Quirks of Kin
Posted Mon, 10/04/10
Last week I caught the last few minutes of Oprah Winfrey's interview with JK Rowling. I listened as she talked about being estranged from her father:
It wasn't a good relationship for a very long time…there just came a point at which I had to say 'I can't do this anymore.'
Habitual and lifelong discord between a parent and child is difficult, but it happens more often than people think. Sometimes being related by blood just isn't enough. When two people don't like each other, and the bête-noir goes deep to their inner cores, there isn't much to be done about it. Both parent and child can torture themselves for years with mutual feelings of guilt, but what's the point? There comes a time when one has to cut their losses and move on, with no looking back. Burning the last bridge, so to speak, can often be a good thing. It allows a certain freedom from the past, release of negative baggage and a refreshing new start.
I learned years ago that guilt is a waste of time. Some use it as a weapon to bend others to their will, which unfortunately has been my experience. People who wield guilt in order to get their own way are nothing more than selfish manipulators. Who needs that?
Life is too short to waste on the quirks of others.