The tragic conceit of intimacy

in #life6 years ago

Intimacy is such a wonderful gift. To validate this we have only to look at the concept of "Failure to thrive."

Not getting enough nutrients is the immediate cause of failure to thrive, but the ultimate cause may be complicated and hard to determine. Failure to thrive may point to caregiver depression or another mental health problem that makes it hard for the caregiver to interpret or respond to the child's needs.
Source: Web M.D. (https://www.webmd.com/children/tc/failure-to-thrive-topic-overview)

Frankly, this is a watered down description. The most stunning example of failure to thrive is found with raising wild animals in captivity. Without a parent to hold them & interact with them, the babies tragically die more often than not. In essence, we require some intimacy to thrive. We are thinking AND feeling beings, and what better way to feel one's emotions than within the safe confidence & reception of a loved one?

All good! Or is it? There is a tragic pitfall hidden within the warmth of acceptance & attention from a trusted loved one. This pitfall comes from a conceit that can arise from the increased access to another individual's emotional experience - judgement.

In short, when we are trusted with another's experience, be wary of locking that person into said experience. One of the primary ways that we human's process emotions is by sharing them in a trusted setting with a trusted individual. This allows us to change, grow, and learn from our experiences, both positive and negative.