What Are You Running From: the Truth You Are Afraid to Face Will Make You Grow

We feel pain because we habitually deceive ourselves to avoid temporary pain. Maybe we swallow the lies of "it's all my fault" and "I'm a bad person" to refuse to admit that "the person who hurt me is bad" just because you love that person very much; we may also tell ourselves a lie "things will get better" instead of facing the broken marriage. By lying to ourselves, we can live in our original illusions, desperately suppress our feelings, desires, and impulses, stay stuck in place, persist in painful things, and naively believe that as long as we can get better, everything will get better. This self-deception may temporarily avoid pain, but clinging to the fantasy can actually become a source of greater pain. In fact, facing the truth is not as scary as you think. The enlightenment of wisdom will only make us feel peace and joy. The author insightfully shows how to recognize the lies we tell ourselves and face the truths we've been avoiding - not saying "yes" when we really don't want to say "yes." Only by committing to facing the deepest truths of our lives can we truly heal and grow.