Thus even though everyone has to come to terms with an imperfect world, as a former religious idealist, you are not starting at the same point as others. Other people can wish for something, feel let down, and more easily say, “It’s okay, and I can deal with it.” For the former fundamentalist, it is first necessary to let go of thinking you need so much. (Actually, this is tremendously liberating because you can then enjoy what you do have.) The tendency to black-and-white thinking can worsen this problem. The alternative to perfection is not total failure. Not having God’s blueprint for your
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