Working on work

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I'm kind of exhausted by all the thoughts that come up here - esp. the

thought of examining each thought . Thanks for any direction you

might offer.

Success is betrayal.

Is this true?

Yes. You leave others behind. Others leave you behind. Success means

offering approval to an unfair system. Failure is honorable because

the system is unfair. If you succeed, you forget others. You feel

superior. Feeling superior is morally wrong. If you feel superior, you

are a failure. Thus, if you succeed, you fail. Success is a failure.

Failure is the only success. The only way to remain loyal is to fail.

When others succeed, I am left behind. When I succeed, I leave others

behind.

Can I absolutely know that it is true?

No. It's a belief I seem to have, not a truth.

How do I feel when I think this thought?

I have a lump in my throat. I get teary. I am paralyzed, unsure of how

to act. I am jealous of others. I feel petty. I feel small. I feel

alone – after all, who else is failing in order to show their

solidarity with me??? Hey, everyone, stay with me and fail with me. If

we can't join `em, let's beat `em (by beating ourselves up).

Who would I be without this thought?

Hmmm, a selfish bastard? Just kidding. I would be someone who doesn't

weigh everything, doesn't judge success or failure. I would just do

what comes naturally. I would be kinder. Larger. Broader. More open.

TA:

Success isn't betrayal. The success of one doesn't take away from

others. Success isn't enjoyed by just the one who succeeds, it

benefits others. Others can be happy at our success. Our failures

bring others down.

Betrayal is success. Breaking our perceived barriers – unexamined

loyalty, misguided dependence on a small circle of people, etc… –

frees us to do more, to reach out further, to touch more lives.

Success is loyalty. By being faithful to ourselves, we succeed.