Today's Explainer

A bit frenetic, but there're some points here that really landed for me.

1. It can be said that angry frustrated people are the ones who are truly hopeful and optimistic
2. We're all strange, and hardly anyone will tell us the truth about us
3. Most of us are addicted to something - addiction being a pattern of behavior that keeps us from having to spend time with ourselves (see #2 above)
4. We avoid commitment because it's hard for us to feel vulnerable enough to admit we need someone
5. Loving and being loved are learned skills
6. The main reason we make mistakes in choosing a partner is that we're not so much looking for a mate as we are looking for something that feels familiar, which can be beautiful or disastrous depending on how we experienced love as very young children

To love is to be willing to interpret someone else's behavior - which on the surface may be unattractive, or even repellent - in order to discover more benevolent reasons for why it may be unfolding. To apply charity and generosity of interpretation.