Largely but not entirely. I also have a bitterness towards a society that didn’t want to look at my personal achievements because of my appearance and/or the guess that I got some sort of accommodation due to my appearance. I never did. I never asked for any aaistabce. I didn’t need it for the most part. Because of my face many people assume I got help to get where I am now.
Enlightenment comes at times.
Suffering is stressing over a perceived future instead of being in the present. Very typical of most everyone including myself.
Getting to his main point, why couldn't any of the clerics, priests, pastors, or holy men he consulted answer him as directly as you are?
The story of Adam (man) wanted a physical existence where the knowledge of both good and evil could be attained. Each of us want this, it is inherent in our nature. Physical life allows us to attain this knowledge meaning we are also susceptible to disease, inherited genetic failures hemophilia and non-inherited genetic mutation (Sturge-Weber Syndrome). Then, of course, are our own choices that effect our lives. The story tells us God cautioned us (mankind) of wanting this knowledge, but once we chose it, He promised he would also remain with us through thick and thin. Whatever trouble we ran into, made for ourselves, inherited, God could bring good from it.
When I was still in elementary school, a new, young priest dropped by one of our religion classes. The first thing he asked was who could remember the readings and the homily from the Sunday homily two days before. Of course, none of us could. He explained that those readings and homily pointed to a "homework" assignment we were to work on during the week. We shouldn't worry about succeeding in that assignment, we were to only work on it.
I hesitated before responding to this, because I very much respect (while not agreeing) with your feelings about religion.
Hasn't God already paid his debt?" The way I see it anyone who argues God created a world that is sometimes unfair will be met with agreement from God. Followed by God explaining he has already punished himself for that. What can they possible say to that? You didn't punish yourself hard enough? Then God is going to say, if you blame me for all of the bad things, why didn't you credit me for all of the good things? Because the good vastly outnumbered and out weighed the bad.
I think we’ve discussed this before, but forgiveness is a concept that I don’t really believe in. I believe in consequence and taking responsibility for one’s mistakes, not just being allowed to ignore them. So that’s a difficult thing for me to work with.
I hear what you are saying. I am more on the track that I often have to forgive myself. Where Anathema and I differ, is that he believes God deliberately targeted him for sturge-weber disease, whereas I believe God is most concerned with our spiritual life because He can guide us through the physical and moral challenges we face in this life. This is on the order of, Is God so powerful he can make a rock not even he can lift? In this case, If God needed to forgive himself, would he, or would he bring perfection to it instead? (If something is made perfect, what is there to forgive?)
Years ago I had a student who worked harder than any student I had seen before--and harder than any student I had after. And the best she could do (according to tests and rubrics) was a 'C'. She had great parents who told me I was never to give her more than what was required from tests/rubrics. They (and she) were all aware of her limitations--it was who she was--and we all wanted nothing more than for her to be who she was--and proud of it. She not only had a lot to offer--she gave so much. She was already head and shoulders above most human beings, and she was happy in her own shoes. She reminds me of that old adage: You must be yourself. Everyone else is taken. I wouldn't have wanted her to be anyone else--she was perfect as herself.
Wonderful advice, if you can be a hermit. Unfortunately we live in a society which requires us to interact with other human beings. People who may not be so enlightened or accepting. I could spend hours telling you stories from my past of those who had no need to be in accepting but still are.
I am definitely a hermit at heart. Here is a story of a group of relatively normal people who, none-the-less, were facing serious problems/issues. The therapists all had them write a list (no names) of all the problems they were facing. The lists were shuffled and passed around the circle until everyone had read them all, and the lists were returned to the center of the table. They were then asked to select the list they felt were the simplest problems to tackle. After a short time, people began reaching for a list. In the end it was discovered that each person had chosen his/her own list of problems/issues. (As far as I know, this was never made into test that could be studied scientifically. It was merely anecdotal, something for most to think over during times life is overwhelming.
If i had been given an option to be a hermit i would have taken it.,probably would have saved me a lot of head and hesaart aches over the years. Unfortunately my medical situation didn’t allow for that.
You indicate that love and appreciation are important to you. Both can be found in God's presence; neither can be found in hell.
Not Love. Love is something I don’t believe in. Appreciation is. I don’t see that appreciation coming from either side so I tend to gravitate towards the side that never claimed appreciation was their thing to begin with.!Bettervtge honest asshole than the one who lies about caring in the first place.
How much love and appreciation have you shown to others?
Again, I don’t believe in love. My wife and I have a marriage build almost exclusively on our ability to meet each others needs and nothing more.
And you still can't figure out why you are so sour?
