Balancing our Inner bank Account

Mostly everyone is familiar with balancing a bank account. In order for it to remain in the positive we must put in more money than we get out.
If we draw more money than we can replace, the bank account will quickly fall in the red, and we will be hit by over-draft charges which will make it even harder to stand back up on our feet.
On the contrary, if we deposit more money than we need to withdraw for expenses, we will soon be able to have a nice, little nest egg that will give us peace of mind and can cover up unexpected expenses.
Imagine now that the bank account is our life, and the funds are our personal energy.
By enabling other people to affect us with their emotional debt, we allow our own account to become faulty. Our own personal energy will be absorbed into their drama, and will dissipate faster than we can replace it. Our own energy bank account will soon be in the red.
On the other hand, if we can become detached from the fires that others around us start with the purpose of upsetting us – and are able to generate more personal energy by focusing on things that benefit our lives and that of others without becoming part of the drama - our account will be secured and will never run out.
Our energy is like cash; there has to be a balanced flow between what goes out and what comes in. If we choose to invest it in ventures that promise a good return, then it is a smart financial idea. If, instead, we choose to invest our hard-earned energy in shady deals we should not be surprised to be falling into deficit.
We would not just give our debit card and pin number to a stranger, or to a person who, we know, will just draw our money out and waste it without a second thought.
Should we not be just as cautious with out personal energy?

Fact of Sensory Illusion?

Have you ever wondered if others see and hear the same things you do?
After all, images and sounds are picked up by our senses, and then transferred to our brain for processing. What if our brain -conditioned by previous experiences and teachings - decodes information in a bias fashion? Could a person say one thing and we hear another?
That would certainly explain why people don't seem to find a common ground, at times, or why some find a particular person or thing beautiful while others consider the same thing unattractive or unpleasant. In my personal experience, I know there have been situations when I said one thing and others understood something completely different; it was like we were on entirely different agendas.
What about those cases when the same thing is observed or heard by multiple individuals? Could it be that the response we hear from others is also biased and "produced" by our brain? Is it possible that we "decide" what we are going to hear from others, and selectively choose who will agree with us and who won't?
The hidden triggers in our subconscious have the power to affect our actions and the way we personally approach things, so it would only make sense that they have an impact on the way we see or hear.

The Shadow Twin

Have you ever wondered how many personas live inside the mind of others you encounter? Can you say that the people you know are exactly who you think they are, or is there a possibility that many of them have other faces you have never encountered?
Criminal psychology shows that most sociopaths have multiple alter-egos; those who have had the opportunity to meet infamous serial killers such as Ted Bundy describe them as charming, socially brilliant, and seemingly abiding to societal rules.
It is quite hard to comprehend that a wonderful person and a monster can live within the same bodily confines; yet, it happens all the time. Writers and film producers have exploited this intriguing symbiosis through the symbolism of werewolves and vampires; the most successful attempt at explaining this phenomenon was achieved with the production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Although similar to developing multiple personalities as a defense mechanism, the Jekyll/Hyde syndrome is quite different. Individuals do not form extra personalities to absorb the blunt of painful experiences happening at that moment in their lives; rather, they are taught to be nice and socially apt, but feel entirely inadequate and alone. Thus, while maintaining a pleasant face in the eyes of society, they feel the periodical need to take the mask down and lash anger out.
Because these individuals feel like nobody can truly love their shadow-selves, they take extra care in polishing their social skills, and only vent their frustration and pain toward people they have no connections with, simply because that’s a viable way to be the person they are without being exposed. They thrive on negative attention, and get their fix out of triggering fear and anger in their targets. They tend a trap and wait for the target to fall, enjoying all along the extra energy that is being fed in their direction.
The human mind is a puzzle which science has only begun to identify the pieces of. We all have a shadow side we were taught to suppress; in some, it is more extreme than others, but if we could glimpse at the brains of those surrounding us we would probably be constantly surprised by the actual thoughts rushing through their minds.
What about you? Who is your shadow twin?