Kenton,
of course EVERY one has some sort of trauma ... there is no difference in the impact these things have. You have mentioned your experience in the subway.... and for my sis in law it was being in the hospital for an illness as a young child scared and overwhelmed by it all...
Basically ... we all have suffering, it just takes different forms and we display that in different ways ... no big, no small to it.
Fortunately we also all experience joy. And again, no big no small..be it an academy award or a beautiful flower or sunrise. Joy is joy!
I guess the way I would say it is that we are all working through our own Kamma ... that is the way it is due to all our experiences (not the pop version of if you hurt someone, you will be hurt). We cannot walk another's path, but we can support each other as we each walk through things.
Kev - I actually have to agree with the AA stuff on this confession thing. I don't have to share with another if it will cause harm to them. I cannot save myself at the expense of another. I tend to give a general not to specific or horrific mention. Then when something comes up, if I trust the person, I will sometimes choose to disclose a bit more.
Some times a full disclouser early in a relationship can just be me self-destructing the relationship.
Look inside and clear your mind and see what the answer is for you. Doing a 4th step can be very hard to deal with emotionally, and if you are like me... you probably have been overly critical in your view of yourself. When you are overwhelmed with that ... please ... turn to your positives for a while ... you can pick up the 4th step a bit later after you are more steady. If you can't make a list of your good points to help you get through this ... come here ... we can all help you!
