Floyd Brown Loc: Milwaukee WI

Most of us are in leaky boats trying to stay afloat while those in the big ships pay no heed to the people floating in leaky boats or those that have just a leaky inner tube.

Just like so many would not give a hand to help some one with a leaky inner tube there are those in the large ships that would pay no heed to the leaky boats in their path.

Why are most of us afloat? Could it be because so may of us lack a piece of dry land to call our own?

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

It may be due to the phenomena of "doubt". All of us believe we are confident in what we consider our core "values", or learned "concepts" and everything else by which we measure our own behavior, however, there is always someone with a different set of criteria, who will judge us, criticize us and even denounce us. This allows "doubt" to occur in our minds.

This doubt may appear as a gentle wave, washing upon the shores of our self concept. This wave, if allowed to continue it's natural course, will grow to be a gigantic shore eroding tsunami, which will wash us out to sea, leaving us at the mercy of wh**ever currents we find ourselves in. This may also leave us at the mercy of others, whereby we require a helping hand, with no control over where, how, or when such a hand might be found.

Honest self reflection is the only bulwark against such a destructive force. Those who choose to fight the element of doubt, by doubling down on those concepts that are in danger, thus building a dike of rhetoric, innuendo, sand bags of "it's always been that way" and "that's how I was raised" and shields of anger - may very well survive the tsunami - but find all the land around them changed beyond recognition. Self reflection, on the other hand, allows one to change one's concepts and beliefs - if necessary - thus calming the sea of doubt and preventing the tsunami from even occurring .

The confident person doesn't change their core values or beliefs, based on current trends or everyone else's opinions, but based on serious reflection, meditation, study and the very real concern that one may have been wrong to begin with. Once that hurdle is passed, one is free to modify one's values and beliefs, bring them back to full confidence, to where doubt has no chance to erode the shores of one's self concept.

Floyd Brown Loc: Milwaukee WI

Like many I am a drift in a sea of doubt but find I have just enough control to find calm waters among sounder souls.

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

I may not be sounder, but I'll help manufacture an anchor we can share, or if one is available, I'll help you fling it into the choppy waters to hold the boat steady. :wink:

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

:thumbup: While a great many don't consider me sound of mind :mrgreen:, that concept Floyd alluded to, most days I really don't care if they do or not, as I said "most" days. It is hard, some days, to not let gentle lapping waves NOT become tsunamis, I will admit. As always, spot on you are!!