Is This A Guiding Message?

In one of the many mission-statement sessions I've participated in, a wise gentleman said that we needed to write a guiding message to tape over everyone's desk.  It should affect every decision, every phone conversation, every email.  Before you talk or hit send, look at that guiding message.

I realize that this screen shot is a statement of purpose from a tax form, but it has bothered me a lot, and words matter.

http://www.alsa.org/assets/pdfs/form-20990-20-20f2014-20irs-20sgd-2006-11-2014.pdf

I hope that words like sympathy might be replaced with respect.  

And I am not a victim.  That's exactly why I do my best to fight back against ALS and related problems.  It's about fight, not plight.

Moving forward I hope for a different attitude reflected by a powerful guiding statement of purpose.  We are more than sad, pitiful stories.  We have brains and ideas and a special rage.  And skip the sympathy.  Every person dealing with or who has dealt with ALS deserves respect.