Yuletide schadenfreude

[brian423]

Schadenfreude (say "shodden-froyda"). Noun: pleasure in the misfortunes of others. [German]

Merry belated Christmas, Mom!
I love you!
--Brian

Today I ordered Amazon to send my mother this message with a gift-wrapped copy of The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn, a book that she will probably be less than thrilled to receive from me. Years ago, when we were still on speaking terms, I showed it to her. She couldn't abide its "arrogant" denunciation of the compulsion-based school system through which she had worked so hard.

Aah yes, there was that word again: arrogant. That was the word that drained me of self-confidence and self-respect in my teens. That was the word for me whenever I dared contradict an elder on absolutely anything. I was younger, with fewer years of life experience, therefore I automatically lost every argument. What did I know about anything at all, even my own basic tastes and preferences? Thus do young people get treated as the new n-word of American society. (I'm not a racist; I'm just swearing.)

A few days ago, she left a voicemail expressing hope that we might reconcile. For now, that book is my only answer. Chomp on it, Mrs. Families-Are-Not-Democracies! Youth rights now!

[Goodrum]

I found this also fascinating:

http://www.angelfire.com/art/megathink/ ... alist.html

'Glorous generalist'

According to Grace Llewellyn's Teenage Liberation Handbook, which I consider the most important book I've ever read, a "Glorious Generalist" is a good thing to be. Here's what the book says (p. 178):
"What, Miss Llewellyn, is a glorious generalist?

"A generalist, in general, is someone who knows about a lot of things. But a glorious generalist must be distinguished from the heap of ordinary generalists.

"The cheap flash generalist merely knows a lot of trivia. If he is especially flashy he can also recite amusing quotes by famous people. Nothing wrong with that, but the glorious generalist goes way beyond.

"The almost-but-no-cigar generalist knows about a lot of things. He may even know a lot about a lot of things. But it stops there.

"If the glorious generalist has a lucky tricky verbal mind, he can also spew trivia and quotes. I often wish I could do that. Pretty likely, the glorious generalist knows a lot about a lot of things, but not until he has been in business for a while.

"The glorious generalist sees the world whole.

"Because he can see the world whole, the glorious generalist can communicate thoroughly with people of every profession, religion, or background. He can pick up any book or magazine and find in it a connection to his own interests. If he is an all-the-way-there glorious generalist, maybe he can do mystical/scientific things like read the meaning of the galaxies in a fistful of sand.

"How does the glorious generalist operate?

"He starts with faith that the universe has meaning. This faith comes in two varieties--he can trust that a God, or an otherwise entitled Ultimate Reality, exists and created all this or guided it into place. Or, he can trust himself and other humans enough to believe that he can make sense of it all, that even if there is no actual collaboration between the pattern of a spider's web and the lyrics to that Led Zeppelin song, he can still weave it together in his mind so that it has harmony and order, like a stained glass window in a French cathedral.

"Also, he trusts language. He believes that with language he can bridge almost any chasm between himself and another person."

That's how it goes on the first page of her Chapter 20, titled the Glorious Generalist [sic]. There is much more, go buy a copy of the book at Grace's web site: Graceland.

[Goodrum]

..am I a cheap flashy generalist, or a glorious generalist?

Great stuff. Love it.

[shytiger]

I gave it to my young friend, and she found it very stimulating. Thanks for the recommendation.

Brian, I appreciate the way you struggled and all you had to deal with, but why waste a book on somebody who won't enjoy it? You could change somebody's life with this book if you just send it to the right person.

[brian423]

Brian, I appreciate the way you struggled and all you had to deal with, but why waste a book on somebody who won't enjoy it? You could change somebody's life with this book if you just send it to the right person.

I have given numerous copies of this book away to local teenagers.

[stellarrenegade]

The book looks fantastic, and Grace sounds like an Idealist! (Healer or Champion?)

I would like to read it perhaps for the benefit of my future children.

A few days ago, she left a voicemail expressing hope that we might reconcile.

Ah, that gives me hope as well. Please, please, have a real heart-to-heart with her! I feel for your situation and would really like to see you guys reconcile and for you to receive real psychological healing.

I hope that you got my last messages to you on FB. If not, let me know.

[/idealist diplomacy]

[shytiger]

The book looks fantastic, and Grace sounds like an Idealist! (Healer or Champion?)

I would like to read it perhaps for the benefit of my future children.

A few days ago, she left a voicemail expressing hope that we might reconcile.

Ah, that gives me hope as well. Please, please, have a real heart-to-heart with her! I feel for your situation and would really like to see you guys reconcile and for you to receive real psychological healing.

I hope that you got my last messages to you on FB. If not, let me know.

[/idealist diplomacy]

Stell, I only see a close bracket there. When did your idealist diplomacy start?

I am also hopeful Brian. I feel like I have also often been at odds with my parents, not openly of course but there has never been much closeness. I always had so much trouble accepting my mother's fanciful view of reality and just found my dad's interest in "things" boring. At some point perhaps I'll have to admit that we share a bond nevertheless.

[stellarrenegade]

The book looks fantastic, and Grace sounds like an Idealist! (Healer or Champion?)

I would like to read it perhaps for the benefit of my future children.

A few days ago, she left a voicemail expressing hope that we might reconcile.

Ah, that gives me hope as well. Please, please, have a real heart-to-heart with her! I feel for your situation and would really like to see you guys reconcile and for you to receive real psychological healing.

I hope that you got my last messages to you on FB. If not, let me know.

[/idealist diplomacy]

Stell, I only see a close bracket there. When did your idealist diplomacy start?

Niiiice.

Guess I slip into diplomacy from time to time unwittingly.

I am also hopeful Brian. I feel like I have also often been at odds with my parents, not openly of course but there has never been much closeness. I always had so much trouble accepting my mother's fanciful view of reality and just found my dad's interest in "things" boring. At some point perhaps I'll have to admit that we share a bond nevertheless.

Yeah, and for me, there is rage towards my parents, not only from myself, but especially my girlfriend! She remarked yesterday how she has to teach me from the ground up like I'm a little kid, as I was telling her all the dumb logistics that my mom taught me. But there's much more than that. They were very oppressive, creating huge issues of guilt for me even to the present day, causing me to always hear Amy's words all wrong.