Compassion

Terror Management Theory: the striving for and creation of positive situations as a means to buffer a fear of being forgotten after death.

Positive illusions: sentiment of unrealistic optimism of one’s well being in face of a clearly negative situation. Typically coupled with ideas of control over the uncontrolable traumatic situation.

I once read about bodhisattvas who save others from suffering by physically absorbing their pain and negativity. Some monks take the suffering of others into themselves. Jesus died to save humanity from it’s self-inflicted death. I’ve got this self-destructive desire to absorb suffering. I’m sure I'm not strong enough. Maybe someday I will be. Or maybe the suffering is just too great, that of my own and that of others, and I’ll just melt away. Melt into the snow.