Well, very cool, yves.

So I requested that you examine your avoidance; avoidance is a very common phenomenon.

Obviously it's often associated with fear. Of course we can justify it cognitively without reference to bad feelings, but feelings and ideas are inextricably intertwined; they're concurrent and interdependent; I'm told that many neural pathways are common to both...

And we're all carrying all our emotions all the time; they never go anywhere but on or under the surface of our consciousness.

So if your avoidance signaled a fear reaction (either conscious or repressed), what might you be afraid of?

I'm harmless, aren't I? If not, please inform me of the danger that I might pose 'cause I'd want to fix it if I could.

If you're not afraid of me, then there's probably something in your history which conflicts with your commitment to communication that you don't want to experience, usually bad feelings and bad thoughts, associated with a concern (euphemism!) that something bad will happen. If that's the case then I'd ask you to identify the feelings, the thoughts and the concerns (introspection/self-examination, essential to metacognition).

The worst difficulties occur when we believe that our bad thoughts are true! If we don't then progress is possible. Bad thoughts and bad feelings make for a bad combination.

We all suffer conflicts.

Again, you can ask me anything.

btw
I believe that your reaction isn't idiosyncratic! You're one of a very few people who have so far been willing to discuss thinking and learning with me.

Thanks again for this conversation.

Mike