I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe. I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. (from William Blake, “A Poison Tree”) I have known people who rise each morning … Continue reading Unlearning our anger
Like many of you, I follow the news, only to come away frequently dismayed. For all our pretense to rationality, people often seem governed more by passion than reason. History strikes me as repeated scenarios of human excess, or what Freud astutely called manifestations of the Id, or pleasure principle. I like to think of this inchoate anomaly as the Child within. There are pretty … Continue reading How fear erodes love
