I thought I'd saved several quotes from the above comments but I obviously lost them. I think this is such a good discussion. I recently said something to my psychiatrist regarding the effect I know my past has made on the mental health issues I struggle with today and she said, "If you want to talk, you need to see a therapist." Do what?

Talking (or composing our innermost thoughts) has to be the most therapeutic thing any of us ever allow ourselves to do. It's not easy but I think it is so important. So many thoughts expressed in this discussion are so profound and say so much about compassion and being a real person.

Sometimes I wonder how many people in the world really and truly care about others? I, personally, believe most do but to varying degrees while some just don't and never will. Some people have such tender hearts with such deep inborn abilities to really and truly want to help others. Some, not necessarily because of any fault of their own, never feel that way. We're all so different...but I have to believe most of the members here care a lot. We've lived with our demons, we've sometimes survived when we didn't really think we could, we've been wounded but somehow we've healed. Most of us would probably describe our lives as complex or complicated and yet our love, concern and desire to help others is so simple.

Maybe the most important thing about each of us is what we've survived and what we'll continue to survive because deep down we know good will always outweigh bad. We keep scars hidden that most people never even suspect are there and sometimes they're painful but maybe we're lucky, maybe feeling things so profoundly is preferable to drifting through life not feeling much of anything.