Overcoming Adversity

[Weatherman2020]

The song "It Is Well With My Soul" was written by a successful Christian lawyer Heratio Spafford. His only son died at age 4 in 1871. In 1872, the great Chicago fire wiped out his vast estate, made from a successful legal career. In 1873 he sent his wife & 4 daughters over to Europe on a summer trip on the ill fated SS Ville du Havre. Since he had a lot of work to do, he planned to follow them later. The Ship sank and he lost his 4 daughters with the wife being the only survivor. She sent him a famous telegram which simply read, "SAVED ALONE...."

On his return home, his Law firm was burned down and the insurance company refused to pay him. They said "It's an Act of God". He had no money to pay for his house and no work, he also lost his house. Then while sitting and thinking what's happening to him, being a spiritual person, he wrote a song - "Whatever, my Lord, You have taught me to say - It is well, it is well with my soul".

While Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was on a trip away from home his wife died in a tragic fire. A few months later on Christmas he got the news that his son in the Union Army had been gravely wounded in combat.

He went for a walk and then wrote a poem that was later put to music.



Moral of the story: You can chose to live your life in anger, or you can realize that Jesus is at your side knowing you are not alone in this.

 

[Montrovant]

Are anger and Jesus the only 2 options?

 

[Toro]

He had a law firm?

Well, he deserved everything he got, then.

 

[BreezeWood]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

 

[task0778]

Are anger and Jesus the only 2 options?

Not in my opinion, there are other religions and philosophies that do not require a religion in order to deal with adversity. However, most of us do require some form of religion or spirituality to get through this veil of tears, people to lean on when you need them and a faith that can sustain you if you let it. Not everyone needs that, but it can be a tough road if you travel it alone.

 

[Montrovant]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is not a disease, it is an emotion.

 

[BreezeWood]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is not a disease, it is an emotion.

.

Anger is not a disease, it is an emotion.

a controlled one ...

 

[SweetSue92]

The song "It Is Well With My Soul" was written by a successful Christian lawyer Heratio Spafford. His only son died at age 4 in 1871. In 1872, the great Chicago fire wiped out his vast estate, made from a successful legal career. In 1873 he sent his wife & 4 daughters over to Europe on a summer trip on the ill fated SS Ville du Havre. Since he had a lot of work to do, he planned to follow them later. The Ship sank and he lost his 4 daughters with the wife being the only survivor. She sent him a famous telegram which simply read, "SAVED ALONE...."

On his return home, his Law firm was burned down and the insurance company refused to pay him. They said "It's an Act of God". He had no money to pay for his house and no work, he also lost his house. Then while sitting and thinking what's happening to him, being a spiritual person, he wrote a song - "Whatever, my Lord, You have taught me to say - It is well, it is well with my soul".

View attachment 206963

While Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was on a trip away from home his wife died in a tragic fire. A few months later on Christmas he got the news that his son in the Union Army had been gravely wounded in combat.

He went for a walk and then wrote a poem that was later put to music.



Moral of the story: You can chose to live your life in anger, or you can realize that Jesus is at your side knowing you are not alone in this.

THank you so much for sharing this. I knew part of the story behind this hymn--that is, I know that the songwriter had been faced with many trials and at least the death of one child. But I did not know the particulars. Just wow. Imagine having FIVE children and losing them all. I cannot imagine. And then sitting down and writing, "It is Well With My Soul"

Here is a favorite verse from a favorite hymn:

Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let thy mercy like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it!
Prone to leave the Lord I love!
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above!

From "Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing"

 

[fncceo]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

 

[Montrovant]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

 

[fncceo]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

Of course ... I always choose before acting on any emotion. I'm not a toddler.

 

[Montrovant]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

Of course ... I always choose before acting on any emotion. I'm not a toddler.

I didn't ask if you choose before acting on an emotion, I asked if you choose before experiencing an emotion. Those are very different things.

Of course a person chooses how they act on their emotions. What emotions they experience, on the other hand, is not a conscious choice. Anger is not a choice, how one acts based on their anger is.

 

[task0778]

I am not too sure anyone chooses to act on their emotions, at least not all the time. The subconscious mind is a repository of past experiences that may already have made the decision for how to react to whatever event caused your anger before your conscious mind got a chance to override the initial subconscious response. Much of our behavior is controlled by the subconscious mind, while more resides in the genetic structure of the physical body. Human consciousness, far from being the controlling agent, is at least sometimes primarily an observer of actions carried out by the body and subconscious mind.

From An Introduction to the Art of Wondering, by James L. Christian:

Behavioral genetics has revealed that there are many personality characteristics that are determined by our genes. Five fundamental orientations are, to some degree, the result of inheritance: whether we are introverted or extraverted, stable or unstable, open or closed to new experiences, agreeable or adversarial in our attitude toward others, and conscientious or slack in taking responsibilities. These are basic personality orientations that can be tied to so many of the traits that we love to judge in individuals:
carelessness, impatience, narrow-mindedness, rudeness, selfishness, suspicion, uncooperativeness, lack of ability to set goals, being undependable, and so on. We have
traditionally held others (if not ourselves) responsible for all these flaws, when in fact their basic parameters are largely predetermined for us by our genes. And there are many other genetically predisposed personal characteristics that we tend to judge others for, including being “liberal” or “conservative” (which have now become evaluative
epithets, not descriptions), rational or emotional, and even intelligent or stupid. All these traits, and many more, are heavily influenced, if not totally controlled, by our genes. Many of the specific genes that produce these predispositions have been pinpointed and studied by geneticists.

That said, a predisposition doesn't mean your actions and reactions are predetermined. How strong is your will power relative to your genetic predisposition and your earlier environmental conditioning? Yeah, we still have conscious choices, but it may nt be that easy to override the mind and body's desire to rip somebody a new one.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Are anger and Jesus the only 2 options?

Not really sure what other options you find likely beyond anger or peace. I'm assuming you're going for "Can't you find peace without God?" Obviously, people do so, but usually through other faiths. Off the top of my head, I'd have to say it's very unlikely that you will come to a place of peace with catastrophic circumstances without some connection to a higher power in the universe, whatever that may be for you.

 

[Cecilie1200]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is not a disease, it is an emotion.

.

Anger is not a disease, it is an emotion.

a controlled one ...

Or uncontrolled, as the case may be.

 

[Cecilie1200]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

In a sense, yes. If you let yourself get into the habit of allowing your temper free rein, then it is much more likely to become your go-to instinctive response. If you train yourself to moderate and control your emotions, then your instinctive response is more likely to be something else.

That's actually what they teach in anger management classes: not just how to cope with anger once you're feeling it, but also how to train yourself not to kneejerk straight to being angry.

 

[Cecilie1200]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

Of course ... I always choose before acting on any emotion. I'm not a toddler.

I didn't ask if you choose before acting on an emotion, I asked if you choose before experiencing an emotion. Those are very different things.

Of course a person chooses how they act on their emotions. What emotions they experience, on the other hand, is not a conscious choice. Anger is not a choice, how one acts based on their anger is.

Being angry can also be a choice, because it's a pattern, and a vicious cycle.

You absolutely can reprogram your brain so that anger is not your first response, because you're not looking at the world with an eye toward finding things to be angry about.

 

[Montrovant]

Are anger and Jesus the only 2 options?

Not really sure what other options you find likely beyond anger or peace. I'm assuming you're going for "Can't you find peace without God?" Obviously, people do so, but usually through other faiths. Off the top of my head, I'd have to say it's very unlikely that you will come to a place of peace with catastrophic circumstances without some connection to a higher power in the universe, whatever that may be for you.

Anger and peace were not the options, anger and Jesus were. There are plenty of other options, and clearly belief in Jesus is not the only way to avoid living a life of anger. Whether someone believes in another religion, or no religion, obviously they can live a life that is not "in anger."

I also would not consider peace the opposite of anger.

 

[Montrovant]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

Of course ... I always choose before acting on any emotion. I'm not a toddler.

I didn't ask if you choose before acting on an emotion, I asked if you choose before experiencing an emotion. Those are very different things.

Of course a person chooses how they act on their emotions. What emotions they experience, on the other hand, is not a conscious choice. Anger is not a choice, how one acts based on their anger is.

Being angry can also be a choice, because it's a pattern, and a vicious cycle.

You absolutely can reprogram your brain so that anger is not your first response, because you're not looking at the world with an eye toward finding things to be angry about.

That is a more roundabout sort of choice that I was speaking of.

 

[fncceo]

.
funny, anger is not a choice it is a disease ...

Anger is always a choice.

Do you choose before experiencing any emotion?

Of course ... I always choose before acting on any emotion. I'm not a toddler.

I didn't ask if you choose before acting on an emotion, I asked if you choose before experiencing an emotion. Those are very different things.

Of course a person chooses how they act on their emotions. What emotions they experience, on the other hand, is not a conscious choice. Anger is not a choice, how one acts based on their anger is.

It takes half a second to see something that might make you angry and decide not to let it make you angry.

In my job, I see a lot of things that might make a person angry. I don't get angry, I maintain my objectivity and my professional detachment and do my job.

It help that, at my age, almost nothing pisses me off any more.