The Dark Side
From 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact by Melody Beattie
There's a dark side to us too. We all experience jealousy, envy, bitterness, resentment. How about neediness? Ugh. Who wants to shine a light on that?
What about all those fears? Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of intimacy, fear of going broke, fear of staying broke, fear of abandonment, fear that we're essentially unlovable, fear of the unknown, fear of growing old, fear of being alone, fear of being with someone, fear of losing control.
Then there are the parts of us that we would prefer to keep darkened and out of sight, parts such as greed, dishonesty, intolerance, disgust, hatred. Although some people have no problem showing anger, others of us prefer to keep that out of sight too. And what about out manipulative part? Who wants anyone to see that?
Some of us may even consider the dark side of ourselves forbidden. We may refuse to acknowledge it exists because we believe it's wrong. Not acknowledging our dark side doesn't wish it out of existence, any more than not seeing the dark side of the moon makes it disappear.
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Stand back. Don't be afraid. Shine a light on that dark part. At least look at it briefly. Acknowledge that it's there. Take some of the pressure off. Let yourself be well rounded, instead of one dimentional.
Take it one step further. Share those darker parts with others, so they can chine a light on those parts of themselves. Experience how much easier it is to not act needy, not to speak bitterly, and not to look disgiusted when you acknowledge those feelings.