Will Hall posts encouraging words for people who encounter disappointment in the organizations they invest their hopes in. “The more we believe our group is the answer to a world gone wrong, the more our world does go wrong when the group unravels . . . The reality is that every kind of group, not just those that include mental health survivors, is vulnerable to conflict.”
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Will’s suggestions sound good, but I have to say that for myself, being attacked for what seems like no reason just puts me in a state of panic. It often comes from people I considered were my friends. Coming from people I don’t respect anyway, it is just a minor annoyance. (And of course, it would be an honor to be attacked by certain people, like E. Fuller Torrey.)
It doesn’t bother me that much when people criticize or disagree with me, as long as it is done in a spirit of respect. I often change my own beliefs and perspectives based on this kind of interaction. I may be just plain wrong, or I may not have adequately thought through my position.
What usually sets me off are attacks based on jealousy. This is a lot more common than people might think, and I also believe that usually, the people making such attacks don’t realize their own motivation. But it feels terrible when I have accomplished something, or when I am playing a big role in trying to accomplish something for our movement, and I get attacked for it.
I’ve felt jealous of people too sometimes, where I think that I too should have gotten some recognition or credit that the other person got. I try to praise the other person, but I don’t always succeed in being so saintly. (I have been this way for many years, ever since my application for sainthood was rejected.)
