Horseface Steve: Cathartic

Catharsis: In psychology, the alleviation of fears, problems, and complexes by bringing them to consciousness and giving them expression.


"The notion that there's some right choice for every life challenge fits neatly into the control-freak mind-set of our current moment.  We've developed a real talent for transforming neutral or negative events into triumphant rites of passage.  We suffer under the relentless conviction that even the most unpredictable, unmanageable problems can be stuffed into the familiar packaging of catharsis.  Rather than acknowledging residual pain or lingering trauma, we're urged to embrace each story as a wake-up call or a breakthrough on the road to self-fulfillment."


I read that recently.  I really liked it.  It really seemed to apply to me and my approach to life.  I also really like the Buddhist, spiritual, AA way of looking at suffering as something that should be pondered thoughtfully but not accorded the status of obsession.  It's a thing.  It's a thing we're all subjected to so we might as well get over it.  It's not awful, it's not a breakthrough or a catharsis or something to be ignored; it's something or the other.  Look at it but don't linger.  It's not the end of the world but it's there nonetheless.