when events such as these occur. When we can step back and detach from the situations then we can see much more of a situation and even see the part we ourselves play.
Amazing Jo. You speak the truth that everyone needs to hear – for it is a fact that until we accept that we need to honour everything we feel all of the time, the gross abuse in the world today in all its guises and forms, will simply continue.
Jo what you have described here is the beauty of choice and how building a foundation of true love and care can support our bodies to move in a way that holds us as one with all and the responsibility every little moment holds for us to be all that we are too. Thank you. Every moment there is an opportunity to deepen our relationships from our movements and the learning will follow graciously so.
Everything we put our name to, every word we speak, movement we make is all energy and effects everything else. No detail is less felt than another – it is our responsibility to be aware of how we interact with life and what we choose to enjoin.
Change in the world is made possible when each of us stands in the truth of who we are – expressing truth on behalf of all of us so that we can do away with the lies that hold society together.
Jo, this blog has inspired me to look more deeply into what self-love is and can be. The relationship between the choices we make everyday in the form of administrative tasks and what is going to be most loving and holding for us has been made more ‘real’. Everything plays a part and we can all go much deeper in our enquiry of life and in our call to others and large organization/companies to live and operate with integrity and responsibility. This is inspiring – thank you.
“The Big Picture of Saying No to the Small Print” – and saying yes to the detail and precision of what’s actually going on. Interesting read Jo.
A great example of how complacency gets us into situations that we later regret and vociferously complain about – but as you have shown, we need to nip the rot in the bud and refuse to say yes to something that doesn’t feel true.
So often we are presented with a ‘standard procedure’ and expected to agree and sign on many things and I often do not take time to read everything in full to understand what I am agreeing with. I can feel how disrespectful and irresponsible that is, for myself and for everyone else – to say yes to something without knowing it in full (to the best of my ability, that is). Thank you, Jo, for bringing this up for our attention. And I love the way you have handled the situation. Totally inspiring.
‘Six phone calls and over an hour of being on hold later, they waived the fee. The fourth representative was genuinely caring – she got me to an advisor and she made sure the fee was waived’. The quality call centre staff are in can vary dramatically and I have to say there’s been more than one occasion when I’ve found the interaction challenging… not to mention the frustration that can arise at the time it can all take. But when a loving connection is formed with the staff member the whole process is much smoother, even if it does still take a while. I spent time on such a call – and one where time was of the essence – yesterday with a young man who was clearly and repeatedly struggling to find the information I needed. But he, and we, persisted and eventually he was able to find his supervisor and ask him to phone me, and when that person called, he was delightful. It’s all in the approach. If the connection to our own love is maintained, it will be with those we interact with too.
Hi Victoria, I do have that experience too and indeed it is about the connection first and from that comes the understanding that the people at the other end are the same as you and also want to have it all done in a decent way. You then come to experience that it is often the system they are operating in that is not supportive and instead restrictive to the service that could be provided. It is important in these moments to stay present with ourselves and in connection with the other and to not let ourselves get frustrated and make it personal. If we can do that we are able to make the flaws of the systems visible to all and maybe give it an impulse to change or to be discarded.
An awesome stand for truth and integrity Jo, thank you for sharing. What you highlight here is true – we do need to be aware of exactly what we are up for when we sign. Though I have to say the likes of behaviour of the company you dealt with in your home country I’ve not heard of here – a premium cost determined by one’s willingness to accept marketing guff??!! – though I’m sure it’s coming. At any rate, this is a wonderful example of self-empowerment and one to action despite the busyness of life.
In a similar situation where I was to be charged over ten times more than the quoted price for a delivery, we stood firm in the truth and after months and many days of phone calls and letters they finally accepted the truth and returned to a realist price. My reading of the situation was we needed to connect with all those people on the phone and share the love we all are. We did not react in any way so that the company was the one who were getting angry and hanging up, refusing to talk but they eventually came to a complete turn-around so truth is worth while persisting with as it never felt a burden in our bodies.
For more on truth go to;
http://www.unimedliving.com/unimedpedia/word-index/Unimedpedia-Truth.html
Every expression of our truth is one less expression in favour of evil.
For years I have been disillusioned with how companies treat people, and I have not always channelled that energy in a positive way. But I like what you share Jo about how lovely it was to connect with people on your calls, I guess making life about people is the best way to counter the disregard we can often feel from others.
As my father, Mack, says in his last piece of writing before he died, “A long way to go I suppose?” and then he goes on to say “I am not sad. I can love again. I can feel it. Along the way I found again and again through agonies and efforts, choices and decision, that “Heaven” will meet me half way.”.
It was incredible to witness my father, who had led a life of utter self neglect, self abuse and ultimately dire irresponsibility come back to self caring, the tenderness of who he was and back to being able to feel love with the inspiration and support of Simple living Global and the Way of the Livingness… so I know that anyone can and will do it.
Yes Doug, the process has begun!
Oh wow ……Thank you for sharing this gem from and about your father Mack and the huge turnaround in his way of living..
Great blog Jo. It’s got me thinking. I often don’t read the small print, the T&Cs and go on auto-pilot to tick boxes on forms.
Energetically there is no such thing as small print.
I feel that calling out abuse is a step that people can only arrive at having already made a significant amount of key steps prior. There are too many steps to name but obviously being able to recognise abuse is absolutely key. A person can be in a violent relationship and not consider that it is abusive if they have not taken the first embryonic steps towards developing a relationship with themselves.
I absolutely love what you are sharing Jo. In my experience every time I let something slide it comes back to bite me. When we stand up for ourselves we stand up for everyone and when enough of us stand up things will change.
Brilliant blog Jo, what you’ve shared shows us how important it is to stand up for what we feel is true. To stay open and connected to ourselves so we are able to make wise and loving choices. You inspire me to be more aware and not allow any subtle forms of manipulation or abuse slide but to expose it for what it is.
As Serge Benhayon presents repeatedly ‘ everything is energy, therefore everything is because of energy’ therefore every word written on a contract or in a document has an energetic intention behind it. So what exactly are we saying ‘yes’ to when we sign something? It suits my laziness to simply think that I am just saying ‘yes’ to the thing that I am signing up for but I am in fact signing up for so much more.
There is an absolute apathy amoungst most to breaking out of the social contracts we have succumbed to… so I love the power of what you have presented for we cannot compromise on what we know is true, for any acceptance of less is really an acceptance of abuse… The world needs to see the reflection of those who say getting by at the expense of humanity is not okay and we will stand up for truth no matter the cost because we deserve no less.
So awesome to read the way you consider the whole of humanity before signing something that doesn’t feel quite right. It’s the ultimate in energetic responsibility. Inspiring.
“Corruption and oppression will continue to reign from corporations to the people and between people on personal levels all around the world for as long as we go along with it.”
I recently attended the Lennox Head Universal Medicine Retreat for 2017, and there Serge Benhayon presented on ‘supply and demand’ – people can only supply what we are demanding….and even in our absence of demanding fairness, we allow corruption. Incredible food for thought about how much we are actually responsible for.
There is a lot on offer here Jo which empowers every person who reads this, and so lightly as you have described, that sometimes all it takes is time given to the small print.
This is so important. If everyone made the effort to do this then clauses like this would not be able to be in existence. It’s worth standing up for what is true.
Jo as you and Ariana have said, it is crazy to ‘be too tired to not be abused’ even though we may feel a level of given-upness, futility against an overwhelmingly crazy dominating corrupt world, the reason it has become this way is because we have allowed it at every step.. and what if the tiredness is actually a result of that withdrawal and given-upness. What if our true energy and vibrancy in living came from learning to commit to life fully, and express fully and openly speaking up to that which is false and corrupt in our lives. We all have a responsibility for how our world is, and so the more that choose to live in a way that is true, the more truth will be in our lives for all.
‘we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.’ We can no longer avoid or ignore those inner feelings that tell us something is not right – they are our true guide to a harmonious future.
Love this blog Jo and the great reminder to all to read the small print and not accept being abused by big companies, just because they can do it to unaware clients.
An article to challenge the status quo, which really isn’t a status quo at all but more a continued walk away from what we know is true. I love things that challenge a perceived norm and the one of just sign and get back to what you are doing is a big one. I guess that call it the fine print for a reason and few actually bother to go there, most are just happy to have the boxed ticked so they can get on with it. I must admit I do fall into that category. You can see how if we ignore or don’t at least read and ask the question then because these systems operate in disregard of people they will just keep walking a line that looks more and more after themselves. We can’t see how this changes things either way but we can see more and more it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to work with systems if you are a person. This for me is a marker of what the article is saying, we need to be aware of the “small print” in everything. The detail of life we skate by to get to the next thing and while we keep doing this it will impact more and more. It’s great to see people taking a stand in what they feel, it maybe considered a small step but that’s only because we don’t directly see a result and from where I stand this is huge.
What a beautiful example of accountability and standing up. Some could say that it was a very small act, but if every single person took that very same step, that company would change it’s way in an instant – one huge step for the company. Our power lies in us staying true to what we know is truth and taking steps like this.
That’s a powerful point Nikki and highlights the ‘supply and demand’ feed that runs our society. If companies are getting away with corruption, then they will continue, just as cigarette and alcohol companies – if the demand is there, they will keep on supplying.
Thank you Jo for laying the foundation of truth in a world where often close enough is good enough. To take a moment to clarify concerns check -out the fine print and say no to what doesn’t truly support is absolutely honouring and ripples out for everyone who may also feel in a moment ‘is it worth going the extra time’ to get clarity? The true question is are we worth the extra time and expense if these are the questions that arise?
Jo this blog asks us all to stop and ponder how many similar situations have happened to us like this that we have ignored, overridden, not been fully aware of or accepted! There are probably a zillion to say the least. What I love is there is no reaction, bitterness, anger or resentment from you regarding this, which when people are tired, exhausted had a long day, week, month and got yet another thing to deal with it can be easy to fall into. The beauty was that you did not compromise what you hold as a value … integrity. It also exposes just how much bullying and blackmail goes on in the world that it is even written in small print!
It feels incredibly rewarding to get an insurance that is integer and doing what you are paying for. This is much better than having a cheap policy knowing or feeling that something is not right.
Recognising and not giving in to supremacist energy that wants to reign supreme brings the opportunity for accountability.
The world as it is with all the corruption, bullying, greed etc. is only there due to the acceptance of the majority. This is a beautiful example that reflects the power that we have! From my own experience I’ve experienced that there are many companies that truly serve and take genuinly care of their customers. If we’re willing to see the differences we have the power to make the change. Together.
I totally agree Jo, that by taking responsibility for my choices, I’ve realised that everything is an opportunity to learn.
Wow Jo the really allows me to feel how often in the past I have consented to terms without reading them because the length of them overwhelms me. But this makes me realise how I am actually saying yes it is OK to dump your terms on me and I will sign away just because it is easier. That really makes me stop and consider the level of responsibility I am willing to go to.
I have done this many times HM. I also notice how pretty much all of the terms and conditions I have come across online, you have to find where to click to open up the text for the terms and conditions. It is set up in a way that is easy for the readers to skip onto the next stage. So when we come to select the box that says ‘I have read and understood the terms and conditions’ how do we feel when we select yes when the answer should be no, when we haven’t read through the content? For me it doesn’t feel great and awesome to be aware of this.
There is so much every single one of us can do to bring harmony to the world, and it is simple and not complicated nor hard, it simply requires that we listen to our hearts and to our inner truth, and the more we do that and follow its tune the more we will be deepening the truth we know and the more it will be lived.
Jo these words really caught my attention” Throughout those phone calls I kept coming back to who I am by breathing gently and bringing my awareness to my body” because as you say they enabled you to not become frustrated and this is huge given the situation that you were in. So Jo not only did your choice to call the company and say ‘no’ to subversive bullying tactics effect the whole but your choice to stay connected to you also contributed significantly to the whole that we are all part of.
The level of detail and commitment here to the finer details to not accept abuse is the key. Thank you for your very detailed blog on the finer details of life.
The ‘give-up’ attitude is often at play when complication comes in. What has been so great to read here is the willingness to stay steady with yourself. This comes from a foundation that you have built that gets us to feel when the finer details don’t quite gel and choose to respond rather than react. A great lesson that we might be saving on the money purse to start with but there is much to learn about the integrity of the company and the drive for the dollar that harm all.
What is flagged here is significant. The world is as it is because the likes of us have either created it as such or stood by and let it happen.
True Ariana, it is crazy to say ‘I’m too tired not to be abused right now’ and yet lots of us do it.
And isn’t it crazy that we have been living so far from harmlessness that we need to point out and say, as you have, “Accepting abuse in our lives is not a way to have healthy vital lives that are full of love.”… and yet this is needed.
One of the biggest lessons I’m learning is you can never let your guard down in the energetic world we live in. What you shared is only a small piece that seeps into our everyday living. Calling out what is not true is the catalyst for great change.
So spot on, how much do we let slide in the convinience of keeping life as a package for others instead of measuring its true decency.
I really like how you shared that by you saying NO to that companies stipulation you empowered yourself, no longer being at the mercy of another company, although it may be a “small thing’. What I think is, when we just sign away and disregard a deeper consideration then how do we actually go about living? and what are we saying YES to?
We have to consider the big picture in the decisions we make. If we allow corporations just to impose upon us whatever they like, we are contributing to the status quo, that is companies that keep abusing us. Instead, if we say no and we explain why, we are paving the way for the emergence of companies who offer abuse-free services to us, that is to all.
The entire set up of telemarketing is extremely imposing and inconsiderate, everything about it is designed to hook the receiver into the entire spell to push a ‘sell’ or agenda. On top of that it is a cold and highly competitive commission based industry where employees are not truly valued or supported, hence why they can often struggle to be genuine or warm because if they did, they would have to feel the coldness of their workplaces.
This blog has presented another example of a slightly similar incident that I have experienced in the past 5 months following an order placed on line for a product from which I felt I had researched well enough to say yes, that seemed as though it would assist me. I did, as I thought, read the entire verbage associated garnering the information that I felt I needed and subsequently 4 weeks later the product arrived from USA at the reception desk. I used the product for about a month and felt it did serve the current purpose, but I no longer felt to renew my order. However, inside 2 months I received an email invoice debit directed to my account for a similar amount with the indication that my “re-ordered” product would arrive in a month. Short story is that hidden in amongst the plethora of advertising and testimonials, I had missed the bit that said my order was in fact a contract connected to an ‘automated re-order’ and would be regularly account debited accordingly. A number of emails sent resulted in the company accepting that I would not take delivery when the parcel arrived and would be returned. Their final email stated they would refund my account. I am still waiting. I have learned one cannot assume that all business is run with integrity, however, I accept I am not a victim as there is a sense of my own responsibility in not adequately reading the energy of the whole scenario before I placed the initial order. I constantly thank Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for the many opportunities to gain a deeper understanding, including the awareness of being ‘in reaction or being responsive’.
There are vast numbers of businesses running in the world today, but very few with the level of awareness, responsibility and integrity that Serge Benhayon reflects with his business, Universal Medicine.
I have come a long way in learning not to react… Life is way way more lovely when I can stay with myself and feel a true response from who I am instead of getting tangled into instant reaction and emotional roller coasters.
Simply appreciating YOU, appreciating yourself here Jo. It is a huge change, coming away from reaction and choosing to respond instead.
“…Throughout those phone calls I kept coming back to who I am by breathing gently and bringing my awareness to my body (so I would not slip into my old patterns of frustration)…” A great method that makes dealing with challenging situations that much more manageable!
Thanks for sharing Jo. I wonder how many of us skip the fine print, I know I still tend to rush through it at times, and I wonder how many organisations are playing on this, if not counting on it in order to play their dishonest games. Great sharing.
Yes we do take a lot of things for granted because we can’t be bothered and have a, it’ll be alright attitude. This is not taking full responsibility and can at times trip us up.
You make a very valid point here Jo, how many times do we skip over the small print because we cannot be bothered or find it tedious. This case in point clearly shows that much can be hidden by companies who intend to use corrupt practices, and bully their customers. It also highlights our own responsibility, and what abuse we will and will not allow in our lives. Thank you for sharing.
The only reason people and companies (including ourselves) get away with abuse is because we allow it. Strangely not only do we allow it but people actually ask for it. For example we have a financial planning business and in the early days inherited some clients what wanted to lose money and be cheated. When we would not give them bad advice or support them in reckless behaviour they left.
Too right Jo, each one of our voices makes a huge difference no matter what we may or may not see as an outcome.
Well said Jo, I completely agree it is irresponsible and abusive to accept any kind of abuse or to give away our power. I never sign any document without reading it and I have found many clauses that I did not accept.
It appears to me that so many of us compromise in many aspects of our lives, and your example could have been one of them. But by reading the small print, not accepting their terms and staying committed to the result that you wanted – the cancellation of the policy – you held steady to what you know is true; you were not prepared to subject yourself to behaviour that lacked transparency and integrity. Well done – and very inspiring Jo.
Jo, you have honoured your feelings and not agreed to the way abusive behaviour the company is operating, which feels massive, well done. Sure, sometimes we have to pay more, but the difference is felt energetically, everything is felt energetically. That company will have had the opportunity for so much healing with your expression throughout the phone calls ( no wonder there were so many). It is a great learning you share, to stand by what we know to be true, thank you.
There is separation, judgement and misunderstanding in the world not because we speak up but because we don’t. Expressing though, is to not hold back truth. It is not an imposition or control or investment in changing anything or anyone. Love is what changes people and the world, that is the only focus we have to commit to being, then everything else will be taken care of.
So powerfully said Adele.
I am seeing the truth in what you say being lived out by you and many others and more and more in my own life too.
When we dedicate ourselves to come from a place of truth and to holding all equally it does bring real change; this is being intricately documented in the life stories of the students of the Way of the Livingness.
Nothing else we have tried (as a humanity) has truly worked… it is high time we get on with it and be all the love we are with everything we do and with everyone we meet.
Which isn’t it an amazing plan Jo, for humanity to come to this realisation through the love that we already are, to have the opportunity to return to it deeper every day, so as together we can also return to that one unified place we once knew, every single one of my particles is vibrating with a resounding YES. But isn’t it also true that our movements sometimes disobey this obvious direction that guarantees our joy, but then again, these moments are also for us to recognise and to return to the same place with understanding and less and less judgement towards ourselves and others, it is a continued movement without stopping. All of this is a process and one which I am learning deeper every day of what it means to be an unfoldment–to me, this word equates to what true learning is.
“What if life is about learning to take deeper levels of individual responsibility than what we have been doing?” Great question and one I now say “Yes, absolutely” to. You raise a great point here Jo which is how far are we willing to take this responsibility. Do we only go to the level we can be bothered to, or doesn’t inconvenience ourselves, or doesn’t rock the boat, or shake us out of our comfort zone? Or do we live each moment with a willingness to do whatever is needed?
I love your question in response to mine:
“…or do we live each moment with a willingness to do whatever is needed?”.
Doing my own work to get more honest and take responsibility has made me a part of a grand process; a process where I can feel us all shifting and moving toward greater awareness and responsibility and I know this is the healing, the antidote needed to bring us out of the suffering we are all finding ourselves in.
For me, this is true motivation.
Hi Jo, the level of commitment you shared through your blog is inspirational. Everything does matter and so even in those moments where we are super busy, choosing what is true over what is easier as you have shown, makes a huge difference.
‘Reading the small print is so important, whether it be in a written document or energetic, as in ‘what’s really going on here?’
Great point Sueq2012, our responsibility does not stop with the physical.
We also have a responsibility to ‘read’ if something ‘feels’ OK or not energetically, because when we neglect this sense (that we all poses) we are then unaware if we are contributing to love or harm when we take it on board or pass it around.
Many may brush off what you’ve shared here Jo – ‘it’s no big deal’, and ‘why even then write about it’… And yet therein lies the root of the problem.
We have turned a blind eye to so very much, that today we find ourselves standing on ground steeped with corruption and abuses – both personal and larger scale. And the key is, as you’ve shared so well – honour what we feel. We know when we are compromising ourselves and/or others. The world will change by virtue of us ceasing to dismiss our inner knowing.
By witnessing the many living examples of Universal Medicine students who now honor their inner knowing, (thanks to the inspiration of Serge Benhayon) what you say here is exactly what I have discovered Victoria:
“The world will change by virtue of us ceasing to dismiss our inner knowing.”
Hear, hear Jo. And, the world IS changing… even if we do not see the outer ramifications of standing up to abuses of power and endemic corruption making a large scale difference – yet.
It will occur, and many walls will come a-tumblin’ down as we reclaim ourselves out of the apathy that has steeped our way of living for so very long.
I love this blog – even something as seemingly simple as saying no to a little clause in an agreement is of importance, for when we begin to let even the little things slide we end up with very abusive realities. Just because we are in a stiaution where we have money or are living in a democracy it does not make us secure – we have to stand up to that which is not true where ever we encounter it.
I am inspired Jo by your wise decision to accept nothing but fairness and honesty in your dealings with the Insurance Company. I have found myself unwilling to be pushed into “deals” by big companies and have spent much time on the end of the phone waiting for true support and not just taking the easy way out because it all seemed too hard. It was worth it in the end! Persistence pays.
Many of us would not have persevered with the phone calls and the long waiting and would have got frustrated and given up after the first few calls. Out of principle for what is true it is great you followed it through to the end. And the added bonus is every-one you spoke to would have received a blessing.
‘Had I not had the role models and the support of people who are walking the talk, I’m sure I would still be missing these beautiful opportunities to deepen this love for myself, others and life on the whole..’ Hear hear! I would definitely not have got as far as I have without the inspiration of many others leading the way. My appreciation for them and gratitude is enormous. I honestly couldn’t not have done it by myself!
True role models who are living in a way that can deeply inspire us to simply be who we are is dearly needed in this world.
It is my love of people that has me standing up so I can pass on the inspiration that has truly made all the difference for me.
Sometimes the easiest choice or answer does the most damage long term, and you’re right that we can support ourselves and others long term by putting in the effort TO care, not accept abuse and stand up for what we feel is true.
I know I’m not alone in having made the ‘easy choice’ or taken ‘the easy rout’ in many things from disposable items to quick fixes and short term solutions instead of bringing quality into each choice by coming from the deeper place we all have within us…
I know for sure that this deeper place within us all is what can contribute to a world we could all want to live in.
“In other words we can and will make a True difference when we no longer compromise on what we know is true for us all in order to stay in a form of social comfort.” There is a voice within that knows the truth of each and every situation, re-engaging with this voice and giving it permission to stand out regardless of how socially acceptable its choice maybe is mighty confirming but as you say Jo part of that might is knowing that our choice has implications for everyone.
There is the big picture, that our little choices do have an impact on everyone.
Thank you Jo. This is a great example of how a lot of companies work. They rely on us not reading the small print and they rely on us giving in to demands in order to get what we want. Seeing to these sorts of things is never a good idea when we are tired for mistakes are more easily made and we can find ourselves just doing something to tick the box without feeling the consequences of our actions. I love too how you show that the Gentle Breath can be such a huge support in situations where one would otherwise be tempted to become frustrated and irritated..
You have made me aware of how flippant I am with the terms and conditions of certain agreements that I sign into and how by doing so I am completely unaware of what it is I’m signing up for. I love how you have exposed the control, bullying and abuse of big business where the focus is on number and has a complete disrespect for the people it is meant to be serving.
It is interesting how we can be enticed by a cheap deal, focusing on money, without any awareness of the consequences of our actions.
It’s incredibly interesting Fiona, I know a company who is very aggressive in their telemarketing, when people speak to me about the company they tell me they hate the aggressive bullying they get over the phone and it wears them down some roll over and pay up with the reasoning that it is cheap and some hold out only to find that the company will go to any lengths to get what it wants… a sale and if that means putting peoples jobs at risk then so be it. What we don’t appreciate is that if everybody said no to the company it would either have to adopt a more caring approach to it’s potential customers or go out of business. It seems to me that bullies always get away with bullying because no one is prepared to stand up and say that’s enough.
This is fab to read, living from what you feels true and understanding how this impacts everything. It reminded me of how these small, what we often consider inconsequential moments when we say “oh ok” or roll over to the pressure, so to speak when we do not feel something is true happens almost every day if we let them and it degrades us, we feel less, more small and more tarnished by that corruption. I know that this is how I have felt. There more that I have spoken up and lived what I feel is true, the more I feel powerful and untarnished by corruption and I also can feel how I support the bigger picture, the whole, to be less corrupt also.
This is a great blog for me to read right now. I rarely read the small print, often assuming all will be well, but recently I have had a niggling feeling that I should read everything thoroughly before I sign it. It is naive to assume all businesses act with integrity, and reading the small print is another way of me taking full care of myself.