by AlmostAtheist 38 Replies latest jw friends
It isn't death. It's senseless death. It's eating me up, I can feel it behind my eyes and in my chest.
What do you do when you get this way? I've always been aware of this stuff, why is it eating me up now?
Anybody got a god I can borrow? ;-)
Dave
You don't have to borrow a god. Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive". He also said if we humble ourselves and pray He will heal our land.....our land is the earth.
I am genuinely afraid to know what it is calling me about.
Oh, how I so know that fear. In fact the most intense fearful moment I have ever experienced happened while sitting alone, looking into my own inner pain.
The reason for this fear is that at our core is a truth so vast as to wipe away everything we have ever believed "self" and the seeming separate universe to be. There is fear because the broken and isolated child we think ourselves to be has a very strong sense of self preservation.
j
I have those same feelings AlmostA, But like one poster said...try to keep your mind off of it....I do pray in my daily prayer to God our Father that he will intervene and hopefully soon. As this Burden of world troubles is to much for me to comprehend.
I was watching the "Animal Panet" channel and saw where a person threw a kitten out of a thrid floor window and it's hindlegs were broken...thank goodness a nieghbor took it in and called the ASPCA. They were operating on it but I didn't have time to watch all of the program. I am an animal lover so the tears just flow from my eyes when I see how cruel some humans can be to other humans and animals.
If I totally stop buying cheap stuff, I simply short myself; it's not like I am going to start a trend that will change the world. Nothing about the world economy will change. Manufacturing jobs will not stay in the US. Child labor will not stop. It's very upsetting but I don't know what the answer is.
rebel8, I couldn't have said it any better. Although I don't actively patronise stores that use child labor, I also am not foolish enough to believe I will be the lone straw that breaks the camel's back either.
Andi, about 5 years ago I stopped acquiring posessions and being so worried about them. I have nice clothes that I usually get from Target or Sam's club or Nordstrom's Rack. What I don't wear I have gone through a comprehensive process of weeding out. I know what you mean. I have spent the last number of years maxing out 401 and building savings.
Dave, somehow this 'not acquiring' useless items has helped me.
http://www.myfootprint.org/ Take this test, it tells you what your impact is on the world.
I also feel that just being concious of the fact that others do not have the easy life that I have, helps me.
It reminds me of the bumper sticker 'Live Simply so others may Simply Live.'
A lot of this senseless violence that goes on around the globe is just so the Haves can become the Have Mores.
Lisa
Dave,
Like you, I've grappled with the senselessness of tragic and untimely deaths. Words that were intended to comfort the shock and grief were merely a bandaid, a trite sentiment that ultimately served to help gloss over these losses without giving it too much thought.
You know the kinds of things people say:
I think it's a healthy thing for anyone to put those trite sentiments aside and really ponder over these losses. Does it make us appreciate what we have? Does it make us thankful for the loved ones we have? Does it make us feel humbled that we are in a position to help someone else, even if it's in a small way? Does it motivate us to do something to make a difference?
You could always find a cause that touches your heart and offer to volunteer your time there. It may not save the world, but you'll know that you are doing something that makes a difference to a lot of people.
Eeek! According to the footprint thingy, I use up 32 acres. If everyone uses resources the way I do, we'd need 6 extra planets, in addition to this one. (One for every day of the week!)
Thanks, LDH, that was interesting.
Dave
Mankind has to pay a heavy toll of suffering for refusing to accept the gospel at all levels of society and in all nations.
This is the culture of the instincts that holds sway in the world and such ugly manifestations of hideous brutality are its consequenses.
Hi Dave!
Empathy Hurts. It just does. I've always felt for other people, which is why I think I felt so uncomfortable my whole life being a JW.
How could you possibly look forward to a New System, when it meant all those innocents around you would die?
The waste of life everyday....if you even begin to put yourself in the place of just one or two of those who have suffered, hurts you BUT...it can move you to do more for those around you and those that you love. Everytime I hear a terrible tragedy, I make an extra point of contacting those that are important to me and showing a bit more love.
Giving to a charity regularly and any other way you can help is also essential to keep your sanity if you're an 'Empath'!!! Otherwise, the pain gets TOO much!
However...and this is the important bit...you do have to limit your taking in too much information...ie TV, newspapers etc or it will mess with your head. I rarely read all of a newspaper and keep news watching down to the essentials. Empathy Hurts Too Much!
I can feel your pain because we have all experienced it. James Thomas has hinted at the reason why we suffer so. Deep down we know the reason why. Our ego self is afraid to look at that truth and so tries to keep us distracted by focusing on all the "crap" going on in the world. The focus on "death" is especially effective in keeping us distracted. The truth of the matter, which Jesus went to a great deal of trouble to demonstrate, is that there is no reality to death. It is an illusion. All of this life we are living is an illusion. No one has died. Life is not in the body. We are dreaming a dream of separation from God. For many, the dream is more akin to a nightmare. Bodily death does not awaken us from the dream. It does take a conscious effort and a "little willingness" to awaken.
Gill, I agree that we can't live on a diet of bad news only... because actually life has a lot of good news, too. --Thank goodness!!!
But if we refuse to honestly look at bad news as a whole, we are simply putting our head in the sand. If anyone is going to take on a philosophy, it won't help to minimize what reality is. Reality doesn't give us explanations (usually!); it just stares back at us while we stare at it in horror... and dares us to make our mind up as to whether all of the pain is meaningful or not.
Whatever way you get thru the maze of it, I don't think just looking the other way is a good long term strategy.
bebu
