Dear jock,

I am a long time reader and silent lurker on the “tinybuddha” forums. This means that I remember the nice discussions you had with Anita. However, I am a relatively new active member. I do not intend to and also cannot possibly compete with Anita when it comes to posting here (or in any other matter, really). I have neither the time nor the necessary energy, I’m afraid. I hope this helps clarify the situation 🙂
Even though I like to think I have a rather good sense of humour, I must say it is rather difficult for me to identify it online. For example, your rhymes about reverting to catholicism: is that merely a joke, a simple turn of phrase or do you mean it sincerely? Of course, you don’t have to answer such a personal question from a complete stranger on the internet. But that is precisely my point: we *are* just strangers communicating on the internet and that makes it sometimes difficult to gauge what the other person means. It’s just the nature of the communication medium. That is why I initially asked whether there was any particular topic you wanted to talk about. I was just curious what exactly you wanted to communicate through your post.

I am sending you my best wishes!

Tannhauser,

I am sorry, I cannot offer you any help. However, there are two things that I would like to say.

1. The anger and especially the bad language you have displayed throughout your posts do you a great disservice. They are totally uncalled for and highly inappropriate in communication.

2. Just for your information, the user “Anita” does *not* run anything. She is a regular person and forum contributor just like you and me. The fact that you see her posting a lot is simply because she chooses to dedicate a part of her time to answering posts on this forum. She is doing it voluntarily and she is trying her best. You *can* agree to disagree with her without using offensive language. Besides, none of us are trained specialists so please do not expect anyone to have the right solution (or any solution at all) to your troubles. As I’ve said, we’re all trying our best. That may occasionally not be enough.

I realise that my message will probably upset you, but this was not my intention. I would just like you to understand that this form of communicating will not be very helpful to you.

Dear Anita,

Thank you for your reply; it was very nice to hear from you.

I couldn’t resist answering your question about why I picked Annagramma, the fictional character, so I managed to snatch a few minutes from work to post again. I was impressed that you took the time to actually Google her. I very much appreciate that.

The first thing I like about her is obviously her name. Names and words are very dear and also very important to me. This one in particular was a funny play on words used as a name. I enjoyed that.

Other than that, I’m afraid I have very little in common with the character itself. We are different in almost every aspect.

The second thing I like about her is that she starts off as a pompous, ignorant, unpleasant and manipulative person and actually ends up being… an over-the-top, unpleasant witch. Nevertheless, she is smart enough and human enough to realise she actually does care deeply about doing the right thing. She illustrates, certainly, with very thick brush strokes, that people can learn, evolve and try to become better versions of themselves. I’m not naturally inclined to optimism, but I liked that.

Now, if you don’t mind, I would also like to ask you a question, dear Anita. However, if it is far too personal or uncomfortable in any way then please ignore it.

As you remarked yourself, your presence is prominent here on the forum. I am certain you have managed to touch and help quite a large number of people who turned to this medium to ask for help. As I have said, I am very pleasantly impressed with your contributions. I was wondering what motivates you to be such an active presence on this forum.

I am looking forward to hearing from you. I am sending you my best wishes.

Annagramma

Dear emanatepresence,

I have always found the concept of “emotional mastery” fascinating; however, I have never fully grasped what it truly means. Therefore, I thought your thread would be a great opportunity for me to learn more about it. If you don’t mind, I would like to ask you and all the other contributors a few questions, hoping that the ensuing discussion would advance my understanding. Disclaimer: since this is the Internet – I do not intend to come across as patronising or pedantic. My questions are genuine and come from a place of curiosity and desire to learn.

1. How do you define the term “emotion”? I know what it means to me, in my worldview, but I would like to know what does emotion mean to you in the context of “emotional mastery”.

2. Do you separate or distinguish between emotions and feelings?

3. Could you please explain or comment a bit on why is emotional mastery desirable?

4. Would a mastery of feelings also be desirable? If not – why not?

5. Do you think that emotional mastery involves or requires a certain level of intellectual prowess?

I would like to start with these five questions and maybe ask some more as the discussion evolves. I am very interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

Best wishes,
Annagramma