You're right, Open Eyes, it WAS a judgment, and it was a judgment I still think is valid. No, I'm not a "captain-going-down-with-his-ship" kind of arguer. I'm normally quite willing to consider different points of view and back off when I'm persuaded otherwise than I originally thought. But that's the point. I get the impression (right or wrong) that there are a few folks here who DON'T value other peoples' points of view as highly as their own. And I do think that's inappropriate. This is a "peer support" kind of place, and to me, at least, that means we're all equals and all of our points of view have equal validity simply because we have them. All of us, including me, are wrong from time to time, and the multiplicity of points of view assures us that, when we realize we've been wrong, there are plenty of other possible ways of thinking from which we can choose what we like.

So, would you say that thread titles referring to "Core Issues" are more helpful?

So wouldn't you say that the clearer we are, not just in thread titles, but in posts, the more we can help others and the more help we can receive ourselves? The less misunderstanding there will be? Of course, the majority of us (including me) are still just finding out about themselves, and we can't be clear about what we don't yet understand. But one way or another, I think most of us are striving for clarity about ourselves, even if we don't realize it all the time. And clarity relating to others depends to some extent on those others' abilities to verbalize their situations.

Uh-uh, Open Eyes. Nope, I wasn't writing about anyone in particular at all. In our society it's kind of natural for people to assume that some points of view are more valid than others. That what "I" say is more "right" than what "you" say. And not only is that just not true, it interferes (I think) with each of our attempts to clarify our own thinking about our own problems, because all too many of us have low self-esteem and are only too willing to have a more "authoritative" person tell us the "truth" about ourselves.

Yes, Open Eyes, it was too harsh. I should have said it in a different way. I should have said instead that because of the kind of place PC is, we lose more than we gain by assuming that other members' opinions are either worth more or worth less than our own. This is a group of co-equals, with the possible exception of DocJohn. Regardless of our different educations or capacities, we're here as equals. There's no question at all that, as in all large social groups, some of us are going to get on each others' nerves. For whatever reasons. But that's not a justification to ignore or deprecate anyone else's point of view.

I'm very bad about that, Open Eyes. It's part of my own problem. In hiding from people, as I do, I try to (and succeed in) blanking out most of their details of any kind. So I can't say that I'm a particularly perceptive kind of person at all. I'm working on it. But there's a long way to go yet. So in the end, it's only too normal for me to have very confused and distorted ideas about the people with whom I deal, even here on PC.

I hear you, I hear you. But does the fact that, as you say, everyone here is dealing with their own Core Issues, excuse all of their other verbal conduct? No question that those Core Issues need to be taken into account, but if those Core Issues excuse anything a member will say, there wouldn't be any need for the kinds of guidelines we have about what's permissible in posting or in chat and what's not permissible. I do think that even for members with very tough issues there are rules. And among those rules is "Everyone's POV is equally valid."

Open Eyes, I surely hope we get to know each other better! And, of course, just like everyone else, I'm struggling with my own issues. And there's no question but that I could have expressed myself better with regard to the harsh statement. Help me out, Open Eyes! Jump in whenever you read a post of mine you think is out of line! Thanks!