Your Partner

Examples

A Painful World

Recall the examples from Module 2 where people both did and did not do what they felt they should for others. The emotions that accompanied the examples of The Windshield and The Birthday were love, caring, desire to serve, and satisfaction with having done what they felt was right.

In the examples of The Broken Date and The Crying Baby, the men began to think poorly of the women they cared for. They became blaming, frustrated, and accusatory. All of these emotions were necessary for them to justify their inaction or change of plans. After all, how could they live with themselves at that moment unless they were able to blame their emotions on someone else. They made themselves into victims of their circumstances because of James' refusal to do what he felt he should for his daughter and Jason's refusal to do what he felt he should for Kendra. James and Jason's living in the destructive world undoubtedly had a negative affect on the quality of their relationships, but what could they do about it? How could they escape the destructive worlds they had created for themselves? How can, or did you escape the destructive world you created for yourself in the example you shared earlier? We will address these questions in the next module.