The Search for Significance

86 The Search For Significance
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Experiences of punishment dominate your
memory, and you probably have experienced a
great deal of depression. These problems will remain
until some definitive plan is followed. In
other words, this condition will not simply disappear;
time alone cannot heal your pain. You must
deal with the root issue.
THE EFFECTS OF THE FEAR OF
PUNISHMENT AND THE DESIRE TO PUNISH
OTHERS
Fear can take a deadly toll on people. Although
the death certificates list another disease, many
times the true cause of death was the stress created
by so many fears. The logical result of
Satan's deception, Self-worth * Performance +
Others' Opinions, is fear — fear of failure, rejection,
and punishment. Many of us are so motivated
by fear that we can't imagine what our lives
would be like without it. We have determined that
failure must be punished, and as a result, we victimize
ourselves and others by punishing virtually
every failure we see.
We are the first and most obvious victims in
this pattern of punishment. After failing, we may
believe we must feel remorse for a certain length
of time before we can experience peace and joy
again. In a twisted form of self-motivation, we
believe that if we condemn ourselves enough, then
perhaps we won't fail again.
Not only do we victimize ourselves by this
thinking, but we also practice judgment on others.
Ironically, the people we judge the harshest are
those we love and need the most. This reaction is a
response to our great need for consistency and justice.
If we are going to punish failure in ourselves,