4
"So you don't do unto others what they are doing unto you," said Director
"No, I don't."
"Do you think that should change?"
"You mean should I start being impolite?"
"Would that make you feel less anxious?"
"Ha! That would make me feel even more anxious because then I would have more reason to believe I had offended."
"What's wrong with offending when it's appropriate? Or do you think it is never appropriate to offend?"
Youth cocked his head. "What's wrong is that you make enemies."
"And you want everyone to be your friend?"
Youth frowned but nodded.
"Is that realistic?"
"No, I guess it's not," he said a little testily.
"What if you don't try to make enemies, but just accept it if some are made all on their own?"
Youth confessed: "I don't know how to deal with enemies."
"Ah! We may have found another part of the problem, another root of your anxiety. Maybe you're more afraid of enemies than you need to be because you don't know how to deal with them."
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Nick Pappas, pappasnick.typepad.com
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