Progress

[tahkhleet]

I read this blog of a commenter on a friend's blog, no one I normally know, no one especially close to my friend, either, I think...and it was an entry that for me was dominated by the blogger's hatred of what they went through in high school.  the bulk of the word count was about a more rational topic, but...it made me realize things have changed

Comments

[rowyn]

One of the things that struck me when I got to college was how all of my friends, everyone I knew and talked to about it, hated high school. Probably my social circle selects for the kinds of traits that do not fit into the mainstream. But it does make me think that a much larger percentage of the high school population, including a lot of the people who are making someone else miserable, hate their own lives too. It just doesn't seem to be a very good age to be happy and functional. :/

[lucretiasheart]

I totally get what you're saying here, and I think you hit upon an insight that helped me with my own bitter resentment issues as well. In my case, it was about wishing my mother would be better towards me. As soon as I gave up wanting to impose my will upon her-- I was the one who felt better. I just realized one day that I was wasting my energy over something I had no control over, and I had to release that negative energy. Didn't forgive her- just dismissed her from having that power over me.

(nods thoughtfully)

[tahkhleet]

I think the idea of Kingship is very pernicious and has infected all of us with a tendency to see the world in Kings and subjects and it kind of flattens out all the other opportunities. Power over something is a trap, yet we need some of it to survive...if only to have predictable routines for food shelter sex and raising children...there are no species without power over, but going for more power over than is necessary....is there not something equally appalling about ant colonies, human cities, and fundamentalist ideologies? Balance is so elusive.

Re: (nods thoughtfully)

[lucretiasheart]

So true!

And "power over" isn't the only way to deal with social situations. Though status exists in all social animals-- so too do we find things like trust and cooperation. It IS possible to get things done through a compromise and mutual agreement sort of relationship.

"Everyone wants to be a King, but no one wants to be a King brokering a treaty with another equally powerful KIng" may be another way of putting it.