From a reader:
I just heard your interview on CBC radio and was totally fascinated by you.
I could really identify with your perception of yourself as a child, and the knowingness of being different, your high intelligence and your ability to read people. As I listened, I was right there with you. Funny enough, I am a highly empathetic person. I feel people and in the same way you enjoy "ruining people" I enjoy building them up. I hone in on an attribute and try to mirror it back to them to lift them up. It is a skill that I have and I derive much joy and satisfaction from expressing this aspect of myself. Lucky for me, society looks upon this as an acceptable trait and therefore life is made easier for me.
I have come to believe that we all reside on a sliding scale when it comes to emotion. If you are a sociopath, what would we call those who are so into their emotions that they are constantly surrounded by chaos, drama and never ending suffering. I love the way you see yourself, I love that you have rules you live by that allow you to exist in society and to find a solid balance between being o.k. with who you are and being o.k. with how the world sees you. We should all be so lucky.
I just wanted to say thanks for sharing. I wholeheartedly believe that we are all aspects of the whole and I was able to experience what you have to give today and for that I am grateful. You are magnificent and I just wanted to express how much joy I felt listening to you. I look forward to reading your book.
I just heard your interview on CBC radio and was totally fascinated by you.
I could really identify with your perception of yourself as a child, and the knowingness of being different, your high intelligence and your ability to read people. As I listened, I was right there with you. Funny enough, I am a highly empathetic person. I feel people and in the same way you enjoy "ruining people" I enjoy building them up. I hone in on an attribute and try to mirror it back to them to lift them up. It is a skill that I have and I derive much joy and satisfaction from expressing this aspect of myself. Lucky for me, society looks upon this as an acceptable trait and therefore life is made easier for me.
I have come to believe that we all reside on a sliding scale when it comes to emotion. If you are a sociopath, what would we call those who are so into their emotions that they are constantly surrounded by chaos, drama and never ending suffering. I love the way you see yourself, I love that you have rules you live by that allow you to exist in society and to find a solid balance between being o.k. with who you are and being o.k. with how the world sees you. We should all be so lucky.
I just wanted to say thanks for sharing. I wholeheartedly believe that we are all aspects of the whole and I was able to experience what you have to give today and for that I am grateful. You are magnificent and I just wanted to express how much joy I felt listening to you. I look forward to reading your book.
My response:
I actually also enjoy building people up. I enjoy seeing the effect that I can have on people, the power that I have over myself and my environment. I even have a preference for building people up, for whatever reason. But that doesn’t detract for me at all the pleasure in seeing something torn apart. Maybe being in law is a good career choice for me — tearing apart people’s stories, the lies that they’ve decided to live or at least try to pass off as truth.