Three blocks to progress: the cynic, the rebel, the critic


I've been blocked from recovery in the past.

These three hats I have worn have often been the problem.

The cynic


The cynic suspects bad motives everywhere; does not give benefit of the doubt; espies in offers of help the desire to control; views confidence as arrogance; casts optimism as denial; embraces the darkness as an expression of truth, not the self-perpetuating reservoir of ever-shifting illusion it is; sees in others his own egoic strivings; and ultimately dismisses, as a defence against listening.

The rebel


The rebel does not like to conform; would prefer his own problem to another's solution; resents longer-standing experience; values individuality for its own sake regardless of actual results.

The critic


The critic will seek only to elevate himself at the cost of what he criticises: faults and flaws he discerns become the soap-box he stands on. The critic will snatch failure from the jaws of success and defeat from the jaws of victory; he will see the tiniest of clouds in an otherwise blue sky; and if there are no clouds, he will manufacture them.

To recover and stay recovered I need to disavow these stances, and instead trust others, adopt a positive view (whilst retaining my critical faculties), and join, where my ego would have me stay apart.

A footnote: when I encounter the cynic, the rebel, or the critic in others, it is useless to fight. As a friend demonstrated yesterday, showing kindness in such situations will do far more good.