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I had a smiliar experience when I first posted @MoonGal

I believe in the importance of participation and inclusion so try and do it with transparency .... but periodically I am still overwhelmed with intense anxiety about how exposed I am from my sharing ... cant take it back now

@Former-Member You really made me laugh when yo admitted your pet had to put up with excess affection when feeling sooky .

so what happened to the concept of blunted feelings .... ??

my guess is that it is only in certain situations as usually those on the schiz spectrum have a great deal of sensitivity too..is that not a form of feeling or emotion?

Its great to be able to listen to all sorts of music .. I cant really do it enough atm so ....it is on my list ... maybe when son leaves home .. it is too hard at the moment for me to fight for that one.

Yes I have done bits of music since I was about 8 ... piano organ guitar singing drums and recorder are my main interests ... I am only average at them as I am too spread across different specialities .. but I like it that way .... I am opposed to virtuosity as snobbery only into it if it an expression of love and respect and sharing.

Note the virtuosity issue can be in classical and rock circles .... you should guys one-up-man-shipping each other over their fave rock riff!

Have taken notes of authors mentioned will get around to looking at them eventually ... thanks

At the moment feeling very jittery even at home lol ... but its a good idea to be able to embrace my lone wolf when I can

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@Former-Member, so glad my response about fostering greyhounds was helpful.

You said "is that really dignified?" I have been thinking about dignity recently too. I wonder what kind of inner landscape, inner story we need to tell ourselves, live in/live out to be dignified.?
I kind of see dignity as buttoned down and uber-controlled. Like QEII waving to the crowds in a gilded coach.

The dictionary definition of dignity is this "the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect." I think dignity is inherent. But i gave mine away (or it was taken from me?). Perhaps really we can't 'give it away' just misplace it. Or what if it never developed it in the first place beacause of early life experience? Then, we have to find a way to build it and move into it and to do that we need to know what we value, what is important to us.

What is this "Quality of being worthy"?
Is it a state we generate or is it inherent?
Do we just simply reconnect with this in us, by making a decision to be so?
I am trying to think of who world I know, or know of who is a great role-model for dignity and a healthy sense of self-worth.

I think this still goes to the original thread discussion here, because our fears can keep us socially isolated, our own self-perception of unworthy, unloavable, not very socially apt etc.

But what if, we already ARE these things, and all we ned to do is reach into ourselves and be diginified about it all?

Will think about this more..

"The quality of being worthy".

Self respect seems a big part of dignity ... but I had "given that away" apparently.

I also am concerned about revealing too much but also see many social envirnoments that are superficial, stifled and atrophied. So what the heck.

Hi @Former-Member, it sounds like you are a reasonable person who has tried really hard to make friends.

I chose career and purity of thoughts (I have a mental illness) over friends and family, some of who are toxic people.

Don't give up, it's a numbers game. I think when feeling lonely there can be the temptation to give up our values, but if your heart belives you are doing the right thing by yourself, you will be thankful in the end.

Of course balance this with putting yourself out of your comfort zone every now and then.

Cheers,
BamBam

Discussion about beliefs and values is good. @Former-Member It is the best way to clarify or come to an understanding ... reflect, engage with the actual world we live in and consider and discuss ... anyway that is my belief ... Far better than taking things for granted or parroting what others tell us.

I have struggled to purify my thoughts ... I dont know that I can simply choose purity ... mostly my orientation is towards goodness but when I am plagued with anger I need to mediate and do lots of music to transform or sublimate it. Others have also their own conceptions about what purity entails and that can sometimes create conflict . ...

The earthy part of me ... has to acknowledge that we are all a mix ... and tells my son that the bottom line is like a mixed ... good and bad or a bag of liquorice allsorts .... not boxes of chocolates ... sorry Hollywood.

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