...Some say he's crazy.
He sells clams
Door to door through town...
"Want to buy some clams?" he shouted....
...."No," I said, ashamed
But frightened, and wished him away.
And he disappeared,
Banging the pail as he went
To scare the little breathers in their shells.
Where does shame come from? I've read that it is hard wired in us, that shameful feelings arise on their own from deep within, and the our various cultural constructs add layers on top of this for particular shameful stimuli. So when the frightful, crazy world comes knocking on the doors of our lives and we don't answer, but hide behind masks, shells of ego defenses, or literally in our isolated homes typing away on Facebook, is there anyone's inner soul that does not says "Now wait just a doggone minute, isn't the good life to be open to all that the world is, come hell or high water?" If we hide or clam up, we might miss something wondrous, or something that might teach us who we are and who we are becoming.
Do you experience shame in your life? What unmet needs might be behind these feelings? What might you do to respond to these feeling with actions that open you to the world?
