adapting by curbing our desires

we learned early that trying out who we are in the world often produced negative reactions … we learned to curb our desires, adapt, perhaps even hide out, and fit in … it is so much safer that way … tiny in a world of giants, we reason that surely the world is governed by those who know, who understand, who are in control

how disconcerting it is then when we find our own psyches in revolt at these once protective adaptations, and how disillusioning it is to realize that there are very few, if any, adults on the scene who have a clue as to what is going on … our projections and expectations dissolve in time and are replaced by confusion, dismay, cynicism, and sometimes a frenetic search for trustable authorities

• experts of fear and confusion

linked mentions for "adapting by curbing our desires":

1. suffering disconnect from meaning

   we are the animal that suffers disconnect from meaning … our system produces a complex series of interactions — feeling responses, dreams ranging