Bright moon shadows, darkly;
Winter's winds brush across crusted sky;
Sand dollars washed in pristine seashores;
Youth-born treasures scattered silently below;
Broken timbers adrift, as night birds meditate;
Sea birds loft above midnight snow
New moon shadows bright moon, darkly;
Light has cast a glimmering show;
Wild geese map season's changes;
Starbeams diagram the undertow;
Frosted whitecaps in blackened sea;
Darker shadows depths unknown
Jewels of Nature, human's taming;
Secret bounty Heaven's Kingdom;
Golden tombs wrapped in diamond caverns;
Dreams enchantment, soul of wonder
Cast across ocean's frozen doldrums;
Eternity romancing shadows of time;

Winter knows not  love for spring

--carefulcarpenter

Anyone who's been on a spiritual journey for awhile encounters this phenomenon.  What's more, that which at one stage of development felt "true," "good," "enlightened," feels cloying, controlling, and manipulative at another stage of the journey.

There IS a line between being weak and being good, and it is often trampled by each and all as we make our way thru the bewildering thicket of message after message, messenger upon messenger.  Some -- perhaps out of fear -- stay in the shallows where all is gooey goodness served up with a heavy dose of "Smile -- you're on Cosmic Camera!" 

A brave few take peeks behind the bright "lights" of the Goodness Brigade and experience the inevitable disappointment when Fakir X appears no different than Guru X who's just like Faker X  (except with a new set of definitions and made-up words).  The strong find the noble light within themselves that gently prompts to remember when they, too, may have appeared as sickening to others as others now appear to them. These then actually experience a burst of noble-hearted goodness that allows them to accept the weak-minded, the victim, the ones suffering from an inferiority complex, the ignoble, the jello practitioners -- each and all.  Once one discovers acceptance within the Self the great divide between weak "goody two shoes-ness" and centered good is crossed. 

The most wondrous aspect of this crossing is that one encounters vastly fewer objectionable energies when goodness is a state of Being and no longer a frenetic, active (external) Seeking of that which resides within.

Why does so much talk about love love hug hug peace peace joy joy harmony harmony perfection perfection make some people so sick? Because that's so far from the truth? No. Because of how it's delivered.

The tought I had is this: this type of new-age fluff really appeals to some people, because if they take on the whole world's burden, then they feel so badly about things that they need to stretch so incredibly far into warmer and more loving territory. There is actually a very legitimate motivation behind people being so over-loving, it's not just all part of the conspiracy; granted, some people just fake it, as part of the conspiracy, but only a minority!

It's another easy cop-out to bear the whole world's burden on your shoulders, to assume the victim role. So you overcompensate with too much of good things, failing to realize that other people do not share your plight, failing to realize that other people do not find your delivery appealing, do not grasp your logic (AS IF SEPARATED FROM DELIVERY, MEDIUM/MESSAGE)... because you fail to realize that some other people are actually better balanced. ;D I don't know that there's an easy or kind way to say it, since overabundance of kindness is the particular problem, juxtaposed with an inferiority complex that is at the root/beginning of the solution.

And because there's no "nice" way to say it, isn't it an ingenious device, the whole darned thing?

"You're too kind because you're weaker than you think."

"You appease your fear with hollow faith."

These people are delicate yet hostile, and they really make you feel badly if you make them cry...

:D:D

How can we help them?

First we must help ourselves, because mastery of delivery is a very advanced aspect of self-realization indeed. Perhaps we are lead to try too hard too early, polarizing them yet further away in the opposite direction?! Hmmm, perhaps the new-age movement can sort itself out, in time.. and it could use some allies to be ready, waiting, then...