Yes, it is an occupational hazard. Brian O used to say that the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. There were several years when I was not fit to interact with the public. When idealists become disillusioned, there is almost always a period of righteous indignation at being lied to so deeply. Only those who can get past that can be productive in these endeavors. I have seen so many casualties in so many ways.
My primary message to those disillusioned idealists is that not all is lost. There is a path to realizing all of those ideals in a world of abundance, or coming real close to it. In a world of scarcity and fear, even the most high-minded efforts eventually become corrupted, as they become means of survival and lose their way. Many NGOs (arguably nearly all of them, if they began with high-minded missions) have met that fate.
For me, my mystical orientation was likely what saved me. Creation is all about love, although it is not easy to see it here in the mire of physical reality. We all live forever and even Hitler went to heaven (although his immediate afterlife experience was not pleasant, and his soul has a bit of karma to work off, one might say).
I am caring and awake but I'm also chronically cynical and pissed off.
Yes, it is an occupational hazard. Brian O used to say that the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. There were several years when I was not fit to interact with the public. When idealists become disillusioned, there is almost always a period of righteous indignation at being lied to so deeply. Only those who can get past that can be productive in these endeavors. I have seen so many casualties in so many ways.
My primary message to those disillusioned idealists is that not all is lost. There is a path to realizing all of those ideals in a world of abundance, or coming real close to it. In a world of scarcity and fear, even the most high-minded efforts eventually become corrupted, as they become means of survival and lose their way. Many NGOs (arguably nearly all of them, if they began with high-minded missions) have met that fate.
For me, my mystical orientation was likely what saved me. Creation is all about love, although it is not easy to see it here in the mire of physical reality. We all live forever and even Hitler went to heaven (although his immediate afterlife experience was not pleasant, and his soul has a bit of karma to work off, one might say).