Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Please Yourself

"The love I gained
with such uphill effort
and self-defacement
was not meant for me at all
but for the me I created
to please them."

- Alice Miller
This face looks just how I felt as a child who was determined to gain the love of my parents -exhausted, cold & lifeless. Who are you trying to please? Do you see any resemblance in this face?
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8 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 6, 2009 at 10:48 AM

    Me too...

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  2. UnknownAugust 6, 2009 at 10:50 AM

    Me too...

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  3. TreehuggerAugust 6, 2009 at 12:44 PM

    Yes, I can relate...

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  4. bradAugust 6, 2009 at 2:57 PM

    Dear friend, you paid such a high price to learn what so many never understand - there are some in the world who will NEVER love us as we truly are. Not because we are unlovable (God shows that that is not true), but because they do not understand or care how to love. How truly sad when a parent is like this, and how truly hard on us it is!

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  5. BradAugust 6, 2009 at 2:58 PM

    How's this for results - two responses to the same post! Roberta, I looked at the image again just now and can understand how you saw what you did, but that's not what I see. I see a face at peace, at rest - the face of someone I'd like to know. I guess what I see depends on where I am when I'm looking - duh! Oh, I also recalled a song by Ricky Nelson about garden parties. The refrain is:
    But it's all right now-
    Learned my lesson well-
    y'know, ya can't please everyone
    so ya gotta please yourself.


    Be pleased! - Brad

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  6. BradAugust 6, 2009 at 2:58 PM

    How's this for results - two responses to the same post! Roberta, I looked at the image again just now and can understand how you saw what you did, but that's not what I see. I see a face at peace, at rest - the face of someone I'd like to know. I guess what I see depends on where I am when I'm looking - duh! Oh, I also recalled a song by Ricky Nelson about garden parties. The refrain is:
    But it's all right now-
    Learned my lesson well-
    y'know, ya can't please everyone
    so ya gotta please yourself.


    Be pleased! - Brad

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ruth Hull ChatlienAugust 8, 2009 at 5:20 AM

    Alice Miller is brilliant and was a godsend to me.

    I'm not sure I relate to the stone face, but I do find it disturbing. I catch myself still people-pleasing but in subtle ways that make it even harder to identify.

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  8. ROBERTAAugust 8, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    Brad & Ruth,
    yes we all see something different in the face....i thought it was rather creepy but i can see the peacefulness too.

    ReplyDelete