Semantics

[zenmaster]

I understand what you're saying, I think, but I'm not sure why you see teaching as manipulative. If you know something and someone else doesn't, what's wrong with teaching them?

Do you have difficulty accepting yourself as an authority?

I do. Other than individuals I have a direct bond with, I do. Not so much in practical affairs, but affairs of emotion and spirit cause me to become detached.

That's fear from being vulnerable. Not possible to discuss as teach/learn without 'baring soul' to some extent. In psychotheraphy, Jung concluded that if there was any real change made, both analyst and analysand would be transformed. They both share and learn/teach, teach/learn. A powerful dynamic and one that is easily avoided.