Namaste once again,

As promised, I am adding more thoughts in addition to what others have added here.

First of all, thank you for setting the record straight on what I should think of myself. In this age of information overload, it can be easy for me to lose my way...especially when it's a night like election night here in the US. With so many people on the Internet telling me what I should think and how I should feel...and that whoever wins the Oval Office should have an effect on how I should perceive myself...it's easy to lose track of how I really feel. Or even who I am.

Myself, I abhor conflict. So much so, that if it happens around me I can go delirious right quick and have to remove myself from the situation. Pretty much the only conflict I can tolerate is in the video games I play. I know it's unrealistic for me to expect people to get along all the time and everyone to be perpetually happy, but if there isn't decorum in my immediate surroundings I can lose my grip real fast.

Perhaps the reason I got to thinking like I did in this thread is because Western society seems to crave this sort of conflict all the time...I know other people can tolerate it and some even thrive on it, but I'm not wired that way. There's good and bad in this society, I know. And I also know nowhere is perfect. But...there's got to be a someplace where someone like me can be happy, and where my wiring is more suitable! Or some way to alter my thinking so I can be stronger...I feel Hinduism can do that. I certainly hope so...

I seem to realize now that this wasn't about guilt or shame. It's about trying to find either a place where I don't have to feel constantly afraid, or a way to rework myself so I don't feel like I do...