Resiliency is not just bouncing back, it requires a reckoning with how you got to that place from which you bounce back.

As Self Image improves, health and performance improve!

Arguably, the single most unaddressed public health crisis in contemporary society is a coherent plan to address the intergenerational cruelty and unfairness on which the United States was founded and our current society's inability or unwillingness to admit and confront the trauma that has arisen from this ugly history. The resulting economic, social, educational, political and religious impact of ignoring this core admission has derailed almost every well-meaning effort by both the oppressor (guilt, shame, embarrassment, etc.) and the oppressed (resentment, anger, fear, etc.) to work together find meaningful solutions to poor health and social outcomes.

Higher education grants, human services (food stamps, medicaid, etc.), community wealth building initiatives, attempts to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), voting rights, religious freedom, and the like are important, but have proven largely irrelevant in the absence of truthful and honest acknowledgment of our country’s true history. In fact, it can be said that they exacerbate the intergenerational trauma that was present in the cells of US residents of all backgrounds (race, color, sex, class, etc.) before they were born.

This insistence to sweep selected parts of history under the carpet, rather than come to terms with and offer remorse in pursuit of an honest settlement has hindered the opportunity to learning from the mistakes of others, while striving for societal humility. The associated dishonesty takes its toll on our individual and collective societal self image, further impacting health and performance in the workplace, school and home.