“To pursue you passion and never achieve is far better than never having a passion and living with regret forever.”

                                                Keith Abraham, Australian Motivational Speaker

“So, lets get to it.  What is your problem?”

“What, me?  I don’t have a problem.”

“Yes, you do.  You have a number of problems, the first being you don’t think you have any problems.”

“But I don’t, I seriously don’t.”

“Ah, yes, denial is such an intoxicating drug, isn’t it, because the more you deny, the more you believe your own lies.”

“But I’m not lying.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not lying and I don’t like being called a liar.”

“I’m not calling you a liar.  I’ve not once said the word.  You’re the one saying it.”

“You said I believe my own lies.  If you think I’m lying, then you must think I am a liar.”

“No, I don’t believe you’re a liar.  I see a liar as someone who spreads their poison around.  You don’t do that.  Instead, you contain the poison by lying to yourself.  Only a fool does that.”

“Okay now I’m intrigued.  First you call me a liar, now you call me a fool.  How am I lying to myself and why am I being foolish?”

“Well, for one, you don’t believe you’re lying.  You say you’re fine, you have no problems but the truth is you do.  We all do.”

“Are you so cynical you don’t believe others can live problem-free lives?  That makes me sad.”

“See, there is a problem right there.”

“What, that I feel sad for you?”

“Yes.  You feel sad for me when you don’t have to and that means you have a problem controlling your emotions.”

“No, it means I’m sympathetic to your plight.  But I don’t see that as a problem.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.  Which is why you lie to yourself.  You say things like ‘oh, poor him or her.  I really feel for them.  I wish I could do or say something to ease their pain or suffering or burden.  But I can’t so I’ll just feel sad instead.’  It is pathetic, if you think about it.”

“So being sympathetic or empathic for someone is a problem?  I don’t agree with you.”

“But I’m right.  You know I’m right.”

“No, I just said I don’t agree with you.  What I mean by that is I don’t agree with you.  No hidden meanings or whatever.  I think you’re the one here who has problems.  You’re projecting your negative view of the world on me instead of dealing with it yourself.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha…  Oh, please, you’re slaying me.  I mean, come on, what makes you think I’m projecting anything but what I see.  I’m a mirror, man, that’s all I am.  The only thing I’m capable of projecting is what you shine on me.  And I’m just telling you what I see when you do.”

“I don’t believe you’re a mirror.  A mirror reflects whatever stands in front of it, without changing it.  You, on the other hand, are full of opinions about everyone around you.  And from what I’ve heard, these opinions are all negative.  You can’t say a positive thing about anyone.”

“Yes I can.”

“Nah, I don’t believe you.”

“Believe what you like, but I know the truth.”

“How can you be so sure you know everything about everyone else around you yet you are so clueless about yourself?  Think about the last time you said something nice about someone you know.  I bet you can’t.”

“Yes I can but I don’t really see the point.”

“Okay, then, tell me what you said.”

“I just said I don’t see the point.”

“Well, I do.  I don’t think you can say anything nice about anyone because you don’t have anything nice to say about yourself.  Its why you’re always so negative.”

“Now you’re just trying to piss me off.”

“No, I’m not.  I’m being as confrontational as you usually are.  I’m giving you a dose of your own medicine except I’m not deriding everything you say and do.  I’m showing you there are more to people than your skewed viewpoint.  You just have to be a little more objective and open-minded.”

“Fuck that, I don’t need you to tell me how to think.  You’re just upset because I called you a liar and a fool in the same sentence.”

“No, I’m not.  You see the difference between you and I is I don’t really allow silly words to overpower the way I think, my essential being.  You, on the other hand, get upset because someone is playing your game back at you.  So, how does it feel?”

“Now we’re back to where we started with you lying to yourself.  This conversation just keeps going in circles.”

“I’m not lying to myself anymore than you are.  I’m just trying to let you see what it is like to be under the same scrutiny you put everyone else under.  Its not really comfortable, is it?”

“Why do I even bother talking to you.”

“Glass houses, my friend, glass houses…”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“Stop throwing stones, mate, is what it means or one day you will crack.”