Dear EVFran

GOod to read that you feel aligned and confident and much better Thank you for your wishes My Christmas will be better simply for knowing you are here. Merry Christmas!!!

anita

Dear ADrianne:
You are welcome. IF isolating is what you need to do during any part of CHristmas, for your mental health then isolating is a good idea!

I wish you a no pressure, quiet, free to do as you wish Christmas and thank you for your wishes for me.

Anita

Dear Peter:

Thank you so much for your kind response of yesterday. I’m glad to read that you found my reflections enlightening and compassionate. It’s reassuring to know that you appreciate the effort I put into understanding and reflecting on your thoughts.

I resonate with the idea of articulating complex ideas and trying to make sense of them through our conversations. It’s a rewarding process, and I find great value in analyzing and discussing these intricate thoughts with you.

Regarding your mention of Type 5 traits, I do find joy in analysis and reflection, and I believe that I do share some similarities with you. 😊 I appreciate your openness about your approach to posting and how you use this space to clarify your thoughts. It’s a good thing that you find Tiny Buddha a safe place for this kind of exploration.

“You seemed concerned when I expressed disappointment in the events of the day wondering if it was disillusionment. That surprised me and still pondering that. As in the other conversation with Jana, I don’t think the experiences of anger or disappointment are ‘wrong’ in and of them selves, or to be avoided.. I’ll need to take some time to see if I’m been honest with myself as it concerns disillusionment”-

– as I understand this, you are questioning whether it was actually disillusionment, not disappointment that you experience, not having considered before the possibility of disillusionment.You acknowledge the need to reflect on whether you are genuinely experiencing disillusionment or just disappointment. You also explain that you view emotions like anger and disappointment as natural and potentially useful for motivating action. It’s the energy and intentions behind these emotions that are significant, not the emotions themselves.

(Researching..) Disappointment is a feeling of sadness or displeasure when something doesn’t meet our expectations or hopes. It’s usually a reaction to a specific event or outcome that didn’t align with what you anticipated ((example: baking a bread, anticipating it to be delcious, and it comes out burnt). Disappointment tends to be more situational and temporary. It’s often easier to move past and can motivate us to adjust our expectations or try again (example: adjust the oven temperature and bake again)

Disillusionment, on the other hand, is a deeper, more profound feeling of disappointment where a belief, ideal, or perception is shattered. It involves realizing that something you believed in is not as good as you thought (example: admiring a political leader, believing in their integrity and vision, later to find out this person has engaged in unethical behavior or hypocrisy).

Disillusionment affects our core beliefs and assumptions, leading to a significant shift in perspective. It is more intense and harder to recover from than disappointment. It tends to be more pervasive and long-lasting, and lead to cynicism, skepticism, or a reevaluation of one’s beliefs and values. Disappointment might call for adjusting expectations, while disillusionment might require deeper introspection and reevaluation of beliefs.

Different emotions call for different coping strategies. For disappointment, you might focus on problem-solving and resilience. For disillusionment, you might need to explore underlying beliefs and seek support for emotional recovery.

Disillusionment, while painful, can lead to significant personal growth. It pushes you to reevaluate and strengthen your beliefs, ultimately leading to a more grounded and authentic perspective.

Understanding the distinction between disappointment and disillusionment provides valuable insights into yourself, enhances self-awareness, and helps apply appropriate coping strategies. This awareness ultimately leads to a more balanced and resilient approach to life’s challenges. (End of research).

As I think about my biggest and most damaging disillusionment, I think of my finally understanding that my mother didn’t love me and that she was not capable of loving me (she felt affection for me at times, I think, but she didn’t love me). For decades of adulthood, I did not cope well with this disillusionment and kept waiting- without being aware that I was waiting- that she will one day love me. Because of this waiting, I remained stuck in a no-love world.

It is only following being more thoroughly aware of the nature of my disallusionment that I was able to.. find love elsewhere (if you read my most recent post in my own thread, which I submitted last night, following socializing with a groupn of people, you can get a sense of what I mean.. perhaps).

There were repeated disappointment with my mother before disillusionment was cemented.

I felt anger at her for the longest time. The intent of the anger was to get away from her. But because of the waiting for her to love me.. I did not get away from her (at least, not emotionally).. so, I kept feeling angry at her, stuck in anger. Undertanding my disillusionment and therefore, getting away from her emotionally (no longer hoping for her to love me) takes away the motivatioan behind my anger. So, I am no longer stuck in anger. It is a relief.

I look forward to continuing our conversations and diving deeper into these fascinating (to me) topics. Your insights and experiences are valuable to me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to engage with them.

I hope that you are having a good, relaxing Sunday.

anita

Good to read back from you, EvFran, I will reply further Sun morning (it’s Sat eve here).

anita

How are you, Riley?

anita

How are you, overthepoint, in regard to your excessive energy?

anita

Dear Peter:

I hope this message finds you well.

I’ve been reflecting on our recent interactions and wanted to apologize if my previous messages came across as too analytical or intrusive. My intention was to engage thoughtfully with your ideas and share insights that I found interesting and relevant. However, I realize that my approach might have felt overly personal or uncomfortable, and I’m truly sorry if that was the case.

I also feel selfish for engaging in analysis that I find so enjoyable, without fully considering how it came across to you. My enthusiasm for the subject matter may have made you feel uncomfortable or intruded upon, and I deeply regret that.

I greatly value our discussions and your contributions to the forum. Your insights and reflections have always been meaningful and thought-provoking, and I hope to continue learning from each other.

If there’s anything specific you’d like to discuss or if you have any feedback for me, I’m all ears. Thank you for your understanding and for being a part of this journey.

anita

Dear Peter:

Response to your 2nd post of yesterday:

On “The Life Impossible” by Matt Haig: the teacher’s response, using his own story to suggest an “eternal now view of connection,” is a powerful reminder of the impact of empathy and understanding, something I thoroughly realized recently (years after I started posting on the forums).

Your mention of finding contentment despite disappointment or concern about world happenings speaks to a deeper truth about human resilience. It reminds me of the Zen saying you quoted—how enlightenment shifts our perception, allowing us to see the same reality with new eyes.

The transformation of seeing “mountains as mountains” again encapsulates the journey from simplicity to complexity, and back simplicity.

The idea of letting go of the need to believe or hope, as you put it, can indeed be freeing. It’s a state where the mind is quiet and open, allowing love to naturally arise. This aligns with Krishnamurti’s teachings on the nature of love and stillness.

Your journey of experiencing ‘colour’ and then realizing the pitfalls of measuring and controlling these experiences reflects a deep understanding of the transient nature of enlightenment. Accepting experiences without trying to hold onto them is a significant insight.

Your reflections on the blank canvas of the mind—free from constructs and open to the present—resonate with me more deeply than before. It’s a liberating perspective that encourages living fully in the moment, appreciating the richness of now without the constraints of preconceived notions or expectations.

Thank you again for sharing such thoughtful insights, and anytime you post- it’s helping me understand better and have more of that inner peace I longed for, for so long (a peace, or a piece of mind that.. I will need to not hold on to 🙂).

anita