Great posting. I am a great admirer of Erich Fromm – there is now a number of clips on You Tube by him or about his work. His German is relatively easy to follow too.
Through my psychotherapy studies and personal counselling I have developed an uninhibitedness to be vulnerable in the presence of others, as well as a frustration that others are unable, or perhaps unwilling, to reciprocate that vulnerability. That I should feel this frustration after a lifetime of emotional reticence is strange, of course. But I cannot deny that the frustration is there, often leading me to desire stronger, more congruent connections with others. For some months now—since about the time I began mixing with friends after months of isolation—I have sought to cultivate empathic relationships with friends. Although I feel I have succeeded in this to some small degree, it has at times made me wonder whether I will ever experience a profound emotional connection with them, or whether those relationships will always stay relatively shallow. My feeling a lot of the time is that most people are content to have…
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penwithlit 