Posted by Jennifer on May 25, 2000, at 12:16:28
In reply to Re: Serious interjection, posted by Mark H. on May 25, 2000, at 11:11:52
Well, I found you guys last night during one of my sleepless nights. I've read this entire thread and find that you are all quite different in personalities and tolerance levels. Sounds quite a bit like the rest of the world out there. It seems some think this thread may be worthless, however, I find an occassional discussion "off the main line" very educational. You get the opportunity to read people's personalities a little better, hopefully giving you a better ability to know how to understand them in their time of need. My best weapon for helping myself through the life I was dealt, is by making the choice to help others do the same. I'm glad to be able to participate in this discussion, even though I don't know who fred is. I guess my final point is that this thread seems to be at a point where little else would add value, but that's why we have the freedom to choose where we want to participate. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, as long as no one is physically harmed by it (The old "can't yell fire in a movie theatre" saying). The fundamental right many forget, is that you don't have to listen to it...just clear your screen, and move on. I hope I never find a site where I agree with the opinions of all of the visitors. What a boring life that would be! Thanks to all of you for a great night. It's time for me to take a nap! Jennifer
> Hi Noa,
>
> I'm trying to "talk" less during this archival period to see what I learn about myself and the interactions here. I'm certainly guilty of becoming far too involved and obsessive about our collective exchanges at times.
>
> What I've noticed -- and I'll resist generalizing -- is that I spend too much time editorializing about external manifestations of my internal issues, and too little time here talking about myself, about what I'm experiencing inside.
>
> I've always tended to teach what I need most to learn, and when I started inviting more dialog with self-identified schizophrenics here, it seemed obvious that I was only going to learn more and communicate well if they were willing to stop telling me about the dangers of electromagnetic energies and start telling me what it was like to be them. What I didn't immediately see is that I was and am doing the same thing -- clouding my hurt, my confusion, my issues -- by ranting about circumstances outside myself rather than talking about what it's like to be me. Often, it seems, the more hurt and afraid I feel, the less I want to talk about me, unless I really stop to think about what we're doing here -- in other words, just what you're asking.
>
> Most of my adult life, in one way or another, I have been a tough and outspoken critic of injustice. I can get pretty righteous at times. What I want you to know is that I was hurt as a teenager -- that school administrators basically drove me to the very brink of suicide by punishing me for actions that were not illegal, just inappropriate in their eyes. Whenever you see me go for the jugular of situation in which I perceive injustice, you're really seeing a very frightened 16 year old Mark who is still angry that adults often ignore the law and the dignity of children. Often my rant, however superficially rational, is internally a jumbled mess -- a 50 year old advocate using his legal experience and knowledge to cover the hurt and shame inside and to punish some long-gone, worn-out school employees from the 60s who were wrong but doing what they knew to do. It stings like hell for me to write this.
>
> Thanks Noa.
>
> Much love,
>
> Mark
poster:Jennifer
thread:33538
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000517/msgs/34604.html