and I told myself -- as I've told myself before -- that the body shuts down then the pain gets too bad, that consciousness is temporary, that this will pass. But just like always, I didn't slip away. I was left on the shore with the waves washing over me, unable to drown.

As your consciousness, refinement and pureness of heart expands you will become less judgmental, less corrective, less reactive, less black-and-white, less critical, less apt to blame and less tormented by others and their faults and views.

The higher consciousness are the ones who get the most pain.

What you resist, persists....Let go and your life will flow.

One of the major differences I see in the political climate today is that there is less collective support for coming to critical consciousness _ in communities, in institutions, among friends.

It__ that short-lived happiness, which empowers us to bear; long-lasting pain in living.