It doesn't sound pretentious at all. I think a lot of people who strive to help others become that way as a result of processing their own issues and wanting to empower others on their own journeys. To give to others what they did not have themselves. Maybe that's too sweeping a generalization. I guess it comes from my experience with so many healer-type people in my life who have shared with me bits and pieces of their own journeys. So many people have experienced so much pain in their lives.What I don't want is to find myself incoherent with rage at someone and end up saying all sorts of rubbish I don't mean. I think wielding a sword of righteous and justice and standing for peace and compassion is more my thing, if that doesn't sound horribly pretentious.
Do you think some of the fear arises out of this disjunction regarding anger? That the pent-up rage that is stuck somewhere in our systems will come exploding out and wreak havoc...either to ourselves or others? So we pour it into peace and justice activities, into helping others. We turn it in on ourselves (well, at least I do). It channels it, but it doesn't really metabolize it. I don't know...I'm just playing with the question, I guess.
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