I've had a strange kind of life because I have a strange personality, a flaw really. That flaw has "required" that I deal with people at different levels. I couldn't possibly explain this ALL, fully, here, but I will try just a small part of it.

Imagine that you could 'visualize' a person, you are interacting with, at some base level, extra-dimensional. That your eyes drew tangent lines between the sight, sound, movements (the physical) of a person with the internal make-up of that person, and that the physical is the inside, while the internal are the dimensions 'outside'.

Takes a bit concentration, and, I can only speculate, a lot of imagination, as well. But read that again and think about it a moment.

Now imagine you had the ability to draw certain conclusions about that person base on those tangent lines. Lets say that those conclusions gave you insight into almost all the possible conflicts that could arise in the "knowing" of this person relating to your interacting with her/him. Now to really know what those conflicts might be, one would have to be completely comfortable in the knowledge of 'self'. This would include being able to fully comprehend one's own tangent line connections.

Now impart that ability to every human and no one would ever have to defend themselves to another. For each person would, obviously, recognize when the faults of another have surfaced.

In other words, no one of integrity could ever be put peril, because of anothers words, because the tangent lines of the words would never connect properly within the dimentional realm of the attacked. Likewise, the person being attacked would know that others have been able to discern the wrong, and thus there would be no grievance.

I tell you all, this IS POSSIBLE. I don't know how it is, but it is how I have lived my life.

Know yourself so well, that you see the tangent lines NOT from the outside inward, but from the inward to the outside and you WILL KNOW, when others can also see those lines, and your integrity, will not be in question or in need of defense for those others.

This may be a deeper thought process than is required of any religion, it may require a lot of practice, patience and it will require a constant vigil and adjustment to keep your tangent lines in allignment with those around you, but it can be done.

Know the faults in yourself, from anothers perspective, and you will disarm the weapons of 'their' faults from having an affect on you.

If you take it a step further and understand (AND ACCEPT) 'their' faults you will be able see how to avoid an attack at all.

It is from internal conflict that weapons are discharged. It is internal conflict that 'defends' against the wound that seem immanent.

Now imagine an unconflicted "internal" what poeple call 'peace within' but there can only be 'peach within' when there there is not 'conflict'. No conflict, within - leaves (nothing) inside - it has all been reflected 'out', the internal is really on the outside - if the weapon is fired from a conflicted internal, the tangent line is to the 'inernal' of the other, but that will not be where you are and no wound can be percieved. No internal conflict and there can be no wound, and others will see that your 'peace' has not been disturbed.

(I must be f'n crazy to try to explain this, no one in my life has ever understood it.)

CARRY ON!

Redykulous writes:

"(I must be f'n crazy to try to explain this, no one in my life has ever understood it.)"

It sounds like what you were trying to describe (to me, anyway) was the concept of psychological boundaries we all have, and all need to survive and interact in a harmonious fashion with others.

All the trouble comes when someone else crashes into your boundaries because to many people (and fundies are particularly bad about this) they feel they have a God-given imperative to annex yours and make you part of the herd. Whether you're a herd animal or not, even if you're not ever going to totally fit in.

It's part and parcel of 'There shall be no beliefs but my own'. Oh, they'll tolerate the transgressor, but the first instinct is to assimilate her, and if that doesn't work, keep chipping away at the boundaries until it leads to a Holy War of their narcissism against your identity.

So, what can you do? Well, the best first step is to know that Anyone Can Say Anything. It doesn't make them right, but you can let it hurt your feelings, specifically if the way they are saying it has either no or the very thinnest veneer of civility. Sad part is, _you're_ the one responsible for how you feel and react to it. Lacking facial expressions and body English with which to interpret, you often can't be sure if the intent behind it was a willful frontal assault on your boundaries, or just a misunderstanding.

You can be sure, though, that if it was said in a patronizing manner, they are trying to crash your boundaries and hold you hostage.

Don't let them. Speak your peace without crashing theirs and then let your reader decide. And then shut up. Likeminded people with whom you can coexist peacefully won't lose respect for you. The rest aren't worth the trouble.

-Kerry O.

Di:

Although the description may seem a bit confusing, your notion still rings of truth dear...

Normally, I have allowed certain people's deragatory comments to go unobstructed... in one ear and out the other, so to speak. I have often noticed the same for you. This time in particular, you have shown better discernment than I.

The fact is that I do make a conscious attempt at diffusing the nature of a comment by not taking it personally. That usually removes all negative effect within me, whether it be from indirect or direct cause.

The fact is that some people can be quite offensive in their religious bias... blindly offensive in fact. That is dangerous.

You know it... and I know it.

They act as if they have spoken nothing but truth, while making false claims, and then justify their actions with their belief system. Anyone who feels God is leading them every step of the way while engaging in presupposed false assumptions of another is nothing short of illogical and judgemental. Living the same self-supporting circular logic that it takes to accept the religion which they embrace.

That is putting it nicely.

One problem lies within the definition of judgemental. Those who claim they are led by God often speak in terms which imply superiority. They have an inner judgemental nature which is displayed as a result of the religion without necessarily purposefully judging another... it is taught within their thought processes, and it has matured as such.

Abra said it best once when he described the self-separation which is supported and nurtured within the religion... the us against them attitude... and of course... they are supposedly led by God... sounds more like the manifestation(s) of the personification of God if you ask me.