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RE: The Dreaded Rejection Letter
The withdrawal of self love is one of the primary sources for our least desireable behaviors. It's generally much easier to be compassionate to others than yourself, and when you pass judgement on yourself, then punishment follows, and rebellion after that.
Next time you get down on yourself, picture your dearest loved one saying it to you about themselves and think about what you would say in response. The only way to stop the cycle of violence is with love. This applies just as much internally as it does externally.
The cycle of violence? I think that takes my little piece about occasional self-doubt way too seriously.
I disagree. We're talking about different degrees of the same problem. The withdrawal of love is always an assault. Even when perpetrated on the self. The words are still applicable, even though no outside actor directly lays hands on the suffering person. Sometimes the person cries themselves to sleep; sometimes they end up physically harming themselves or others as a result.
Okay .... but just so you know, I'm a humor writer. Self-deprecating humor is just one tool in my box. And my wife won't let me use power tools, so there's plenty of room in there.
I'm a bit of a philosopher, and a Buddhist. Humor itself is a bit of harmless violence. It's the careful application and relief of stress to produce the laugh response, which is thought to be an evolutionary response designed to signal the passage of a threat to tribe mates.
Just something to think about when you write. If you know what a person fears, you can always make them laugh. If you can make them laugh, then you know what they fear.