Posted by Derf on June 30, 1999 at 19:38:30:
In Reply to: Heavy on the fixations.... posted by Amanda :( on June 30, 1999 at 14:00:06:
Nobody will think you're defective. Not unless they're seriously pathological themselves. Probably nobody on this side of the asylum wall. Please realize this, and don't let this irrational (but understandably potent) fear overwhelm you. I've met people who have been victimized in various ways. I felt sorry for them, first off. I did not see them as defective in any way, and neither did I wish to alienate them by treating them like "damaged goods." Most of all, I admired their courage and their strength of spirit. As for those who didn't have that spirit, well that's a sadder story. I sense that you have the courage to face the truth, to accept it, and to actively choose happiness and trust as a way of life. Of course, you seem to be on that road already. For people who have been victimized, this becomes a hurdle.
"Revealing your vulnerability will not alienate people; it will endear them to you." (Riso, paraphrased Wisdom of the Enneagram.) I believe this. Do you?