Boy to man

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Boy to man

ak

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This is to someone here.

Dear Friend,

I thank you, for your concern of me,of my safety and health, for your concern of my healing. But it is MY healing. I need to do it as I can. Already, I have felt push to go to therapy, and done it. Already, I have felt push to make report against someone, report I am not at all ready for, and I done it. I do not say it is you who do that push, I just say it is there. Now with this. Do you understand, you are older of me? You are older man? How is it I can say 'No' to you or anyone who tells me what they think I should do? My training, my life, my religion, it all is against me doing that. Because you trust someone, that do not mean I can do same. Because you believe in something do not mean I can do the same. And I worry, is it me that you have this concern of? Or is it that you want to relive, to do what you could not do before? Is it that you could not report it before, so if I do it is something so much more important to you? You have your healing. You have your therapy. You have your past, you have your future. I have mine. They are maybe similar. They are not same. Please do not relive your chances through me. Please do not push me to do what you could not do at the time.


I put this here, instead of just message it to this person, who is someone I care much of, because I think it is something that need be said. The younger members here, they are not just other chances for the older ones to 'do it right'. We are different people. I have been told before here that I am 'lucky', to be dealing with this younger. I know now what that person meant. That I will hopefuly not lose so many years to the afects of it. But still, I do not feel lucky. I have friend here who is older than me by 5 years, and I do not think he feel lucky either. Because I am younger, that does not mean I can be pushed to do what you maybe could not do yourself. And I am very easy to push. But I am not liking it at all.

As already, I said it is nearly impossible for me to say 'No' to any suggestion of older man. I am lucky that the older men here want what is good for me. But it still feels being forced to do something I do not want or feel ready for.

Maybe is just easier to say 'goodbye'. I don't know. It has taken me time to write this, and I have taken time to post it also. But I need say this. I am sorry for anyone it angers. I am upset to lose my friend.

Andrei
 
AK
You are so right to say this, and as one of the older persons here, I say hold to your own sense of readiness. It is so important to make it your own. It is not easy, and maybe this is part of your process of learning how to gauge your own needs and draw your own boundaries.

No one should rush into something before they are ready. My T several times has reminded me that it amounts to re traumatization to relive something without enough grounding to deal with it. But impetuous me, I push myself. I am learning this lesson too, Andrei.

Please be patient with us, dear one, we are all in our recovery journeys hopefully at our own pace, and stick with your realization that some of us may want to relive something in our need to respond to you. But your true strength will come from no longer needing to listen and respect an elder out of duty (or fear) and to learn to have respect for what another does or says that shows maturity, wisdom and compassion.

We all grow together. Thanks for saying this so directly.

....t
 
Andrei

As already, I said it is nearly impossible for me to say 'No' to any suggestion of older man. I am lucky that the older men here want what is good for me.
You are indeed lucky that the older man want's what is 'good' for you - but it might not be 'right' for you.

You can see that fine difference, maybe because what someone said to you with the best of intentitions ( and their experience ) and yo tried it. And it wasn't right for you at this time.
But please try to accept that the advice was given in good faith.

As we get older we do tend to think that "we know best" - but we don't, but that still doesn't stop us giving advice freely to younger guys who live different lives to us.
Sometimes we get it right - but sometimes we dont !

Your post makes a good point that we should all be aware of; none of us can ever know for certain that our help and advice will be right for someone else.
That shouldn't stop us offering that advice, but we should "only offer" and not push it onto someone.

You still call this guy your "friend" - and that says to me that you still care about him, he probably still cares about you as well.
So talk it out with him, explain how you feel. True friends don't say "goodbye" - they talk out their differences.

Be strong Andrei.

Dave
 
Dave,

I do not mean to seem ungrateful to advice. I fully know all the advice I get here, from this friend and from others, it is meant only well. There are people who offer advice and experience. But there are others I feel pressure to do it, that it is forced, not offered. That is difference. I am sorry to appear rude.

Andrei
 
Andrei
what you say is true, and we should take notice.

You are certainly not being rude.

Dave
 
Hi Andrei - You are brave to bring this up. You are right in what you say. Just because you were "offered" advice, it does not mean that you need to take it.

It is ok to file it for future reference.

I think the best part of it is that you spoke up. I am proud of you!

Stay true. Be yourself. That is a good person to be. :)
 
Andrei,

Another part of veryone's Free to Wear Sunscreen" (the song which my current signature ends with) has the statement (which I'm only paraphrasing now) "gratefully listen to advice when it's free. Advice is when we take the grimy parts of our past, shine it up with nostalgia and add greater meaning to it than it actually has."

I need to remember that what works for me may not for others. Still won't stop me from offering MY advice, but I'll be very careful with how it's received.

Keep on being here, Andrei. I can't wait for you to become "honorary Irish" like Leosha and you won't be able to shut up! :p :D

And thanks again for this weekend, my second Russian brother. I'm grateful.

Peace and love,

Scot
 
Ya, Andrei, good thread. Some of my friends call that kind of advice, "Should On's." I guess, in some cases, it could be said that you or anyone who has been so treated by another, as being, "should on."

I know how that can feel.
You're trying to get your act together, and maybe you share some of your problems with a friend, and right away, he or she starts right in with the, "should's," what you SHOULD DO.
Hopefully, your friend will calm down with some of that...you may have to tell him or her to back off some...and you'll be able to enjoy his or hers friendship for the future.

Gosh, is this one of those, "should's:" "Don't be afraid to speak up for yourself, if he or she is a real friend, he or she will understand."

Peace, courage and strength,

David
 
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