[Angela]

Originally Posted by Maguru

I believe prevention is better than cure.

But you've been talking about people who are already suffering, not preventing people from suffering in the future. To me, it's the same thing: you recognize suffering as soon as you do, and you let it go as soon as you are ready. Or you don't -- you don't have to.

No. You give me your opinions on some of the issues and become side tracked like feeling delighted with yourself.

It looks like you have missed my many answers to your many questions. Even in that last post! Oh, well.

The example I gave of Nero was to show inappropriate behavioural response to a serious issue. When you look deeper, his behaviour was appropriate for his feelings. Likewise, your response has nothing to do with the issues we are discussing as you clearly demonstrate above and again...........

You're not dismissing my feelings as inappropriate again, are you?

What about global responses to terrorism?

What about it?

I too admire Gene but what about his father? What about the town's cruelty?What about the dead comrades' families? Gene is but one and if it was so simple, everyone would be happy little chappies.

As I mentioned before, letting go of suffering and choosing peace is simple, but it's not necessarily easy! And one thing I've learned is that not everyone is interested in being a happy little chappy. Some people are content with feeling bad. That's their choice, and I don't begrudge them that choice.

Angela, you don't even know what I am thinking. We don't need another hero and I am certainly not, nor wish to be.

No, I only know what you say, and what you say tickles me pink.

I do not dispute your feelings of delight are authentic but they have nothing to do with the issues, as you have explained in great detail and nothing to do with me. You skip the issues, and that which you think you see in me is a reflection of yourself as you well know.

Yes, you are my reflection, and I find you delightful.

I believe you when you say being mugged had no effect on you. My question is why not? I believe you when you say your boyfriend's opinions upset you. My question is why?

On the contrary, that's not what I said. I said being mugged hurt -- that is certainly an effect! An effect that lasted a day or so. Then I said my boyfriend said something, and I started to suffer. His opinions didn't upset me - it was my thoughts about his opinions that had me suffering. Unlike you, I didn't 'not think about it.' I thought about it, alright -- I got therapy*, I spoke with my friends and family and told them the story of my suffering, I thought about how much I was suffering when I was alone... I had lots and lots of story, let me tell you! I was quite fully self-expressed about what I was feeling. I didn't avoid thinking about it -- I WALLOWED in it.

When I was 36yrs old, I was raped. It seemed to have no effect because I was more concerned with what my family thought of me and more concerned with their outrage and upset. My wounded self created a way to deal with the experience and that was to 'not think about it'. I didn't. I didn't talk about it. I was very positive. I now know for sure I did not respond to my feelings. I reacted to others.

The experience changed me at a subconscious level. It stripped me of my trust, my freedom, my rights, my world view and much more. It took years of quietly eating away at me before it surfaced. I know this effect is no way unique but it manifests uniquely. We cannot know what goes on in the subconscious. We can only witness the manifestations from it.

Well, you sure have a lot of story.

This is the source of my suffering. My role as Mother. You believe I can choose to feel delighted at the damage done to my children through me?

Wait, are you saying your daughters are suffering because YOU were raped? That is quite a legacy!

You cannot choose to be happy. You either are or are not. You cannot choose to be encouraging. You either are or not. You cannot choose peace. You either are peace or you are not. Being is not choice.

Are you talkin' to ME? {Robert DeNiro smilie}. Well, I find it very amusing to find myself arguing for your limitless possibility and power, while you argue against it. But I concede: okay, yes, Maguru, you are stuck with what you've got. You are a limited being, and you have no choice in the matter of your life. Your way of being is just the cards you have been dealt, and that's that. If you and your daughters are suffering, if the 9/11 victims are suffering, it's a darn shame, because none of you has the least bit of power to choose anything else.

Of course, I don't believe any of that, but it was fun trying on that perspective.

Angela, I see the real beauty of our relationship in the form of opposite ends of the spectrum. However, we are not entirely opposite. On rare occasions your projection is spot on but do you really recognize yourself? You are forever commenting on who I am. It's not me. It's you.

You are right, it's me! And who I am is infinite power, joy, and abundance. Who I am is infinite choice in my way of being. Just like you, the face in my mirror.


*My first therapist wanted to have sex with me to help me get over my issues with men. That gave me a lot more story to suffer about, let me tell you! Now in retrospect, it makes me laugh, and that episode will surely go into my novel. (I know, I know; I should have sued and reaped millions! Drat.)