One common form of suffering involves the feeling of shriveling up inside from allegedly being bad, unworthy, flawed, and defective. Such people can go through life anticipating being seen by others in a negative light. They expect that they might, at any moment, be exposed as a … [Read more...] about When You Feel Bad About Yourself
Cultivating a Life of Disappointment
Strange but true, many of us actively cultivate a life of disappointment, meaning we unconsciously look for ways to feel disenchanted, disheartened, and dissatisfied. Whoever would have thought that we humans, so sensible and smart according to conventional wisdom, would be … [Read more...] about Cultivating a Life of Disappointment
Lost in the Fog of Inner Passivity
All of us have in our psyche an aspect or feature that goes by the name of inner passivity. This hindrance to our creativity, self-fulfillment, and humanity may be the most difficult thing for us to see and understand about ourselves. Inner passivity produces a wide range of … [Read more...] about Lost in the Fog of Inner Passivity
The Private Joke behind Our Laughter
Insight is a good thing, and insight into where our laughter comes from not only can spare us a lot of misery but is worth a laugh in itself. Still, as one witty writer said, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” Despite … [Read more...] about The Private Joke behind Our Laughter
Why We Fear and Hate the Truth
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened. – Winston Churchill. We fear and hate many of truth’s disclosures because they’re often accompanied by narcissistic insults. What’s a narcissistic insult? … [Read more...] about Why We Fear and Hate the Truth