You write that strong emotions usually have pretty big storylines, and that would be true for resentments. What I find interesting when I examine myself is that I often can't find a big storyline behind a resentment. It seems to be either habitual or a reflex. When I try to look behind it, "there is nothing there there" (to paraphrase Gertrude Stein). The feeling of resentment might be strong but I can't find a reasonable cause.
That's what makes it so fascinating to really investigate what is at the core of resentment and other negative feelings. It is like the Wizard of Oz, a lot of smoke and mirrors and loud noises but once you look behind the curtain you see that the mighty wizard is a feeble old man, frantically pushing levers and shouting into a microphone.
Of course, looking resentment in the eye doesn't necessarily make it go away, but you recognise it for what it is and don't act according to its commands.
You write that strong emotions usually have pretty big storylines, and that would be true for resentments. What I find interesting when I examine myself is that I often can't find a big storyline behind a resentment. It seems to be either habitual or a reflex. When I try to look behind it, "there is nothing there there" (to paraphrase Gertrude Stein). The feeling of resentment might be strong but I can't find a reasonable cause.
That's what makes it so fascinating to really investigate what is at the core of resentment and other negative feelings. It is like the Wizard of Oz, a lot of smoke and mirrors and loud noises but once you look behind the curtain you see that the mighty wizard is a feeble old man, frantically pushing levers and shouting into a microphone.
Of course, looking resentment in the eye doesn't necessarily make it go away, but you recognise it for what it is and don't act according to its commands.