yeah. if i respect someone, i want to improve myself to live up to the standards that they represent. i’m not motivated by fear, i’m motivated because they’re teaching me or showing me something i value
that’s an entirely different emotion than fear and an entirely different experience than trauma. with fear and trauma, you do what you must to survive, whether you want to or not. and no one should be placed in those circumstances. especially not children
i could never understand the old testament recommendation to fear god. no thanks. ive got better things to do with my time
