One Book Wonder

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. When we have that small taste of knowledge, sometimes it can make us believe that we know far more than we do. This is an especially difficult thing in the healing process. Knowing some of the traits and words associated with any particular mental illness can set us up to believe that most people fit the bill. This is not so however. We are all at different stages of growth, and each of us has one or two characteristics of some type of mental illness. This doesn’t mean that we are that. It’s important to step back and deeply evaluate the situation before any decisions about another are bound to them in our opinions. Remembering to keep in mind to not call each other names or label each other is always a good place to begin. The serious stuff should be put aside for the serious situation. 

Sometimes the person does fit the bill. It’s important to feel out situations and learn what the differences are. There are many narcissists in this culture, this is true. However, there are also many more people that have a few of those traits but are not full-blown narcissists. This goes with any subject, be it your own healing journey or any new subject. Years back when I was deep into studying astrology, and had been for several years, I would get those people that would begin to talk to me about it as though they knew more than they did, when in fact, all they did was read the horoscope section of the newspaper or maybe, they read one book. We would call them “one book wonders”. So try not to be a “one book wonder” when it comes to your healing journey. As you accomplish the absolute necessity of developing strong boundaries and keeping them intact, try to remember that people are complex beings and deserve a far closer and more open minded look.

~Janice M. Burke

Image by Mohamed Hassan