The Writers' Circle

Apparently may is border line personality disorder awareness month, Awareness, awareness.......
We all own our lives.dont we? Or at least we borrow it, for a while. But we alone are responsible for it. But we should never consider owning or possessing life itself.
The obsessive personality approaches life, as though the very notion of life itself can be owned.
The obsessional amongst us approach life in a highly driven manner, often approaching fanaticism. each new event or episode being seen as "the one" or "it".
By the very nature of obsessional behaviour it sets its self up only to be let down, as each successive event fails to live up to the picture of perfection.
This never ending cycle leads too tremendous dissatisfaction, anxiety, and eventually crisis!
The obsessive personality is often troubled, and rarely satisfied.
Obsessive people often being particularly individual, competitive, and rigid, and constantly driving themselves onwards. By its very nature obssesionality places people into a vicious
cycle of potential destruction.
The nooses of frustration, anxiety and despair, are increasingly drawn taught around their necks. They become haunted by the ghosts of the past, present,and even future failures.
The obsessive person's attitude to life, and the very notion of it, needs altering.
When this is correctly done the daily tasks of living, can be carried out with a much greater sense of ease. Aspects of everyday living such as working,socializing,and,yes,even relaxing,
cause little trauma.
An ease of approach too living must be achieved. Once achieved, the sufferer can contribute and become a normal, well adjusted person.
The idea of life may seem exciting, romantic,and full of endless possibilities as indeed it is! To the obsessive personality this can be problematic. Their lives need too be fine tuned
until the nuts and bolts all fit snugly together, and can, will,and do support the individual as a whole.
If the obsessional personality insists on super - imposing his nature on society, his ship will run aground.
His ship for years has been carrying a cargo of obsessive junk. This cargo is loaded time and again, into the hold, with the usual labels attached, the ship then sets sail, only to head right into trouble once again.
Obsessive personalities tend to strive for ownership, of all that life, and living contain. They get caught up in their own whirlwind and the ship goes down again!
The obsessive persons plight can be aggravated, on more so than by an acute awareness of mortality.
The fear of death strikes deep onto the persons very being. Now he can't do, and be all he wants to be, but is now aware he has, a limited time to achieve it in, PANIC.
If the individual feels the full weight of this there exists the perfect recipe for a crippling anxiety, depressive disorder.
Catch twenty two of course, failure...panic...try harder...do more...run...rigidity..Failure..Panic...the ship goes down again.
Life is a journey, we all, travel, some, first class others not. The traveling of that path can be harsh on the obsessive personality, even hazardous. Especially as he is traveling the road at break neck speed without a map.
The only destination along this road has already been "felt", the end of the line, death.
His lacks of a map causing him too miss most of the pleasurable parts along the way!
Western society with its ill defined code of conduct, its ambiguous spiritual paths, and ill defined work ethic, can add to the woes.
Notions of work hard and reap the rewards, or, if at first you don't succeed, come readily too mind.
This may be fine for some, but the obsessive always takes such ideas to the extreme.
Our society hardly knows itself, what is it actually offering for effort exerted? Apart from financial gain.
The obsessively motivated individual will of course lose his way.
As time passes the obsessive becomes despondent, and finds it hard to value any reward that does come his way. His nature is a driven one! What's next, or, that's not perfect so I accept no praise. The obsessive's driven nature is a part of his personality, and can be held responsible
for a lot of the anxiety.
When this becomes a realization to the person, each new event that life throws up is not seen as a challenge, it becomes an experience. He sees life as an unfolding experience, made up of many parts, where each part is just, another part of the experience, and does not have any unwarranted degree of importance.
Each episode has its affect, but doesn't get taken out of proportion. He realizes that each part is unique, but just another piece of the whole.
He now knows he must not let one part take a dominance by gripping too tightly too the rope,
he learns when too hold onto the rope,and,importantly when too let go!
With this new found knowledge, he no longer feels the need too rush, nor experience the panic or anxiety that goes with it.
The rope can now be let go of without fear of falling, as he has tamed, the demons causing him too grip so tightly.
He can finally stop, lift his head and look around. He has achieved a happier state of mind, and a more settled peaceful existence.
For once he may after a lot of soul searching, get what he really needs, rather than what he only thought he wanted. The path has been made,
a path that is right, right for him, because it is of his own making.
The westerner in Bali rants, raves, and demands too know! What's this, who can explain that, what time does it begin, when does it end, and how long does it take?
Meanwhile the carnival procession passes right in front of his face!
The Balinese, well, they simply join in! There's the answer to the westerners questions!
So May has an awareness day, mmhh!