By Adam J. Pearson Introduction: The Cost of Stories That Argue With Reality We’ve all had this experience. It’s so basic and universal that it seems to be part of the human condition. I’ve heard friends express it in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Australia. The experience goes something like this: a painful thought arises in…
Tag: daring greatly
Anger: The Fierce Mask of Suffering
By Adam J. Pearson Introduction Anger can sometimes seem to loom over us like a baffling monster, terrifying and powerful. It can appear to rage through through the bodies of otherwise harmless people and possess them like demons. A flurry of yelling, a bombardment of hurtful words, and an explosion of harmful actions often follow when anger boils…
The Heart of the Void: Finding the Assumptions At the Core of Shame
By Adam J. Pearson Introduction: What is Shame? In previous articles, I’ve written about the nature of shame, this powerful feeling of deficiency or lack that we sometimes experience at the heart of ourselves. Shame is the name of the void we feel within us, the void that other people’s approval and attention cannot fill. Shame…
Silencing the Praise: Why Seeking Approval Fails to Fill Our Inner Void
By Adam J. Pearson The Game of Approval Seeking For many years, I found myself playing a game that was not only futile, but excruciatingly painful and destructive. Usually without even fully being conscious of what I was doing, I would try to seek approval from other people. It was as if there was this…
Words from the Wind 