Theos-Talk Archives (August 1995 Message tl00331)

According to Eldon B. Tucker:
>
> It is possible that we unintentionally put ourselves in situations that
> are demanding, that are difficult, that call upon us to develope our higher
> faculties. These situations provide us with opportunities to grow. Consider
> the Buddhist statement that our greatest teachers are our enemies.

More than possible-- inevitable. Surely, whatever my
complaints about life after The Masters Revealed, lack of
growth opportunities is not among them!
>
> There are two sides to the coin here. One side is for a particular person
> who does not like one of your books, how that person chooses to react to
> you. That person can deal with the content of the book, or simply blast
> you and your character.

Or combine the two in a way that is not clearly apparent to
themselves or others.
 They are responsible for their reactions. The other
> side of the coin is your reaction to people. For an intellectual discussion
> of the content of your books, if you respond in kind, both you and the other
> people can learn and grow, and your can improve your knowledge and theories
> for future books.

And misunderstandings can be reduced.
 For dealing with an awful personal attack, you are in the
> same situation as any of the rest of us. We all may get blasted by people
> at unexpected times, and sometimes for unexpected reasons. And we have the
> choice: respond in kind or respond in kindness. We can mirror the anger and
> hostility or respond with how we *want to feel*.

Would that there were just two possibilities. I'm usually
somewhere between mirroring the negativity and feeling how I
want to-- more like a steady struggle NOT to reciprocate the
hostility, combined with bad feelings of a different by
related sort: discouragement, isolation, humiliation.
But the road is leading upward, come what may.