Braving the Wilderness

When we deny ourselves the right to be angry, we deny our pain. There are a lot of coded shame messages in the rhetoric of “Why so hostile?” “Don’t get hysterical,” “I’m sensing so much anger!” and “Don’t take it so personally

This is especially so in a world where the term “emotional safety” is often used to mean I don’t have to listen to any point of view that’s different from mine, that I don’t like, that I think is wrong, that will hurt my feelings, or that

is not up to my standards of political correctness

they were talking about dehumanizing language and behavior

It’s an emotion that we need to transform into something life-giving: courage, love, change, compassion, justice

code for Your emotion or opinion is making me uncomfortable

The clearer and more respected the boundaries, the higher the level of empathy and compassion for others. Fewer clear boundaries, less openness. It’s hard to stay kind-hearted when you feel people are taking advantage of you or threatening you

Ideological bunkers protect us from everything except loneliness and disconnection

We feel hope and we know struggle. We see beauty and we survive trauma