Good morning, September Morn. I am very, very concerned about that last statement, that you are going to hurt yourself. I wasn't online after early evening last night; I wasn't refusing to answer, or anything like that.

Re: Righteous anger. I have a religious mentor, a dear woman in her 80s, who completely practices the positive thinking philosophy of New Thought. She rarely gets angry with anyone, even in the most exasperating situations with "customer service" representatives, who recite from scripts that are designed to provide exactly service or assistance for the caller. She sensible, firm, and completely stands within her own self-respect and dignity. Here's an anecdotal conversation that for me, really sums up, her sense of self-worth.

Rev. B, her husband, and she had run a little storefront church for some years in S. Florida. Eventually, they retired, her husband died, and she was living alone in their home. A small church about an hour-and-a-half or more drive away and asked if she would come and do the Sunday service. She was past the age of enjoying long drives and said, No, she was retired now. "Oh, but you have so much to give," the caller gushed. "Yes," my friend said, "I do. And I gave it."

I suspect that sounds snotty in print, but from her, it would have sounded common-sensical and not at all arrogant or pretentious. She knows her worth; she knows where she stands; and she says it.

As for "righteous anger," I think that probably Jesus was able to embody RA, and perhaps some other holy men -- the Dalai Lama, for example. I'm not there yet, and my anger is likely to be self-preserving and self-serving for the most part. I hold as my example my friend, who is able to be honest and set boundaries without hurting others.