In my own case I was taken home from the hospital by an an alcoholic father who drank whenever he was awake. Now at the time I was born I was unaware of the dangers of alcohol. How it could destroy the family, ruin our health, and generally turn the world upside down.
In fact my entire positive relationship with the world was when I was hungry or else needed a diaper changed.
It was only as I grew older that I had the sense that I was different from the other kids in the neighborhood. Once in a while I would walk upon a group who were talking about how my father had gone into a rage because the world wasn't going his way.
They would talk of how he'd beat one of the farm animals because it kicked over a bucket of milk. Or else it broke out of the barn and would be grazing in the garden, destroying the neat rows of plants. They enjoyed watching his sadism as he rendered justice upon the offender.
Because I didn't pick my family I think I turned out to be a better human being. Being raised in a hostile environment taught me how to survive in a world I didn't design.
It took me 20-30 years to get over my own suppressed anger. Today all I want is to get along with others and learn to live as a compassionate human being.
