BoundariesWhen beneath the demanding flames of expectation crystal-clear goodness, filled to the brim, is heated in the fevered urge to please, altruism and compassion, like particles, wildly ricochet in the simmering, mounting intensity. On the threshold of boiling point, turned into devalued air bubbles, they clash within us, demanding more space, driven by the buoyancy of self-awareness, striving toward the surface from the straining pressure of self-sacrifice. Yet through the invisible membrane of the soul’s surfactants— past self-discipline and conscience— it is still far too frail to pass, bubbling on, repressed, futile and helpless. And so goodness, transforming into foaming fury, pushing past its self-limiting layer into a new state of matter, breaks free; and like steam bursting forth, surging high, it clouds all discernment, and boiling over in urgent haste, spilling across its surroundings, scorching across their tender surfaces to bury beneath itself the raging, thrashing flames… The goodness within the body then cools, diminished, and self-esteem sinks to the lower tiers of Maslow’s pyramid.