Does AIDS punish, not in my opinion!
What AIDS does do is break down the immune system to the point that the immune system can't fight off any opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) or Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS). Eventually the person who has AIDS, based on their treatment, can die from an AIDS related illnesses. Of course as I have heard, no one needs to get AIDS today, not with the medications that are available to treat HIV infection. In reality, according to the CDC stats once HAART therapy began, deaths from AIDS related illnesses have declined. If you want more education, I always suggest people go to THE BODY.COM where the information is discussed thoroughly.
Punish, as defined by Merriam-Webster
Definition of PUNISH verb \ˈpə-nish\
transitive verb - 1 a : to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation b : to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation
: to inflict punishment — punishable adjective— punisher noun
Examples of PUNISH
- I think that murderers should be punished by life imprisonment.
- She was punished for lying.
Do I need to be punished for contracting a disease that millions share? If so, who is here to judge me for that? Well not Mr, Farwell anymore!
Why would anyone want to look to something that encompasses their body as a punishment? I have often believed 'where the mind goes, the body follows.' If I send negative messages to my body, then it could be destructive, therefore saying that there is a disease in my body that is punishing me is like making it worse on the psyche and the body.
Punishing is not taking treatment. If there is a treatment, then it must be adhered to, otherwise, then I AM PUNISHING my BODY because I AM NOT following the suggested treatment.
Punishing is continuing unsafe sex or other behaviors that will cause me to be re-infected or infect others.
Punishing is INTENTIONALLY having UNSAFE SEX, just to get back to those who might have given it to me.
Punishing is not taking care of myself mentally.
Punishing is not being educated on what the disease does.
Punishing is not following doctor's orders.
Punishing is shaming myself for contracting a disease.
Punishing is NOT MY JOB!
Again, I caution anyone to use the words 'AIDS' and 'PUNISHING' in any sentence. There are enough people in this world who want to believe that, why add to their shame and guilt.
I completely agree with you. How sad (not to mention judgmental) that people actually believe AIDS is a punishment!
ReplyDeleteI can understand why certain people must believe that certain actions they took but now regret are a punishment for bad decision-making. It seems to be a natural, yet naive human assumption that when good things happen, you are being rewarded, and when bad things happen, you are being punished. It's sad, but people feel the need to beat themselves up when we make mistakes--as if that will make certain we don't do it again. Negative reinforcement is an ineffective way to learn the lessons in life. But most people don't understand nor take advantage of the power of positive reinforcement. I love teaching this in seminars, since so many managers don't get this.
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