Franz Kafka, the great patron-martyr of self-criticism, captured the situation perfectly when he wrote: “There’s only one thing certain. That is one’s own inadequacy.”
Self-Criticism
Life Experiences
The Four Horsemen
Some people view our present spate of problems as the harbinger of The Four Horsemen predicted by St. John in Revelations. Whether or not that is true, each of these crises are serious. They have consequences that are already raising serious hell with the foundations of our culture and if we do not give them their due, the results will be catastrophic.
Being Wounded
When you are engaged in a conflict, you and the other person are at swords’ points, your focus is going to be on them and what they are going to do next. The last thing you want to do is to go any deeper and start investigating your own motives. We just want to get through the moment and stop.
Setting Boundaries
Think about the concept of “boundary.” A boundary is to protect something from an intrusion. So the first thing we know is that the concept of boundary is somewhat antithetical to the concept of relationship.
The Evolution of the Conscious Mind
God had a quandary. She wanted to bring us to an enlightened state but She could not just give it to us (we have free will). So, She had to develop the means for us to get it on our own. She had to create a process (a middle step) between ignorance and enlightenment that would facilitate our transition into enlightenment.