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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 17 2013 : 6:41:29 PM
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Great insights, Whippoorwill!
And along those lines, when you said:
Until the listener realizes that the suffering is arising in themselves and not in the storyteller, this cycle continues... If the listener is strongly identified with the act of ending suffering, it gets even more interesting. They cannot be who they perceive themselves to be and allow the storyteller to simply be as they are. So the storyteller gets fear and anger in response to the story because the existence of the story is perceived as a threat to the listener's ego identification.
Yes! And it's interesting to note, often the people who are the unhappiest and least secure in their own life/identity, feel the strongest need to "fix" other people, even when help has not been requested. It is easier to project our unhappiness onto somebody else, than it is to face it within ourselves.
In addition, such people will often choose (consciously or otherwise) to focus on the "negative" aspects of a story and ignore the "positive." For example, if I say, "Well, my finances are going to hell in a handbasket, but it sure is freeing and helps with not being attached to worldly things!", such a person will read "going to hell" and overlook the "freeing" part.
Of course, what's the big deal? "Suffering" is just a part of life, and sharing our stories helps us get through it. Sometimes it is nice just to hear people say, "oh yeah, been there, done that!" or "I hear ya!"
But, it goes beyond the "suffering" aspects of our stories. I've also gotten very "negative" or extremely critical responses (at places other than AYP) when I've posted things like, "Wow, I feel so Free!" or, "I'm going to explode from Bliss." Because this, too, is a threat to an insecure person's ego - if they can't be happy and free, why should anybody else be able to?! So, then you can be accused of "arrogance" or else the genuineness of your experience is questioned, etc. Sometimes you're damned either way! 
This is why, as Anima Deorum said, I find it best not to let myself be too concerned about other peoples' responses/opinions. The exception to that is when somebody takes something I say the wrong way and they feel hurt, when that is never, ever my intention. I always feel terrible if I unintentionally hurt somebody's feelings (like, with my sarcastic humor)... 
But anyway, it sure is nice to be among wonderful, understanding people with a sense of humor, such as we have here in our sangha at AYP!   |
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