Victor Anderson, one of my beloved teachers, enjoined us to neither coddle nor punish weakness. That is a difficult proposition. We make social contracts with one another all the time in attempts to not upset the status quo, and to let ourselves off the hook. Sometimes we rebel against that and go the opposite direction, into blaming or shaming. To work our will requires us dance to between these two, to treat ourselves and others with fierce compassion, to gently remind each other to walk … [Read more...]