Tag Archives: alcoholism

Ending Emotional Manipulation

There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting an end to emotional manipulation and pain that have been caused by someone else’s reckless, selfish behavior.

If someone that you love is using your emotions to get something from you: such as attention, sex, money, praise, an escape from their fear of or inability to be alone, etc.,

They are not entitled to an explanation when you walk, or perhaps run away.

Close the door, protect yourself from the trauma and terror that they have allowed to define their lives and relationships.

Accept the fact that if they are doing this to you, intentionally, they are probably quite sick, in more ways than one.

They need help, but they will not help themselves; maybe they cannot help themselves, but you are not responsible for their healing.

You are responsible for your healing, for your well-being. With their abusiveness they have asked for you to turn away. They have insisted on your exit; to put an end to their intolerable and unacceptable actions, as far as you are concerned.

Make it impossible for them to even stand in your shadow. Do not be afraid to give them what they have asked for. Show them with your feet that there are consequences for hurting you.

Refuse to let them attempt to manipulate you any further or waste one minute of your precious time, or anything else that you might have to give them.

Open the door for love from someone who can and will show you that they truly know how to love themselves and others.

Be strong and courageous. Go on living and creating your beautiful life, and give yourself the compassion, love, and respect that they could never give to you.

You deserve it.

© 2024 annalise fonza, Ph.D., MURP, MDiv, MPA

“Who Do You Think You Are?” Look at Where You Come From

Hands down, one of the worst episodes that I experienced with a rageaholic happened on the telephone. One night, about 9:00pm, I received a call from a man that I loved and who claimed to love me. He asked me about my day.  As I began to share the events of my day, and expressed my disappointment about the delivery of an item that I had purchased online, he went into a rage. From out of nowhere he was yelling at me, repeating the words: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???

As he raised his voice, assaulting me with his words, I stopped talking in mid-sentence. I was totally stunned and mentally searching for a way to understand what in the world was going on. It was an episode that was terribly unexpected, uncalled for, exhausting, and traumatizing. His outburst was the last thing that I expected in that moment as he was clearly out-of-control and using his words and his “smartphone” to go off on me about an experience that had nothing to do with him. I was just sharing information, as requested, about my day.

The next morning he texted me to apologize, but the kicker was that he justified his yelling blaming it on “our lack of chemistry.” Not one word about a totally ambushing me emotionally with outrageous and unacceptable behavior caused by who knows what and by some very hostile, even hateful words aimed at me. Just days before, he told me how much he loved me, but yelling “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE” for no reason at all is not how you show someone that you love them. Frankly, that tends to disqualify any claim of love (lol).

Indeed, I could not let him get away with acting like nothing obscene happened the night before. In response to his so-called apology, I simply texted back and rejected any claim that the incident had anything to do with me or with anything that I had done. In fact, the words that I used were: that was all you. As expected, there was no response. There was complete silence. He took absolutely no responsibility for his words and actions the previous night.

Nevertheless, I knew that I was not to blame for his unacceptable behavior. I was a victim of his words and actions, but I did not need to become victimized by his silence. What he was doing to me was totally incredible, but, sadly, it was a reflection of the hateful perceptions that he carried within himself about the person that he had become in response to the events of his life and as a result of his poor choices.

In the past several years, I have learned enough about addiction and alcoholism not to let a person who is struggling with his own identity or sense of self accuse me of not knowing mine. Under no circumstances would I or should I take responsibility for another person’s outrageous behavior, nor would I be an emotional punching bag for someone who was controlled by their fears and addictions.

Thankfully, I have learned how to give myself what I need when others break my heart or show me that they cannot or will not be kind to me or be there for me, emotionally or otherwise. It was a very troubling encounter, yet one that I will not allow myself to forget. Several years before the phone encounter, my friend admitted to me that he was a wounded man because of his experience with childhood trauma; in fact, the word he used to describe himself was “broken.” When I first heard him say this about himself, I did not want to believe him, but the more that I experienced with him, the more I could understand how a person’s brokenness can cause problems for everyone with whom they come into contact. This is why it is important for those suffering with the memory of childhood trauma to seek help in adulthood as they become able.

As I sought the help that I needed, I learned many valuable strategies and lessons that empowered me to respond, or not, to the toxicity of an emotionally abusive partner or entity. For instance, following the call, I allowed myself to acknowledge and feel the pain that he caused. I took the time to feel the trauma of his words move through my body; I did some stretches on my exercise mat; and then I made myself a cup of hot tea. As I sat down in silence, I took at least three long, deep breaths. In that moment, I grieved, and I was kind and loving to myself. In that moment gave myself the compassion that I needed being present to myself. This quiet, solitary exercise empowered me to embrace my feelings and own my feelings and thus my power in the moment, even as my assailant was no where to be found, nor did he seem to care. But I knew better than that: I knew that his silence was filled with his shame. Today, when I remember that incident, it still stings; still hurts, but I know what to do with the hurt when it comes to my awareness: I feel it, acknowledge it, and I send it back to where it came from. 

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

I share this memory for two reasons: 1) because telling my story enables me to heal; and 2) as we head into a new year, I want to say that the words who do you think you are are significant for all of us.

When COVID-19 first made its onset, I remember saying to another friend, “Is the whole world going to shut down?” A few weeks later, it definitely seemed to me that the whole world was shutting down. Everything was changing, and super fast! As time went by, like everybody else I knew, I had to think long and hard about the shifts that were happening right under my feet. The world was changing, and sooner or later we all would have new and renewed ways of working, loving, and being.

As an urban planning academician, I teach courses about ethnic identity and the relationship it has to the history of place, as well as to the practice of urban planning. This year, I found myself emphasizing the intersectionality of identity, place and urban planning more than ever before. Currently, most of my students are brown and yellow: they are predominantly Mexican-American or Asian-American, and I have structured the course to explore how specific narratives about cultural identity of black, brown, red, and yellow people, as it pertains to place, have emerged as a central aspect of placemaking in the U.S. Each of us has a cultural identity or heritage, which has everything to do with the expression of who we are, individually and collectively.

When I introduce my students to a concept that I and urban planning scholars call “emancipatory urban planning,” I reference the work of Dr. Gabor Maté. His recent best-selling book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is already a best-seller, and I am savoring every word. Yet, one of Dr. Maté’s best presentations with Diederik Wolsak and Sat Dharam Kaur ND, where they explore the importance of self-identity and self-awareness – is one of his best conversations online, as far as I am concerned. My takeaway is that if as individuals we think that we are worthy and valuable of love, then we will act that way: we will treat ourselves and others with compassion, love, and respect. On the other hand, if, deep down, we believe that we are not worthy of compassion, love, and respect, then we might mistreat ourselves and others, or we might rage and scream and point the finger at everyone else and make up all kinds of twisted and justifications for  out-of-control behaviors, just as described above.

I teach my students that before they go out into the world to work with communities as urban or regional planners, they must first know how to love, respect, and value themselves. In other words, before those of us who are in the business of sustaining communities and thus empowering others to be co-creators in making and remaking communities, we must know who we are and from whence we have come. We have to know and acknowledge our histories and cultural heritages, which are as different as we are. We are all human beings, but culturally, we are quite diverse. Becoming aware of our cultural heritages, and how they enable us to survive and even thrive in the world is essential for professional urban and regional planners. 

Over the years, I have endured terribly abusive verbal attacks by those who express hate or rejection of who I am (or how I self-identify) in various forms, including passive ones. In previous blog posts, I have written about the insults and verbal attacks that I have experienced by others because I identify as an atheist and as a womanist. Because our world is dominated by patriarchal and theistic thinking, many women, believe it or not, perpetuate patriarchal, theistic beliefs, consciously and subconsciously. Watching a woman articulate toxic patriarchal ideas and norms is just as difficult as it is for me to watch a black man who has internalized self-hate due to racist or white supremacist thinking. I have learned to anticipate hateful responses to my being an atheist and a womanist, yet because I anticipate them does not mean that I am comfortable with it when it happens.

At times, I must consider whether to take action against those who express hate or exclusion of me when they learn that I am an atheist. Sadly, there are times when I must take formal action to protect myself when people threaten to do harm to my person because I am a woman or for any other reason. There are some forms of disrespect and disregard that I simply do not tolerate. However, when my person or my mental health are not in danger or under threat, I have overcome abusive and hateful encounters by focusing on my breathing and on what I am feeling. Aside from the use of external assistance for protection from an abuser, like a restraining order, breathing has empowered me to keep my mental health in tact.

I am also usually willing to listen to others even with they have false or wrong perceptions, such as the false belief that an atheist does not have morals or has an alleged allegiance to an alleged being that is called “the devil”. For the record, I do not believe in any gods or supernatural beings, including the one that is called “the devil.” As long as it is clear to me that a person is not acting to disrespect, devalue, or harm me, I am willing to entertain a conversation about what it means to be an atheist for the sake of definition. But, it usually does not go much further than that.

I am very thankful for what I have learned about the power of mindful breathing from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn. A few years ago, I became intrigued by the Buddhist notion of the “bodhisattva.” A bodhisattva is more than an enlightened person. In the words of Thich Nhat Hahn, a bodhisattva is someone who “will allow another person to empty their heart,” even when that person has wrong perceptions or hurtful things to say. A couple of years ago, I began to incorporate the way of the bodhisattva in to my day-to-day interactions. When presented with the opportunity to listen, I allow the people that I love who intentionally make wrong or false things to empty their hearts, to an extent.

Everyone is not willing to aspire to be like a bodhisattva. Some could care less about listening to the pain and anger of their loved ones, but the more that I listened to Thich Nhat Hahn, the more I wanted to embrace bodhisattva practices. I wanted to listen to people that I cared about, even if what they said lacked validity or even truth, so that I could understand them. It was difficult at first, but learning to listening to others with wrong perceptions – for the sole purpose of gaining understanding them – without trying to correct them nor taking responsibility for their thoughts – is in my opinion, an exercise in the power of love, which is the subject of my 2019 e-publication Rebuilding Black Communities, With Love.

As I continue to experience hate and rejection from others, I would rather be like the bodhisattva than anyone else, such as an enemy or opponent. To some degree, I am even willing to listen to the pain of my loved ones even though they may refuse to listen to me, because sometimes it is not about educating others or being in competition with them. Although I am an educator at heart, it is not always about education or agreemy, rather there are times when assuring others that they have been heard is all that matters.

In the words of Dr. Cornel West, I want to be like a “wounded healer, not like a wounded hurter,” because although repeatedly wounded or hurt or abandoned by many, worldwide black and brown people have taught the world how to heal, and we have done it through the unapologetic and authentic embrace of our heritage or cultural identity; through the creation of the literary and musical art forms such as the blues, jazz, and gospel music, for instance. Indeed, I have come from a people that has survived unthinkable hate and rejection simply because of the color of their skin, and some of us have nonetheless created numerous forms of beauty in the world.

There are other aspects of my cultural heritage that have enabled me to understand myself, even in the face of abuse or hate. In 2012, I published an essay in a peer-reviewed journal about the dialectical relationship between womanism and feminism in the planning profession, as I see it. In that article, I reference Alice Walker who asserted with her 2001 book, The Way Forward is with a Broken-Heart. As a woman who proudly identifies as black, I know first-hand how black people have experienced personal, social, and spatial heartache in a world that does not respect or value us. For example, there are numerous black women and men writers and artists, such as Alice Walker, who have lived with the pain of alienation caused by wrong perceptions of who they are and what they stand for. In many instances, they have moved quietly through the heartache with mindful breathing and living, and sometimes without saying a mumbling word.

When I was in elementary school, I observed the elders in my life live mindfully and in silence. For a short while, one of my siblings and I walked a short distance (less than a mile) to the babysitter’s house everyday when school let out until our mother could come to pick us up when she got off work. My babysitter went by the name of Bachi (I have no idea how to spell it) and we called her husband, Granddad. Granddad was a chauffer for a living and they lived a quiet, simple life taking care of their children, grandchildren and other peoples’ children, like my siblings and me. Bachi was very sweet to us; she always provided us with something good to eat (a habit that I tend to do whenever I have visitors). Granddad did not say very much; most of the time he moved without uttering too many words, but he almost always managed to smile at us. When he arrived home daily, he sat in his chair amongst us (there was only one living room); usually he fell asleep while we all sat and watch television. The memory of Bachi and Granddad is memorable to me because they taught me the importance of quiet dignity and the significance of living simply and with meaning. Their house was full of children and love.

When it is appropriate, and when my person is not in danger, I want to employ the power of this type of self-lovingkindness. Breathing deeply and focusing on my inner peace or serenity is one way of tapping into the power of who I am. It is certainly what I do when I go for a daily two-mile walk or bike ride, which brings me back to the truth of who I am; it does not make me think of a god or a higher power, it is an act that situates me at the center of my being and it makes me get in touch with all that has made me who I am.

There are times when I speak up and stand up for myself or others, but sometimes it is best to be like Bachi and Granddad and move in simplicity and silence using only my breath to remind myself of who I am. It may look like I am not doing much by breathing, but it is a powerful act of self-love if I am able to be wholly in the moment and totally aware of what is happening within – in the present moment. Of course, there are times that my choice to breathe instead of responding with words may also be my way of letting others know that I have had enough. Choosing to act in this way – with mindful breathing and self-care – is one of the powerful ways that I have seen responsible adults and elders in my life manage painful moments and realities; it is a practice that is inextricably tied my cultural heritage .

If you have not done so already, I hope that you use this new year to come to a better understanding of who you are and where you came from. You can do this by looking at the way you value yourself and by the way that you treat others, everyday. If you were taught by the people who raised you to truly value and respect yourself and others, that will help you to answer the question who do you think you are? On the other hand, if you were taught to devalue yourself and others, that is probably who you will be, everyday, unless you do something – yourself – to change that, because who you think you are has an awful lot to do with where you come from, how you grew up, and of all the people and places that made you who you are today.

© 2023 annalise fonza, Ph.D., MURP, M.Div, MPA

Updated 12/30/2023

Please Don’t Tell Me You Love Me

Please don’t tell me you love me when you could care less about my feelings, my work, my life, my day, and my accomplishments,

Please don’t tell me you love me and you want to be with me, but you really don’t. That’s just what you say because you think I want to hear it,

Please don’t tell me you love me when you always run and hide behind your phone and all your other material possessions, especially when you know you have disappointed or hurt me,

Please don’t tell me you love me when you have rejected and scared away dang near every well-intentioned potential partner who has come into your life with deception and abuse,

Please don’t tell me you love me when you are more than willing to lie to get what you want or need (even when you don’t have to), and even when you know your lies will hurt others,

Please don’t tell me you love me when you constantly abandon yourself and the ones you claim to love (yet you cling to the ones, and the habits, that you claim to despise),

Please don’t tell me you love me when you destroy the love that we made with excessive drinking and anger that belong to a past that continues to define and control you,

Please don’t tell me that you love me when the only things that matter to you are your feelings, your work, your life, your day and your accomplishments,

Please don’t tell me you love me when you know that you are not the person that you say you are,

Please don’t tell me you love me when you are not willing to be honest and ask for the help that you know you desperately need, and for the help that will potentially bring you to what you need and want,

Please don’t tell me you love me until you can muster the strength and the courage to forgive yourself for hurting yourself and others,

Please, please don’t tell me whether I love you, or not, when clearly you do not even know how to love yourself.

©2019 annalise fonza, Ph.D.

Updated 12/19/2023

When Is It Time To Run Away?

You will know that it is time to run away from an emotionally abusive person when you hear them say very troubling, self-deprecating things about themselves such as:

I am not a good person; or,

I know I am an a****le; or,

I do not forgive; or,

I do not care about anyone else but you and me; or,

I ain’t s**t; or,

I am a broken person; or, worst of all,

I do not have anything to give anyone right now.

When you hear them say these kinds of things about themselves that is not the time to stick around to see if they will change.

By their own admission, they are telling you exactly what they believe about themselves and their own attributes or character; or how they really see themselves when they are alone and looking in the mirror – which is super heartbreaking.

Way back, somebody with authority in their lives may have said those words to plant those terrible seeds of self-hate inside of them so that one day hatefulness would be in full bloom and rule them, as it did for the ones who planted those seeds.

When you start to hear this kind of talk from someone you know, maybe even someone you love, it is hard – but that is your cue to get up and run away; go for your safety. It is not your responsibility to heal them or to fix them.

The longer you stay or wait, you will be wasting your precious time (time you could be spending on yourself or with someone who sees themselves and you in positive, loving terms) on a person who is full of self-hate and doing absolutely nothing to address it so that they could become a better person. This way of thinking feels normal to them, and it is, perhaps, the only way they know to be. Being hateful is central to their identity.

This kind of person will only bring you pain, and you do not deserve that. Come to think about it, in all fairness, neither do they.

© 2023 annalise fonza, Ph.D., MDiv.

Updated 12/13/2023

Not Without Intimacy: Black Women & the Power of Relationship

I was recently in conversation with a coworker about what it is like to be dating at 50 and over. This subject also came up when one of my students asked me about my relationship status. Actually, I should say that we were talking about what it is like to be open to dating at 50 and older because rarely is there a time that I genuinely want to be with a man for the purpose of intimacy. But, this does not mean that I am without intimacy in my life because intimacy is not something that is limited to nor is it dependent upon the men in my life. In fact, there are many ways to experience intimacy in this amazing, wonderful life!

However, in order for me to desire intimacy with a man there has to be reciprocity, and many of my former and would-be male partners failed repeatedly to be “reciprocitious” in their day-to-day interactions with me. This inability to offer reciprocity, which is a significant part of expressing emotional maturity as far as I am concerned, is a deal-breaker (and please note that I am not using the terms intimacy and sex interchangeably). In other words, a one-way relationship is out of question. For me to embrace a relationship as worthwhile, both of us must have the ability and willingness to give and receive. Any man who demonstrates that he has nothing to offer; that he is unable to give of his authentic self  (not the same as his money, possessions, or power/positions in life); and that he is unwilling to receive unilateral gifts of love and affection from me will disqualify himself as a potential or long-term partner. 

Frankly, it has come down to this: I will not spend my time nor my person with a man who is unable or unwilling to articulate and present his authentic self to me. Sadly, there are many men over the age of 50 who are in this predicament. In fact, there are many men who have absolutely no clue what the term “authentic self” actually means because patriarchy teaches them to be the exact opposite of authentic. Patriarchy, which is not the same as masculinity,  teaches boys and men to be impostors and to lie to get what they want, including approval from other men that is gained at the expense of girls or women.

Much to my dismay, I personally know quite a few men over the age of 50 who approach relationship and intimacy from a patriarchal standpoint and as if they were 35 years old or less, again (e.g., they exhibit signs of arrested development). One of the most disappointing expressions of patriarchy, for me, was hearing a man brag about how many women that he had sex with throughout his lifetime – as if this were an important contribution to society; apparently what is between his legs was something that gave him a sense of value or importance. I am more interested in what is in a man’s head than any other part of his body.

Recently, I heard from a man who knew me as an adolescent and who admitted to perpetuating a lie that one of his friends spread about me that benefited him in his social circle, yet it was a lie that was told – unbeknownst to me – at my expense. Ironically, the person who told the lie is now dead. Not that it matters to me today, because none of these former adolescent acquaintances is significant to my life today, but I share it to illustrate how the toxicity of patriarchal behavior that is articulated in adolescence may continue to be a reality that is experienced in adulthood.

Perhaps the adult men that I could date and that I currently know are struggling  with mid-life issues, such as declining health, overwhelming feelings of regret or missed opportunities, or disappointment in the inevitable change in outer body appearance or physical (including sexual) ability. Nevertheless, if they do not intentionally resist patriarchy, then they too will be prone to repeat and perpetuate the destructive personal and social patriarchal patterns and the consequences that go along with it. It is a vicious cycle that some will never muster the courage to confront or, better yet, to break. Not to mention, their lives will not be much different than the ones who taught them to behave as toxic patriarchs. Indeed, it is insane – and troubling to me – that they apparently want to keep living like this!

Given the childish/narcissistic behavior of some of the men that I know, I tend to assume that they secretly long for the return to their adolescent and young adult selves. After years of tolerating frequent rounds of the silent treatment; slammed doors in my face; emotional abandonment; hot and then cold as ice behavior; anger and even hostility directed at me simply because I expressed a different opinion; unilateral attempts to control the thermostat or anything attached to the maintenance of the apartment or house; lying (usually by omission); accusations that I was cheating because what I was wearing looked “too good” for just me or everyday attire; weekly drunken and thus unpredictable behavior (and good forbid that there be a holiday or a day off from work) like calling me up after drinking a whole bottle of wine and going off, repeatedly yelling, “Who do you think you are? …”Who do you think you are?”; constant criticisms about my choice in movies or other personal interests that I might have – and other unbelieveable incidents that I am simply too embarrassed to repeat, I finally decided that it was useless to spend even five minutes with any man who does not have the slightest idea of how to regulate his emotions or be in a healthy relationship dynamic with an intimate partner.

I know that I can do much better, or I could just be with myself because I like spending time with me! Frankly, I cannot believe that I stayed as long as I did with such an emotionally bankrupt man, but I am super glad that I was finally able to give up on the relationship (and on the hope that I had in him) and let go. I have better things to do with my time than be with someone who will try to treat me like I am an idiot, or as if I would not be able to see through all the emotionally abusive games that some men play.

The lesson that I learned was this: it is a total waste of my time to spend any serious amount of time with a man who is, at best, emotionally immature and has not accepted his own evolutionary process. The behaviors of a man who is this clueless about his emotional maturity (or lack thereof) are simply unacceptable; and – therefore – emotionally immature men are unacceptable! At this point in time, emotionally immature men are not even worth it to me; furthermore, they vex me, and they are hazardous to my health and well-being. Indeed, I am attracted to a man for what is on the outside, but what is on the inside, in terms of his emotional maturity or intelligence, is far more valuable to me in the long run, and that is what I pay close attention to when a man shows any romantic interest in me. This means, for example, that I observe how a man speaks to me about women and women’s issues in general (such as leadership, employment, and reproductive rights); how he handles the unexpected ups and downs in his life; and, how he plans for his own self-care and personal growth and advancement, including the upkeep of his physical and mental health. If a man who is interested in me is only satisfied with the mediocre in his life, then I am definitely not the one for him. Here is the thing:

My standard is excellence, not mediocrity, and if a man is romantically interested in me he will have to earn the privilege of being with me. I will no longer assume that a man has the ability to be emotionally present to me just because he shows interest in me. He will have to demonstrate that he has what it takes to sustain a healthy, loving relationship.

In some circles, it is well understood that out of all groups of women, black women are often the least chosen for the purpose of marriage. In fact, I know quite a few black women over the age of 50 – even over the age of 70 –  and they live their lives alone, without a marital partner. To support this realization, author Ralph Richard Banks writes that “black women are three times as likely as white women to never marry.” This is truly a conundrum to me because 1) black women are one of the most productive groups in this country and 2) we are one of the most educated groups of women in the U.S. Yet, when it comes to marriage we are glaringly alone. Of course, I am biased, but black women are some of the most resilient, bravest people that I happen to know, so I get it that it is disappointing for some to see so many beautiful black women living their lives alone.

However, to the whole idea of being alone I must say, SO WHAT? Being alone does not mean that we are without intimacy, or companionship, or fulfillment in life; and, frankly I am not in competition with white women or any other woman about marriage. The fact that black women are perhaps the least likely to be married as other women is not necessarily a bad thing. There are lots of issues that factor into this social phenomenon, including the incarceration or death of a partner or spouse, particularly as it pertains to the disproportionate jailing of black men. Given these factors and the complexity of social realities facing black women, there is absolutely nothing wrong or shameful about being alone. In some cases, choosing to stay single might be the better choice.

If I were to offer a hypothesis (from the perspective of a social scientist), I believe that today’s status of cis-gender hetero black women may suggest that they are, little by little, dismantling and transcending the construct of marriage as it is articulated in Western American culture. In other words, perhaps marriage in the Western sense is not truly working out for black women, and not due to any fault of their own. Many black women are rejecting marriage and traditional relationship frameworks, including childbearing, because of patriarchy and the oppressiveness thereof. Consequently, they are consciously choosing to stay single and they are happy with that choice (thanks to the sacrifices of many women who went before us, we can do that!).

Think of it this way: there are many black women who are not willing to put up with the patriarchal crap that their predecessors may have been forced to put up with due to racism (also perpetuated by white women), white supremacy, and blatant forms of gender and employment discrimination. Today, we too have options and we are not limited to one group of men, nor American men for that matter. For a good read on the subject of black women navigating relationships on their own terms, I recommend, No Thanks: Black, Female, and Living in the Martyr-Free Zone,  a book by Keturah Kendrick.

For many black women, like me, marriage is not completely off the table, but I do know that many of us are simply over the hype. Thankfully, some of us have finally come to the realization that we do not need marriage to make us who we are or anything. We are just fine without marriage or a spouse “to make us whole,” thank you very much! We are already whole – or complete – and to assert that black women need marriage to make us this or that is quite frankly sexist and comes out of a place and a way of thinking that women (at the least) should have let go of a long time ago.

For example, the idea of marriage in the Bible is rooted in polygamy, not monogamy. Unfortunately, there are many men and women who formulate their ideas about marriage and women’s rights from this ancient book, which is one reason why I would not follow many of the men that I meet or know down the block, let alone into marriage (and definitely not if they are coward enough to use lies and manipulative behavior to get something from me, which is quite common these days with a lot of people, not just men).

If a man believes in the marriage of the Bible and if he takes the Bible literally (via the Old or New Testament), then he is not for me. Many of the men that I know who take the Bible literally about marriage do not take the Bible literally in other aspects of their lives, especially as it pertains to their sexual, eating, and drinking habits (in other words they do and say things that would be considered sin or “abomination” according to the Bible). Men who do this are hypocrites to me, not to mention they pick and choose parts of the Bible to serve their own interests. I will not make any space or time for a man in my life who is into “cherry-picking” the Bible, whether intentionally or not. This is a sign of self-centeredness.

There are other reasons that I do not use the Bible or other scriptural texts to organize my life and one of them is that rarely are the stories in the Bible genuinely concerned about the lives of women. In my scholarly opinion, I would propose that the Bible is a book that was written by men for men. I mean, can we point to any women who were a part of the Council of Nicaea in the fourth century??? Likewise, we do not know much about Mary the mother of Jesus beyond Jesus; but her function in the biblical sense was simply to produce a son. She exists in the Bible only in relationship to her child; not as an autonomous biblical figure with a mission of her own.

Similarly, other women in the Bible, starting with Eve, are represented as problematic or tempestuous to the men around them and this idea has been foundational for most if not all of the Abrahamic religions from the start. In short, I will say that the biblical depiction of women is very problematic for me, and I refuse to give it more credibility than it deserves. If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times: the Bible is not a history book – it is a book of faith, rooted in the lives of a specific group of people that lived more than 2,000 years ago.

That said, I do not and will not appropriate this book to order the events of my life, nor do I use it to make sense of life in general. Be my guest if you want to give the Bible this kind of prominence in your life, but I simply cannot justify making such an outdated and patriarchal book the blueprint for my life. On the other hand, if the Bible teaches me anything it is what I do not want, and there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that my life does not have to be rooted in what it says about how to relate to men or marriage, nor do I want it to.

The Bible’s prescriptions for my relationship to men and marriage are frankly not even relevant to me. I can live a good, healthy life without marriage, and when it comes to male companionship or partnership, I can take it or leave it. I have the means and the ability to provide for myself, and there is no way on this blue and green Earth that I would spend the rest of my life with a man if his views on gender, womanhood, and even marriage are based on biblical claims to male superiority and thus female inferiority.

It is 2023 for crying out loud and there is so much more that I can use to “order my steps” in this amazing world of ours (pun intended). At this point in time, for instance, I tend to connect more readily with Buddhist philosophy than I do with Christian philosophy because the idea of balance is foundational to Buddhism. To be sure, it is one of my aspirations to live a balanced life: finding the balance between work, life, and my personal relationships is key to good mental and physical health.

Dating as it exists today is one of the scariest endeavors that I have had to negotiate: addiction plagues a lot of the eligible men that I know and online dating sites are full of narcissists and people trying to manipulate women for all kinds of things, including sex, money, attention, etc. Yes, I know that women engage in their share of using others for personal gain, but it is nowhere near the things that men have done historically to hurt women and children: the biggest predators and sexual offenders in our society are men not women; the Catholic Church is a very sad and unfortunate example.

It is not hard to recognize toxic patriarchy; all you have to do is pay attention to what a man says because usually he exposes himself. For instance, a man that I know once tried to tell me that a woman that he used to date calls him from time to time to tell him that she hates him. Really? Why would a person who hates you call you? More than likely, he was the one calling her.

I approach dating like I approach securing my living space and my computer: with great caution and vigilance. But, there are many ways in which black women as a group of people experience intimacy and thus familiar, warm bonds with others. As a group, I know first-hand that black women engage in many activities that bring them a sense of purpose and intimacy. In some cases, we approach our work in relational and collaborative terms, and we connect with those in our professional and personal circles with great familiarity and fondness. Indeed, black women will develop special bonds with friends and perhaps with lovers, even if those bonds must be modified to reflect contemporary, twenty-first century considerations and the hypervigilance that we have to exercise just to be physically  and emotionally safe in a world that often seems to be spinning out of control with toxicity and increasing me-me-me attitudes.

As far as I am concerned, the most important relationship that I will ever have is with myself. I would choose to be with myself a thousand times over being married to a hypocrite and feeling pressured to relinquish or negate the special, intimate relationship that I have with myself. I have places to go, people to see, and things to do, and marriage is not going to keep me from doing those things. If I ever do get married, the marriage and the man will empower me to be my best self and to reach my goals.

When I first had this conversation about intimacy with my coworker – who is a black woman – I promised her that I would write something about black women and intimacy, and this is my first attempt because it has to be said that black women are not victimized, nor are we diminished by the fact that more of us are not in marriage vis a vis any other women’s racial ethnic group. In addition, do the math: the success of marriage in the United States is not all that impressive (only at 50%), thus being or staying single well into one’s adulthood is a very wise thing to do.

Let us face it: when it comes to the “institution” of marriage, we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect to get different results: this is insanity. For the time being, I have no interest in getting married, but, to be clear, I am not without intimacy in my life, nor do I want for attention. I am not alone all the time, but when I am alone, I welcome it because solitude gives me a sense of self and “ground of being” that no one else can provide.

No doubt, black women have demonstrated, time after time, that how we spend our time and our talents as it pertains to marriage may be exactly what other women need to see to stay single longer. If you ask me, we are the vanguard as it pertains to marriage, and our lead is quite remarkable notwithstanding what people (including black men) constantly do to try to put us down or make us seem lacking. We are not the victims here at all.

In closing, I must say that black women are perfectly capable of demonstrating what intimacy can look like with a conscious and steady dedication to ourselves and our loved ones, married or not. The example that we have set is one of the realities that makes us who we are in social, personal and political terms, and it fills our lives with love and meaning, regardless of what others say or think about us. Nothing could be more powerful and purposeful than living a life that is intentionally and authentically connected to self and others and this is one reason that everyday, I am proud of who I am: a totally capable, ethical, beautiful, responsible, serious, and loving black woman.

© 2023 annalise fonza, Ph.D., MURP, M.Div., MPA

Updated 11/12/2023

When Walking Away is All You Need to Say ‘NO’!

I learned how to walk away from troubled and abusive people in my life:

1) When the abuser chose to repeatedly lie, deceive and destroy the trust that we built and treasured,

2) When they claimed to be the victim of my actions (falsely alleging that I hurt their feelings) after they left me with no other option but to run away in order to protect myself (and all I have worked for) from their selfish actions, addictive behaviors and poor decisions,

3) When the person who abused me emotionally was a victim of abuse and emotional neglect as a child and (to this day) has chosen not to address their own woundedness with a mental health professional, although they have the means to do so,

4) When it dawned on me that the abandonment that I experienced from my abuser was a reenactment of the abandonment and abuse that they experienced in childhood, adolescence and, yes, even in adulthood,

5) When I had no other choice but to leave and thus stand up for the truth when my abuser cowardly made every attempt to barrage me with empty promises, meaningless excuses, and blatant omissions of truth,

6) When my abuser denied and refused to acknowledge the awful things they had done, claimed to be totally clueless about what they had done, and thus totally failed to be accountable for the emotional pain that they caused with their hateful actions, thoughts, and words,

7) And, when it became impossible to offer anything of value to them, especially my person, as it became apparent to me that the abuser would sabotage all the good that we worked for in our relationship with poor decision making, childish-narcissistic thinking, and addictive behaviors.

Indeed, in response to their traumatizing and terrifying behaviors, I could have become like an enemy or a ninja warrior to them, or I could have exposed them to others – even to law enforcement. Worse yet, I could have become just like my abuser, and just like their abusers whom they chose to emulate. But, without any doubt, walking away – which was made possible by standing up for myself and unapologetically in my truth – was the very best way to say ‘enough is enough‘: the number one way – in my book – to break the abusive cycle and get on with my amazing little life – because I do not have time to waste.

I believe that there are times when more drastic responses to abuse are appropriate (such as calling the police and filing charges), but there are times when it is enough to use our feet and our absence to say ABSOLUTELY NOT to those who intend to hurt us and then play the victim.

Freeing one’s self from an abusive, controlling, narcissistic person is a powerful act of self-expression and it requires courage: in the end it sends a bold message to the abuser that they did not have the control over you that they thought they had.

For those who choose to stay on the path of deceit, hate, and destruction, I need not to worry nor do I need to act for the purpose of revenge. They will inevitably do more harm to themselves than I or anyone else could ever do. On the one hand, hurt people, hurt people, and that is a horrible shame. Yet, most of all, hurt people hurt themselves because they abuse themselves by blocking themselves from being loved and cared for by healthy, well-meaning people. If they do not seek help to do something healthy to stop their pain, hurt people become their own worst enemies and eventually they might even self-destruct.

Finally, I have learned that hurt people who intentionally harm others tend to believe that they should get away with hurting people, perhaps because the people who hurt them got away with it. Unfortunately, that is not the way that it goes. Sometimes there are consequences to hurting people, and losing people is one of them.

© 2023 annalise fonza, Ph.D.

Updated 10/08/2023

What’s Your Life’s Legacy?

Recovery from addiction has been a subject of my blogging for many years. My adult dating experiences have brought me into direct contact with men who have been gripped by addiction, which means that I too have been affected by addiction, notwithstanding my own shortcomings and addictions (informed by the groundbreaking work of Dr. Gabor Mate, I believe we all have addictions whether we acknowledge them or not).

Recently, I asked a dear friend who stopped drinking primarily for health reasons late in his sixties: “Besides health, what is the number one thing or idea that caused you to stop drinking?” His response was that he did not want his addiction to alcohol to be his legacy.

His answer truly resonated with me.

On the other hand, I still have other friends and loved ones who are deeply controlled and duped by addiction (and the consequences thereof). Everyone around them knows that they are in trouble, but often even they remain silent for fear of being hurt or hurting the feelings of the addict. Personally, however, the person who is struggling with addiction is oblivious to their addictive patterns, although it is obvious to others that they suffer from super destructive patterns and behaviors, which can include excessive working, exercising, smoking, gambling, eating, attention-getting behaviors (via social media and devices), shopping, and sexual activities (including masturbation and pornography) that cannot be managed or controlled, not by their own volition, by Jesus, nor by their “higher power” who is sometimes called “The Most High.”

I have spent more than two decades as a “recovering person” and have learned that it is one thing to have addictions – we all do; it is another to be controlled by them – and not all of us are controlled by our addictions. Those who are controlled by their addictions suffer devastating and embarrassing consequences, and they inevitably hurt, and sometimes destroy the people around them. The damage that addicts cause can be felt on many levels: physical, emotional, financial, sexual, social, etc., and everyone with whom they come into contact will be potentially affected.

The dictionary (Merriam-Webster) defines oblivion as “the state of being forgotten or a state of forgetting.” That is a good word for what happens to the addict: they use substances, people, and behaviors to forget whatever it is that causes them pain and to numb themselves; they do not want to think about or feel their pain. The oblivion of the addict coupled with the denial of their own suffering subsequently causes them to harm themselves and others, yet they usually do not seem to comprehend this either. Instead, their goal seems to be to cast themselves into the “sea of forgetfulness” with substances and behaviors that enable them to get stuck in oblivion. They do not want to feel.

Recently, I learned about the death of a man that I used to date – nearly two decades ago – who was formerly addicted to narcotics and alcohol. About a year ago, he experienced a death-blowing health event when he was just sixty years old and he did not recover. When we first started dating, he shared painful and troubling details of his childhood and how he used drugs to help him cope during his early and mid adulthood. He said that he tried Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, but he approached his recovery like an option versus a necessity, which is one of the reasons that I did not stay in relationship with him. I was not convinced that he truly wanted to recover from his traumatic past and his personal and social environment was filled with easy access to addictive substances and behaviors. Proverbially, I could see the writing on the wall, and as much as I enjoyed his company and his person, I also knew that I would have been putting myself in danger if I stayed with him.

Unfortunately, being in such close proximity to the “familiar” in his social and spatial environment kept triggering him and calling him back to the same playground where he was not strong enough to stand up to his temptations, so he would go back to his addictions. Indeed, relapse is what happens when an addict stops using but they do not change their environment. This also happens when an addict does not replace the addictive habits and activities with healthy ones and surround themselves with healthy, supportive people. In other words, no one can go into the lion’s den without any armour and expect to come out unscathed. I was really saddened to learn of the premature death of the bright, supportive man that I once dated who seemed trapped in his addiction by his environment, but I was not surprised.

There is an old adage that says, if you want to recover from painful events and people in your life, you will also have to change “your playground and your playmates.” This adage rings true for the addict and those who love the addict. When we keep going back to the same people, places and things who are not good for us or who cause us pain, eventually we will be hurt again. Therefore, there are times when we may have to distance ourselves or completely walk away from these people, places, and things for our own good, especially if the boundaries that we have set in place do not work, or if the addict is constantly crossing or disregarding them (that is if they do not run you away first!).

I have found that creating this safe space to be a very nerve-wrecking and time-consuming task (especially if the distance you need to set in place will alienate or isolate you from your best friend or the very thing that has given you a sense of meaning or joy in life). It is not easy to create a safety plan or exit, nor is it comfortable to set boundaries with people who will probably get angry with those boundaries. We must expect the addict to be angry with our boundaries, and there are many stops and restarts before we succeed at creating the safe space that we need to engage a person who is active in addiction – but it is what we have to go through if we are to overcome the pain inflicted by those who are perhaps not truly aware of the impact of their words or actions.

As one of my recovery partners once said: “It is almost impossible to love a person who struggles with addiction.” I can attest that it is almost impossible to love an addict because most addicts lie, and thus engaging them is frustrating to say the least. Indeed, it is devastating and painful to be in relationship with a person who is active in addiction, and usually that means they will be lying to cover it up. On the one hand, I believe it is possible to love an addict, but it is also important to recognize when it is time to abandon ship to save ourselves and name the pain caused by addiction – this we must do if we are to heal. If oblivion or the habitual attempt to not feel is a such a significant aspect of addiction, then finding the courage to feel, which is one of the definitive marks of our humanity, is definitely part of the answer.

Thankfully, I have learned from so many that staying silent is one of the things that hurts me and the addict; being silent is not healthy because it can destroy us on the inside: science has shown us that it can literally lead to the body attacking itself with pain or disease (I recommend Dr. Gabor Mate in The Body Says No). Recently, a very abusive addict that I know asked me, “Are you still mad at me?” and I said no. But that was far from the truth. A few days later, I went back and admitted that not only was I angry at this person, what I really felt was rage. Of course, there was no response, but it was liberating for me to own up to my feelings because I believe that on the other side of my anger, rage, loss and grief there is healing, and the promise of healing has kept me on the path to recovery. I must be true and patient with my own healing journey, especially when I am feeling super strong emotions.

Fortunately, I want healing more than I want people in my life. I am committed to experiencing peace and acceptance with myself and my life’s choices, but it took me a lot of time to get to this point. I had to learn how to put myself before others and I am still working on it: sometimes I am not as successful as I want to be because I have been socialized to put the care of myself after the care of others, most women have been taught to do this in personal and professional terms. I also have taken the time to feel my pain and not run from it; I have learned to be aware and mindful of my pain, but I do not let it consume me. Becoming mindful of strong emotions, a practice inspired by the teachings of the great Thich Nhat Hanh, has been a game-changer for me. His Buddhist teachings have taught me “how to handle strong emotions.”

Likewise, to face a powerful addiction, an addict must 1) learn how to put the care of him or herself above their addictions; 2) find new habits and a healthy, supportive social environment; 3) be courageous enough to feel their pain, and 4) stop using substances and behaviors to numb their pain.

Unfortunately, this does not happen as often as we might think it does. Many addicts are too weak in the face of their addictions because most do not know how to cope with the ups and downs of life without their addictions. Far too often this means that the addict will suffer debilitating consequences, even death that is accelerated and complicated by years and sometimes decades of self-abuse.

I sincerely wonder if those who actively remain in addiction ponder their own sense of purpose and being: do they think about how they will be remembered for who they are, or for what, if anything, will they leave behind when this life is over, besides a reputation of being drunk or high and therefore being destructive to themselves and others? Frankly, I do not think that most addicts find themselves in that kind of headspace very often: they are literally too out of their minds to reflect upon their own futures, for indeed, when addiction has control of a person, there is no one home.

Contrary to popular belief, drunks and addicts do not speak the truth when they are under the influence, for example, rather they speak the twisted language of the “committee” that has convened in their drunk minds and usually those voices are super careless and reckless. Rarely, do I trust anything that comes out of the the mouth of a person who is under the influence, and especially not if the person who is speaking gets most of their news or information from social media and unreliable sources (and that is most people these days), and definitely not if they are not doing anything to help themselves.

What my elder friend said truly resonated with me because when it is all said and done…when I have completed my life’s work, I too want to leave behind a legacy that I would be proud of. I want to be known as someone who stood up to false idols and addictions (however messy my standing up might have been). I want to be remembered as someone who contributed something meaningful to the world in which I live. I am very proud of this friend who has become an urban farmer and who gives the food away to the people in the neighboring community. As far as he is concerned, addiction did not have the last word and I truly celebrate that!.

To this day, however, there are people in my life that I love deeply who have chosen to stay active in addiction and, thus, they suffer greatly and they bring great suffering to others. Consequently, I have had to distance myself from them, even when I did not want to, because I learned first-hand that they would harm me, even if they did not mean to do it. It is said that “hurt people, hurt people.” I still love the addicts in my life, but from a safe distance and with the help of recovery programs, most of which are online and free. So while I have lost people that I love to addiction to an extent, I have also gained people who are in recovery and who have helped me (based on personal experience) to navigate my own recovery from the impact of loving someone who is struggling with addiction. I believe that we can all address our addictions by: making healing a priority for ourselves; by mindful living, breathing and becoming aware but not consumed by strong emotions or feelings; and by replacing addictive habits and behaviors with healthy, courageous, and straightforward communication and responses (setting boundaries and delivering consequences like walking away) with those who cause us harm.

If you are struggling with the impact of someone else’s addiction, I recommend finding a group or confiding in someone who knows from experience what it is like to endure a relationship with an addict. Most of my friends who are not in recovery, some of whom I do not communicate with any longer, were not willing or able to let me develop or experience my own recovery or healing process. In a couple instances, I felt that they wanted me to respond to an addict in my life in their way and that was not going to happen. I felt silenced when that happened. Healing from addiction is messy and certainly it is imperfect, but I am the architect of my own recovery, and no one who is my friend should want or try to take that away from me. I am responsible for recovering myself.

We cannot leave meaningful things behind in this life if we let our addictions rule us, or if we stay active in our addictions. In addition, if we allow addiction to run our lives, then we will suffer and cause suffering to others. I do not want to do that. We must work daily at keeping our addictions or compulsions under control. Living sober must become a priority for us all (and please note that for me sobriety is not synonymous with abstinence).

So, how about you? What is your legacy, or how do you want to be remembered? What is the measure of your life beyond the earthly life that we know (and not in terms of children or grandchildren)? What is your legacy? What reputation are you creating for yourself in life? Given the toxicity of the world that we are living in, I believe these are very important questions; this world creates the conditions for addiction and it drives us all to soothe ourselves from the pain that we experience, but that is not an excuse to do nothing. If we are ever to experience transcendence and peace, I believe, we must rise above our addictions by recovering our true selves, which will empower us to live sober and free.

Please feel free to leave your answer in the comments section below. I look forward to your feedback.

© 2023 annalise fonza, Ph.D.

Updated 10/01/2023

The Pain of the Past

If you let the pain of your past define and control your present, it will affect the breadth and depth of your future.

Failure to address (and thus respect) any prolonged pain – bodily or emotional – can have devastating consequences. Eventually, if you do not acknowledge and/or release your pain, it can make you sick, angry, abusive, or cause you to isolate and numb yourself to the point that you might lose everything and everyone that is important to you.

Worst of all, holding on to an emotionally painful past can make you lose sight of who you are. It can make you believe that you are something or someone that you are not.

You have the power to let go of the pain from your past. Use it to name it, feel it, release it, and watch the pain of the past slowly but surely fade away.

© 2020 annalise fonza, Ph.D.

Post updated 10/4/2020

What Do You Believe?

What you believe about yourself and others will show up in your actions, not in your speech.

If you believe you are worthy, you will act like it and you will make the best choices that you can to experience the best that life has to offer.

If you believe that the lives of others are precious and free, you will treat them with kindness and respect.

If you believe that life is worth the living, you will live it to the best of your ability.

If you respect the people in your life, you will show them that you care about their lives and their feelings.

If you are a good person, you will say and do good things, and you will probably be a giver.

On the other hand, if you believe that you are not a good person, it will be articulated in your actions.

Perhaps you will sabotage just about every good thing that comes into your life, and then fail to take responsibility for the damage that you cause.

The malevolence of your beliefs about yourself will show up in your day-to-day living, and you will probably be a taker.

If you are selfish, you will not care about how your actions affect others (and being selfish is not a sign that you love yourself, rather it is a type of greed or, frankly, narcissism).

If you are manipulative, you will lie and deceive others to get what you want, and even when what you want could be freely obtained or given.

If you are hateful, you will belittle and spew hate on to others, including those you do not even know.

If you are not trustworthy, you will not trust others.

If deep down you believe that you are not worthy of good things and good people, then you may choose things and people who are not good for you.

Oh yes, I have learned to pay attention to the core beliefs of others (and to my own) by observing their actions, not their speech.

And doing this has enabled me to save my own life.

©2020 annalise fonza, Ph.D.