Refining Ourselves
The Chief Negative Features—5 & 6
The Action Axis
Martyrdom [15%]
Heavy users of this feature generally have difficulty with positive feelings because they interfere so much with their suffering. They tend to draw to themselves more catastrophes and misery than the rest of us do. But, wallowing in desolation and blaming others tend to drive people away— so they don’t even receive the sympathy they seek. About the best they can often do is to try to get others to feel guilty about the wretchedness they’re experiencing.

This is definitely not a fun Chief Feature to have or to watch.
When people feel out of control— wretched and wanting someone else to blame —what they elicit from others is disgust.
Martyrs may have their crown of thorns but they’re a thorn in everyone else’s side. Spouses desert them, children leave home asap, doctors give them drugs just to get them to shut up, neighbors avoid them, this is definitely a case of misery NOT loving company.

If the person with this Feature manages to remain at the positive pole, he can call attention to a cause or complete difficult karmas. A person in martyrdom may appear selfless— helping others without seeming to give thought to his own needs. This is the soldier who throws himself on the hand grenade.
Mother Theresa, who claimed to want to ‘die on her feet’ carried this Feature to its highest level.
As with most Features, however, staying in the positive pole is difficult and rarely achieved.

The negative pole of Martyrdom does not bring about popularity or even much sympathy. To be sure, when a new acquaintance first witnesses the myriad of problems experienced here, they may offer to lend a hand. But, the person in Martyrdom’s negative pole will “Yes, but,” every suggestion put forth by those who may try to help— and they’ll soon leave to seek out folks who are actually interested in getting out of their miserable existences. Then, when the Martyr whines, “Why don’t you call or visit me any more?” [the finger-pointing, guilt-tripping aspect of this Feature] they’ll break into a run simply to get away.
Self esteem falls below zero as no one’s needs get met.

Not many Martyrs become well known and, for obvious reasons, those who do are managing to stay in the positive pole of the Feature.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King both used this Feature to fulfill their complicated life goals of bringing Blacks forward in this society regardless of the costs to either of them.
John Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and Dian Fossey are 3 others who used Martyrdom to further causes.

Impatience [15%]
This Feature is the product of time-worry. The person using it is frantic that there just isn’t enough time to finish the current project, to get to where she needs to go, to climb to the top of her corporation. It’s difficult to be in the present if the person is constantly worrying about the future. And as for relaxing— fuhgeddaboudit!

As the person in Martyrdom tries to control people by using guilt, the person in impatience tries to control time by becoming frantic. She is the first person to loudly call on the cashier at the supermarket to request that another line be opened.
Impatient folks often feel [and look to outsiders] a little frantic. They always feel as if they’re having to run to catch up— even if they’re out in front of the pack.

In the positive pole, overconfidence is the norm. The person is daring and audacious in chasing down her goals. She’ll plunge ahead making decisions on the fly. The Impatient person can look bold and unflinching.

In the negative pole, she’ll constantly switch lanes on the highway and, in extreme instances, will play ‘leap-frog’ in traffic— thereby putting everyone on that stretch of road at risk.
Unfortunately, these attempts to get ahead of the clock often result in cut corners. Cut corners often lead to sloppy work and disasters can occur. Everything from bridges that collapsed before their materials should have worn out to failed nuclear plants could well be the result of folks with the Feature of Impatience hurrying through the inspection processes.