tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post3955133187874856215..comments2023-11-24T01:41:06.381-07:00Comments on The Whole Blooming World: Treasures of Darkness: Part IIISusan Carpenter Simshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-64419011631910940652009-12-05T11:32:01.669-07:002009-12-05T11:32:01.669-07:00It's coming. But there will be no Part IV, an...It's coming. But there will be no Part IV, and I'm sure we're all glad about that! Myself included.<br /><br />I've just been so incredibly busy this week, and I still have a ton of work to do over the weekend, but I'm going to try to get one out today. <br /><br />Thanks for missing my posts!Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-64180836698530889192009-12-05T10:39:26.606-07:002009-12-05T10:39:26.606-07:00Hey. Not to be pushy or anything, but I've bee...Hey. Not to be pushy or anything, but I've been waiting, I think, patiently, for another post from you.Entrepreneur Chickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10560499933792398415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-41579560228810237492009-12-04T10:33:28.216-07:002009-12-04T10:33:28.216-07:00Jenny - I'm glad you stopped by too! All the ...Jenny - I'm glad you stopped by too! All the things you've said here are such wonderful compliments. "The chills and peace all at the same time" is what I want to experience when I read, and to know that what I've written had that experience on someone is very very gratifying.Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-20395987346892366622009-12-03T15:34:40.182-07:002009-12-03T15:34:40.182-07:00Wow! Now I am glad I stopped by. I usually shy a...Wow! Now I am glad I stopped by. I usually shy away from long posts, but I read every word of this one and all I can say is WOW! It was just what I needed on many different levels. Thank you! I am fascinated. I have the chills and peace all at the same time.Jenny Stevninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08019351898496801498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-77712326014973342452009-12-02T20:03:36.500-07:002009-12-02T20:03:36.500-07:00Jennifer - I treasure you too, and the depth with ...Jennifer - I treasure you too, and the depth with which you approach these conversations. And I really appreciate that you "get" where I was coming from with my response to the man who attacked me. <br /><br />In the O'Donohue book, he has this very interesting way of repeating the idea that the body is in the soul, not the other way around. I'd never thought of it like that before, but I've become smitten with that concept.<br /><br />Kate - It's a tricky, difficult, and even dangerous thing to do, no? Loving those whose love is so dead they're capable of inflicting so much suffering. <br /><br />Your post about the woman being beaten by her husband really got me thinking. If this post series hadn't already been so long and grueling I would have written more about that kind of relationship. <br /><br />It's one thing to show compassion and another to be entirely sucked into someone's dark world, especially when it's someone you're intimate with and love. Everything gets so distorted and insidious. It's the worst thing that can happen to a person, I believe. <br /><br />SUNRISE SISTER - I was concerned about the length of these posts being a deterrent to people reading through them. Thank you for taking the time.Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-41270591947611813762009-12-02T19:48:11.670-07:002009-12-02T19:48:11.670-07:00I've left this post a couple of times, returni...I've left this post a couple of times, returning when I felt I had more time to absorb all that you've poured into it. It is a remarkable sharing and openness you've exhibited and I honor your courage and forthrightness in doing so. Compassion is a subject that is close to me in its mystery, in its healing properties. Thank you for sharing your views and experiences around a most powerful subject.Dianna Woolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901349180265745138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-73145186769540888012009-12-01T19:46:00.928-07:002009-12-01T19:46:00.928-07:00It is true for me. The dark places are what have ...It is true for me. The dark places are what have brought compassion to the forefront of my heart and existence. It has been because of the depth of hurt (sometimes literally violent, sometimes not) that I consider circumstances from a softer place. It is because of my own personal pain that I want so deeply a better way for others. <br /><br />Does one need these experiences to come to a greater awareness of compassion? Must we suffer or cause suffering to gain a greater sense of love within ourselves? Where do we go from here? Where does the awareness of the pain of ruthlessness take us? How can we collectively move to a place that brings true compassion one to another?<br /><br />In reading your experience with the unknown man I had this sense that although I wished it were not so that your experience within it was so powerful that it gave you something significant. You exercised your spirit and the power within you in such a way that is profound and encouraging. <br /><br /> It is my ultimate belief; this body is housing the best part of me, the eternal part of me, the part of me that no man can take away, the part that remains forever...the part I'll never see with my human eyes, but I feel it. Faith truly is the substance of things not seen. I praise for the faith you had that day and for sharing ALL of this. I'll be reading this series again and again.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270178527947291611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-19482069361847981542009-12-01T18:03:55.147-07:002009-12-01T18:03:55.147-07:00Being compassionate in the face of violence is wha...Being compassionate in the face of violence is what most of us recovering alcoholics do on a daily basis. And I've had to learn to be compassionate to the still suffering who try to hurt me with words or actions because they, themselves are so broken and dead inside. When I face that with loving compassion, that is when the healing begins. For both parties. By the time they get to us, they believe that no one could possibly love them. But we do. Oh, how we do.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542230897888388433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-23159779849205958012009-12-01T16:59:55.378-07:002009-12-01T16:59:55.378-07:00I treasure you greatly.I treasure you greatly.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270178527947291611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-52575080447231058362009-11-30T14:31:33.624-07:002009-11-30T14:31:33.624-07:00Thank you all for showing up with such kind suppor...Thank you all for showing up with such kind support.<br /><br />EC - I've never seen you as shallow, and a great sense of humor such as yours, is one of the most valuable things a person can have. I love your silliness and fun, and I also love the depth that shows through it. <br /><br />I also enjoy your blonde-glam-chickness. As I've said elsewhere, I'm no good at girly stuff, so I get to live vicariously through you. I'm actually a big nerd - I had to look up Lady GaGa, thank you very much.<br /><br />Postman - You're right - even small shifts of compassion can make a huge difference.<br /><br />I hope I haven't melded your mind too much - I liked it the way it was :)<br /><br />Tess - That's exactly it. I'm great at huge crises and suck at daily irritations. But I'm training myself to become more mindful in those irritations, and thus deal with them better. That's why the huge crises are easier, because I'm forced by the extremity of the situation into mindfulness.Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-51264632705662747722009-11-30T13:15:45.973-07:002009-11-30T13:15:45.973-07:00As others have said, this is an extraordinary post...As others have said, this is an extraordinary post with such deep sharing. In what you say about your reactions to the rape compared with your comment about failing at compassion on a daily basis, I wonder if there's something about an extreme experience ripping us out of ourselves on a very deep basis, compared with the daily irritations, when we remain our day-to-day selves.<br /><br />Thank you for writing about this.Tesshttp://www.anchormast.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-65766431906575827672009-11-30T11:45:41.043-07:002009-11-30T11:45:41.043-07:00Couldn't even muster a coherent thought or res...Couldn't even muster a coherent thought or response when I first read this the other day. It sounds like you've come to terms what happened to you, so I won't dwell on that (I will echo EC and say that I'm sorry it happened to you, though).<br /><br />I like your linking of "violence and compassion blended" to "being compassionate in the face of violence." I don't think anybody who doesn't heartily believe the precepts of compassion could have mustered such a mental state as you did, and have continued to. That's remarkable, and a lesson we could all take to heart. Compassion's one of those things humanity's mighty low on and always has been. Even just a drop or two more could even matters out for SO MANY people. <br /><br />This post is about as evocative and mind-melding as they come. Well done, and...<br /><br />...thank you for sharing. <br /><br />Oh, and EC: I did tell you I've had Ludacris stuck in my head now for the last three days, correct? Only I can't help thinking of YOU when another verse of "Stand Up" or "Act a Fool" pops into my head.A.T. Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03987529687181431843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-7685257617770539962009-11-30T11:19:24.951-07:002009-11-30T11:19:24.951-07:00You made a comment to me once that you were "...You made a comment to me once that you were "glad to have me around", as I seemed to live with fresh intent. <br /><br />I'm glad to have YOU around!<br /><br />Expressing emotions prove to be quite uncomfortable, and being shallow, or acting shallow, (which I'm really not) is a defense mechanism to avoid all that unpleasantness- to shy away from anything deeper than business talk and what color of nail polish I currently sport; feels easier and safer.<br /><br />Your posts force me to stop being SO Lady Ga Ga superficial you know? I think that Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was not as thin souled; but not nearly as marketable- so she likely had to make a choice. <br /><br />I am so sorry that (rape) happened to you. <br /><br />I'm going to be thinking all day about this post, I know, and will be back. <br /><br />Hmmm.<br /><br />And no wonder I got eyelash extensions- I probably watched one to many Ga Ga vids! <br /><br />Mah, mah, mah poker face, poker face..Entrepreneur Chickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10560499933792398415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-33067241574455508742009-11-28T21:30:30.139-07:002009-11-28T21:30:30.139-07:00I have the same problem with my kids! I hadn'...I have the same problem with my kids! I hadn't even thought of it in that regard when I wrote this, but I do need to muster up more ruthlessness with them at times.<br /><br />There was certainly violence in my attacker's heart, but what woundedness in him caused it, I can't say. It's interesting to me that the attack he meant for me he turned around on himself.<br /><br />The "nothing can hurt me but my thoughts" thing works the other way too - often I take something as an attack when it wasn't meant that way. But it FEELS like an attack, so it wounds me. <br /><br />I'm glad we've found each other, and I look forward to more of these conversations!<br /><br />Were you a Creative Writing major in college?Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-30728618755704837052009-11-28T21:13:33.376-07:002009-11-28T21:13:33.376-07:00This post was quite an amazing journey.
In the f...This post was quite an amazing journey. <br /><br />In the first section, I began pondering how one can be ruthless and compassionate at the same time, and my thoughts turned to parenting, where those emotions are sometimes simultaneous. I often feel that I suffer(ed) with my children too much, and fail(ed) them on the ruthless part, which is, as you say, holding them accountable.<br /><br />I could not imagine a circumstance far more challenging to handle, as you were given with the attack. Your ability to be compassionate and forgiving, thereby mitigating the injury you felt, is so powerful. Can something be violent if the person to whom it is acted upon does not accept it as violence? I guess I could easily argue that yes, it is still violence. But you are very compelling in the reasoning that you can only be harmed by your own thoughts. I shall continue to think about this.<br /><br />And finally, the transition to Anam Cara, and the experience you have had in finding soul friends through blogging. I am rather new at blogging, but I am delighted that I am finding a similar experience. It is so rewarding to read thoughtful posts (such as yours) and then have follow-up discussion. It reminds me of the best writer workshops I had in college, where one can quickly get to know the heart of fellow writers.<br /><br />I am thankful for the thoughtful reading you give my entries and comments you provide, and I look forward to reading yours as well. You provoke me to look at things anew, and I welcome that. I can imagine that this piece was difficult to write, and I am glad that you have found the comfort within yourself to do so, and that you trust your readers and friends with it. Giving others the opportunity to be compassionate can be difficult, but you have done so here, and I am glad to be part of it.Dreamfarm Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08494214244290730058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-60695861284907620732009-11-28T21:08:54.462-07:002009-11-28T21:08:54.462-07:00I'm glad that you've found something helpf...I'm glad that you've found something helpful in these posts. Thank you for joining me on this journey.Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-57666476001207732492009-11-28T20:01:40.662-07:002009-11-28T20:01:40.662-07:00Hello Pollinatrix,
I have read with great interes...Hello Pollinatrix,<br /><br />I have read with great interest this discussion on violence; anticipating <i>where will this topic take me</i>. To end with a discussion on compassion seems appropriate. It is my internal search for compassion that I uncover my biases, jealousies and resentments.<br /><br />This examination of your rape was quite gripping. Perhaps as you say, <i>you were being prepared for that very circumstance</i>. Often life finds us unprepared I think. I believe you are encouraging me to look at my life differently; my normal daily responses and behavior need assessment and possibly alteration.<br /><br /><a href="http://underovr.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">U</a>underOvr (aka The U)https://www.blogger.com/profile/09241293702725984736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-25913987933895223492009-11-28T18:15:20.008-07:002009-11-28T18:15:20.008-07:00Thank you so much for your encouragement and suppo...Thank you so much for your encouragement and support. <br /><br />Just before I read your comment, I was reading in the Anam Cara book, and he was talking about how we become blind to the familiar. I think this is a key reason it's easier to be compassionate to strangers at times. <br /><br />In the same section was also a wonderful quote which seems related to yours from the Dalai Lama: "When time is reduced to linear progress, it is emptied of presence."Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7591166782373724315.post-90981058711703561772009-11-28T18:08:49.835-07:002009-11-28T18:08:49.835-07:00Thank you for having the courage to write this mos...Thank you for having the courage to write this most remarkable post! <br /><br />I've noticed, too, that it is often more difficult to show compassion to those closest to us in our mundane day-to-day lives. The fact that compassion flows sometimes more easily to a stranger is one of those wonderful paradoxes that makes life interesting and keeps us on our toes. Our best and most difficult and demanding teachers are sometimes our parents and our children!<br /><br />I loved your words, "It's about being willing to break out of comfortable truisms, easy dualities, and elitist moralities, and, resting in mystery, embrace a mindful unknowingness. It's about starting, moving, and ending in a place of compassion." <br /><br />That's it, EXACTLY. Starting, moving and ending in compassion (or loving-kindness, joy, or equanimity, as circumstances indicate) is just where I wish to dwell.<br /><br />Finally, your post called to mind something that the Dalai Lama once said, "Hurrying does violence to time." I suppose this idea pushes out the boundaries of violence a bit, but it's helpful to consider this idea and to allow things to unfold around us at their own pace, within their own schedule.<br /><br />Thank you for your tour through the treasures of darkness. I'm loving your blog more and more!Dan Gurneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11628603380292404658noreply@blogger.com