Dear jack:

It is very telling of the sad state of affairs that NOT being a fake is seen as a talent, as you wrote. Isn’t that something? A baby is authentic, as we suffer in our early childhood we lose that authenticity and then it seems like being authentic requires a talent. We are born authentic. It does not require talent.

Only when we lose it then it requires a lot of work… and maybe talent, to bring some of it back.

As to your last sentence about suffering being a good thing- no, never- never to me is suffering a good thing. Authentically speaking, suffering is a bad thing and we instinctively move away from it. Unfortunately when healing, it is necessary to become aware of the pain that is already there.

anita